diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 34a76bb4f594..64a97a8bdba5 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 BUILD_DIR=$(CURDIR)/build
 COVERAGE_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR)/coverage
-BEATS?=auditbeat filebeat heartbeat journalbeat metricbeat packetbeat winlogbeat x-pack/functionbeat
+BEATS?=auditbeat filebeat heartbeat journalbeat metricbeat packetbeat winlogbeat x-pack/functionbeat x-pack/agent
 PROJECTS=libbeat $(BEATS)
 PROJECTS_ENV=libbeat filebeat metricbeat
 PYTHON_ENV?=$(BUILD_DIR)/python-env
diff --git a/dev-tools/mage/crossbuild.go b/dev-tools/mage/crossbuild.go
index 1d8fb72a3377..2c4b302c0673 100644
--- a/dev-tools/mage/crossbuild.go
+++ b/dev-tools/mage/crossbuild.go
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ func (b GolangCrossBuilder) Build() error {
 		"--rm",
 		"--env", "MAGEFILE_VERBOSE="+verbose,
 		"--env", "MAGEFILE_TIMEOUT="+EnvOr("MAGEFILE_TIMEOUT", ""),
+		"--env", fmt.Sprintf("SNAPSHOT=%v", Snapshot),
 		"-v", repoInfo.RootDir+":"+mountPoint,
 		"-w", workDir,
 		image,
diff --git a/dev-tools/mage/dmgbuilder.go b/dev-tools/mage/dmgbuilder.go
index 8c7df259b237..c04a5eea6f79 100644
--- a/dev-tools/mage/dmgbuilder.go
+++ b/dev-tools/mage/dmgbuilder.go
@@ -244,6 +244,7 @@ func (b *dmgBuilder) buildDMG() error {
 		"create",
 		"-volname", b.MustExpand("{{.BeatName | title}} {{.Version}}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}"),
 		"-srcfolder", b.dmgDir,
+		"-size", "500m", // allowing extra space
 		"-ov",
 		createDir(dmgFile),
 	}
diff --git a/dev-tools/mage/dockerbuilder.go b/dev-tools/mage/dockerbuilder.go
index 046a476957bb..adc30aabfd75 100644
--- a/dev-tools/mage/dockerbuilder.go
+++ b/dev-tools/mage/dockerbuilder.go
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ func (b *dockerBuilder) prepareBuild() error {
 		"ModulesDirs": b.modulesDirs(),
 	}
 
-	return filepath.Walk(templatesDir, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
-		if !info.IsDir() {
+	err = filepath.Walk(templatesDir, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+		if !info.IsDir() && !isDockerFile(path) {
 			target := strings.TrimSuffix(
 				filepath.Join(b.buildDir, filepath.Base(path)),
 				".tmpl",
@@ -134,6 +134,52 @@ func (b *dockerBuilder) prepareBuild() error {
 		}
 		return nil
 	})
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return b.expandDockerfile(templatesDir, data)
+}
+
+func isDockerFile(path string) bool {
+	path = filepath.Base(path)
+	return strings.HasPrefix(path, "Dockerfile") || strings.HasPrefix(path, "docker-entrypoint")
+}
+
+func (b *dockerBuilder) expandDockerfile(templatesDir string, data map[string]interface{}) error {
+	// has specific dockerfile
+	dockerfile := fmt.Sprintf("Dockerfile.%s.tmpl", b.imageName)
+	_, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(templatesDir, dockerfile))
+	if err != nil {
+		// specific missing fallback to generic
+		dockerfile = "Dockerfile.tmpl"
+	}
+
+	entrypoint := fmt.Sprintf("docker-entrypoint.%s.tmpl", b.imageName)
+	_, err = os.Stat(filepath.Join(templatesDir, entrypoint))
+	if err != nil {
+		// specific missing fallback to generic
+		entrypoint = "docker-entrypoint.tmpl"
+	}
+
+	type fileExpansion struct {
+		source string
+		target string
+	}
+	for _, file := range []fileExpansion{{dockerfile, "Dockerfile.tmpl"}, {entrypoint, "docker-entrypoint.tmpl"}} {
+		target := strings.TrimSuffix(
+			filepath.Join(b.buildDir, file.target),
+			".tmpl",
+		)
+		path := filepath.Join(templatesDir, file.source)
+		err = b.ExpandFile(path, target, data)
+		if err != nil {
+			return errors.Wrapf(err, "expanding template '%s' to '%s'", path, target)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (b *dockerBuilder) dockerBuild() (string, error) {
diff --git a/dev-tools/packaging/packages.yml b/dev-tools/packaging/packages.yml
index 990751b3e789..3cda43b0f2cb 100644
--- a/dev-tools/packaging/packages.yml
+++ b/dev-tools/packaging/packages.yml
@@ -54,11 +54,11 @@ shared:
       /etc/init.d/{{.BeatServiceName}}:
         template: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/dev-tools/packaging/templates/{{.PackageType}}/init.sh.tmpl'
         mode: 0755
-      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/beats/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
+      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/data/downloads/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
         mode: 0644
-      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/beats/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
+      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/data/downloads/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
         mode: 0644
 
 
@@ -97,11 +97,11 @@ shared:
         source: 'agent.yml'
         mode: 0600
         config: true
-      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/beats/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
+      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/data/downloads/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
         mode: 0644
-      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/beats/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
+      /etc/{{.BeatName}}/data/downloads/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz:
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
         mode: 0644
 
   - &agent_binary_files
@@ -131,11 +131,11 @@ shared:
     <<: *common
     files:
       <<: *agent_binary_files
-      'beats/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz':
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
+      'data/downloads/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz':
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
         mode: 0644
-      'beats/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz':
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
+      'data/downloads/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz':
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.tar.gz'
         mode: 0644
 
   # Binary package spec (zip for windows) for community beats.
@@ -149,18 +149,18 @@ shared:
       uninstall-service-{{.BeatName}}.ps1:
         template: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/dev-tools/packaging/templates/windows/uninstall-service.ps1.tmpl'
         mode: 0755
-      'beats/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip':
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip'
+      'data/downloads/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip':
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/filebeat/build/distributions/filebeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip'
         mode: 0644
-      'beats/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip':
-        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip'
+      'data/downloads/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip':
+        source: '{{ elastic_beats_dir }}/x-pack/metricbeat/build/distributions/metricbeat-{{ beat_version }}{{if .Snapshot}}-SNAPSHOT{{end}}-{{.GOOS}}-{{.AgentArchName}}.zip'
         mode: 0644
 
   - &agent_docker_spec
     <<: *agent_binary_spec
     extra_vars:
       from: 'centos:7'
-      user: '{{ .BeatName }}'
+      user: 'root'
       linux_capabilities: ''
     files:
       'agent.yml':
diff --git a/dev-tools/packaging/templates/docker/Dockerfile.agent.tmpl b/dev-tools/packaging/templates/docker/Dockerfile.agent.tmpl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c85099c54324
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-tools/packaging/templates/docker/Dockerfile.agent.tmpl
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+{{- $beatHome := printf "%s/%s" "/usr/share" .BeatName }}
+{{- $beatBinary := printf "%s/%s" $beatHome .BeatName }}
+{{- $repoInfo := repo }}
+
+FROM {{ .from }}
+
+LABEL \
+  org.label-schema.build-date="{{ date }}" \
+  org.label-schema.schema-version="1.0" \
+  org.label-schema.vendor="{{ .BeatVendor }}" \
+  org.label-schema.license="{{ .License }}" \
+  org.label-schema.name="{{ .BeatName }}" \
+  org.label-schema.version="{{ beat_version }}" \
+  org.label-schema.url="{{ .BeatURL }}" \
+  org.label-schema.vcs-url="{{ $repoInfo.RootImportPath }}" \
+  org.label-schema.vcs-ref="{{ commit }}" \
+  license="{{ .License }}" \
+  description="{{ .BeatDescription }}"
+
+ENV ELASTIC_CONTAINER "true"
+ENV PATH={{ $beatHome }}:$PATH
+
+COPY beat {{ $beatHome }}
+COPY docker-entrypoint /usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint
+RUN chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint
+
+RUN groupadd --gid 1000 {{ .BeatName }}
+
+RUN mkdir -p {{ $beatHome }}/data {{ $beatHome }}/logs && \
+    chown -R root:{{ .BeatName }} {{ $beatHome }} && \
+    find {{ $beatHome }} -type d -exec chmod 0750 {} \; && \
+    find {{ $beatHome }} -type f -exec chmod 0640 {} \; && \
+    chmod 0750 {{ $beatBinary }} && \
+{{- if .linux_capabilities }}
+    setcap {{ .linux_capabilities }} {{ $beatBinary }} && \
+{{- end }}
+{{- range $i, $modulesd := .ModulesDirs }}
+    chmod 0770 {{ $beatHome}}/{{ $modulesd }} && \
+{{- end }}
+    chmod 0770 {{ $beatHome }}/data {{ $beatHome }}/logs
+
+{{- if ne .user "root" }}
+RUN useradd -M --uid 1000 --gid 1000 --home {{ $beatHome }} {{ .user }}
+{{- end }}
+USER {{ .user }}
+
+{{- range $i, $port := .ExposePorts }}
+EXPOSE {{ $port }}
+{{- end }}
+
+WORKDIR {{ $beatHome }}
+ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint"]
diff --git a/dev-tools/packaging/templates/docker/docker-entrypoint.agent.tmpl b/dev-tools/packaging/templates/docker/docker-entrypoint.agent.tmpl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..29ed2a60beb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-tools/packaging/templates/docker/docker-entrypoint.agent.tmpl
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -eo pipefail
+
+# Environment variables used
+# FLEET_ADMIN_PASSWORD - used for new fleet user [elastic]
+# FLEET_ADMIN_USERNAME - used for new fleet user [changeme]
+# FLEET_CONFIG_ID - config related to new token [defaul]
+# FLEET_ENROLLMENT_TOKEN - existing enrollment token to be used for enroll
+# FLEET_ENROLL - if set to 1 enroll will be performed
+# FLEET_SETUP - if  set to 1 fleet setup will be performed
+# FLEET_TOKEN_NAME - token name for a token to be created
+# KIBANA_HOST - actual kibana host [http://localhost:5601]
+# KIBANA_PASSWORD - password for accessing kibana API [changeme]
+# KIBANA_USERNAME - username for accessing kibana API [elastic]
+
+function setup(){
+  curl -X POST  ${KIBANA_HOST:-http://localhost:5601}/api/ingest_manager/setup -H 'kbn-xsrf: true' -u ${KIBANA_USERNAME:-elastic}:${KIBANA_PASSWORD:-changeme}
+  curl -X POST  ${KIBANA_HOST:-http://localhost:5601}/api/ingest_manager/fleet/setup \
+    -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+    -H 'kbn-xsrf: true' \
+    -d '{"admin_username":"'"${FLEET_ADMIN_USERNAME:-elastic}"'","admin_password":"'"${FLEET_ADMIN_PASSWORD:-changeme}"'"}' \
+    -u ${KIBANA_USERNAME:-elastic}:${KIBANA_PASSWORD:-changeme}
+}
+
+function enroll(){
+    local enrollResp
+    local apiKey
+
+    if [[ -n "${FLEET_ENROLLMENT_TOKEN}" ]] && [[ ${FLEET_ENROLLMENT_TOKEN} == 1 ]]; then
+      apikey = "${FLEET_ENROLLMENT_TOKEN}"
+    else
+      enrollResp=$(curl -X POST  ${KIBANA_HOST:-http://localhost:5601}/api/ingest_manager/fleet/enrollment-api-keys \
+        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+        -H 'kbn-xsrf: true' \
+        -u ${KIBANA_USERNAME:-elastic}:${KIBANA_PASSWORD:-changeme} \
+        -d '{"name":"'"${FLEET_TOKEN_NAME:-demotoken}"'","config_id":"'"${FLEET_CONFIG_ID:-default}"'"}')
+
+      local exitCode=$?
+      if [ $exitCode -ne 0 ]; then
+        exit $exitCode
+      fi
+
+      apikey=$(echo $enrollResp | jq -r '.item.api_key')
+    fi
+
+    ./{{ .BeatName }} enroll ${KIBANA_HOST:-http://localhost:5601} $apikey -f
+}
+yum install -y epel-release
+yum install -y jq
+
+if [[ -n "${FLEET_SETUP}" ]] && [[ ${FLEET_SETUP} == 1 ]]; then setup; fi
+if [[ -n "${FLEET_ENROLL}" ]] && [[ ${FLEET_ENROLL} == 1 ]]; then enroll; fi
+
+exec {{ .BeatName }} run "$@"
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/CHANGELOG.asciidoc b/x-pack/agent/CHANGELOG.asciidoc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1b19ceb6484e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/agent/CHANGELOG.asciidoc
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Use these for links to issue and pulls. Note issues and pulls redirect one to
+// each other on Github, so don't worry too much on using the right prefix.
+:issue: https://github.com/elastic/beats/issues/
+:pull: https://github.com/elastic/beats/pull/
+
+
+[[release-notes-8.0.0]]
+=== Agent version 8.0.0
+
+
+==== Breaking changes
+
+==== Bugfixes
+
+- Fixed tests on windows {pull}16922[16922]
+- Fixed installers for SNAPSHOTs and windows {pull}17077[17077]
+
+==== New features
+
+- Generate index name in a format type-dataset-namespace {pull}16903[16903]
+- OS agnostic default configuration {pull}17016[17016]
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.docker.yml b/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.docker.yml
index 3a900a1927f2..91eb2c21d81f 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.docker.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.docker.yml
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
 outputs:
   default:
     type: elasticsearch
-    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200, 127.0.0.1:9300]
-    username: elastic
-    password: changeme
+    hosts: '${ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTS:http://elasticsearch:9200}'
+    username: '${ELASTICSEARCH_USERNAME:elastic}'
+    password: '${ELASTICSEARCH_PASSWORD:changeme}'
 
 streams:
   - type: event/file
@@ -44,15 +44,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.fleet.yml b/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.fleet.yml
index 3157dc31c16e..883f1c35835f 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.fleet.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.fleet.yml
@@ -10,15 +10,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.yml b/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.yml
index 00b16718a3c7..b9e6b3336cf6 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/_meta/agent.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 outputs:
   default:
     type: elasticsearch
-    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200, 127.0.0.1:9300]
+    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200]
     username: elastic
     password: changeme
 
@@ -45,15 +45,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.p2.yml b/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.p2.yml
index 5a75ec2fc60a..30dd85882620 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.p2.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.p2.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 outputs:
   default:
     type: elasticsearch
-    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200, 127.0.0.1:9300]
+    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200]
     username: elastic
     password: changeme
 
@@ -70,15 +70,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.reference.p2.yml b/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.reference.p2.yml
index 48b735726217..e06492e3a857 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.reference.p2.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/_meta/common.reference.p2.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 outputs:
   default:
     type: elasticsearch
-    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200, 127.0.0.1:9300]
+    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200]
     username: elastic
     password: changeme
 
@@ -70,15 +70,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/agent.docker.yml b/x-pack/agent/agent.docker.yml
index 3a900a1927f2..91eb2c21d81f 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/agent.docker.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/agent.docker.yml
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
 outputs:
   default:
     type: elasticsearch
-    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200, 127.0.0.1:9300]
-    username: elastic
-    password: changeme
+    hosts: '${ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTS:http://elasticsearch:9200}'
+    username: '${ELASTICSEARCH_USERNAME:elastic}'
+    password: '${ELASTICSEARCH_PASSWORD:changeme}'
 
 streams:
   - type: event/file
@@ -44,15 +44,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/agent.reference.yml b/x-pack/agent/agent.reference.yml
index dc425dc00b5b..8fd8b0fe6525 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/agent.reference.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/agent.reference.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 outputs:
   default:
     type: elasticsearch
-    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200, 127.0.0.1:9300]
+    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200]
     username: elastic
     password: changeme
 
@@ -75,15 +75,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/agent.yml b/x-pack/agent/agent.yml
index 07a58aed3691..23e6e3e16786 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/agent.yml
+++ b/x-pack/agent/agent.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 outputs:
   default:
     type: elasticsearch
-    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200, 127.0.0.1:9300]
+    hosts: [127.0.0.1:9200]
     username: elastic
     password: changeme
 
@@ -75,15 +75,15 @@ download:
   # e.g /windows-x86.zip
   sourceURI: "https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/beats/"
   # path to the directory containing downloaded packages
-  target_directory: "/home/elastic/downloads"
+  target_directory: "${path.data}/downloads"
   # timeout for downloading package
   timeout: 30s
   # file path to a public key used for verifying downloaded artifacts
   # if not file is present agent will try to load public key from elastic.co website.
-  pgpfile: "/home/elastic/elastic.pgp"
+  pgpfile: "${path.data}/elastic.pgp"
   # install_path describes the location of installed packages/programs. It is also used
   # for reading program specifications.
-  install_path: "/home/elastic/install"
+  install_path: "${path.data}/install"
 
 process:
   # minimal port number for spawned processes
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/magefile.go b/x-pack/agent/magefile.go
index d653b3bdc572..a9934e941a18 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/magefile.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/magefile.go
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ const (
 	goLicenserRepo = "github.com/elastic/go-licenser"
 	buildDir       = "build"
 	metaDir        = "_meta"
+	snapshotEnv    = "SNAPSHOT"
 )
 
 // Aliases for commands required by master makefile
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ func (Build) GenerateConfig() error {
 func GolangCrossBuildOSS() error {
 	params := devtools.DefaultGolangCrossBuildArgs()
 	params.InputFiles = []string{"cmd/agent/agent.go"}
+	params.LDFlags = flagsSet()
 	return devtools.GolangCrossBuild(params)
 }
 
@@ -110,6 +112,7 @@ func GolangCrossBuild() error {
 	params := devtools.DefaultGolangCrossBuildArgs()
 	params.InputFiles = []string{"cmd/agent/agent.go"}
 	params.OutputDir = "build/golang-crossbuild"
+	params.LDFlags = flagsSet()
 	if err := devtools.GolangCrossBuild(params); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -210,7 +213,7 @@ func (Check) License() error {
 	)
 }
 
-// Changes run git status --porcelain and return an error if we have changes or uncommited files.
+// Changes run git status --porcelain and return an error if we have changes or uncommitted files.
 func (Check) Changes() error {
 	out, err := sh.Output("git", "status", "--porcelain")
 	if err != nil {
@@ -354,14 +357,19 @@ func commitID() string {
 }
 
 func flags() string {
+	return strings.Join(flagsSet(), " ")
+}
+
+func flagsSet() []string {
 	ts := time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339)
 	commitID := commitID()
+	isSnapshot, _ := os.LookupEnv(snapshotEnv)
 
-	return fmt.Sprintf(
-		`-X "github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/release.buildTime=%s" -X "github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/release.commit=%s"`,
-		ts,
-		commitID,
-	)
+	return []string{
+		fmt.Sprintf(`-X "github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/release.buildTime=%s"`, ts),
+		fmt.Sprintf(`-X "github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/release.commit=%s"`, commitID),
+		fmt.Sprintf(` -X "github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/release.snapshot=%s"`, isSnapshot),
+	}
 }
 
 // Update is an alias for executing fields, dashboards, config, includes.
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/application/configuration_embed.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/application/configuration_embed.go
index b87532e34ff6..2276d1d32761 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/application/configuration_embed.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/application/configuration_embed.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ var DefaultAgentFleetConfig []byte
 func init() {
 	// Packed File
 	// _meta/agent.fleet.yml
-	unpacked := packer.MustUnpack("eJyMld2OozgWx+/3MfoBZvkoWs1KcxGnCmM60Buo2Ng3K2ynDImdoEmAwGrffWVIpapnZldzEUUCcz7+53f+/veXf5n9tfp7pfan6y9ver+//jIa/eUfX9DkhP98/Ws/9CI1N3ikZFB/9ZvHb3s+oJdE0zKfENQTglnPDWuZj0dGtkqS4MhKpHJz06zcXlCse1mAAyVPikFsKhJoBN1e+FslPOxIqDvmp9/RCIww4RXF+ZkVYFORpObmReHdsUPRRwxZgiMtc23PVWWqmNEXVgCHj+DAvcBURLrC7JSEtUZxpmWct9zIyZ6n5dbmqe17bkIHxZkrYtCLU67ZGjT7AkAOsZbrp++cRB0lUnOCO/l8/o7W4Mq9XP9oVg1bemvWqj1yX3YchjWbz6wOKM56WSYHVoCeNcCp4E7RMnEqwmrq59NmDUZWRm5VJlqMQHMYTRLqA4K3tvJ2Svj5KEnmyDLRCEYdW4OOErflRiju0aUvmLTcRGNF8LRuVgqNQG+MUBtfttzkvfTT6/5ZeZtT24rVWT1qwrgoXs8KmdqRMZh+NN/6n2oz+ELLzKlI2lHvW89g6HNz6ynJp423zHwzonufoJZQKQm/3WvKW2HwQcJw3BfzLBxKdFeR4IRg3ksvuHAvOlpGBIwOlRedWJlaXR1aJidW5m8M6pGRzOF+ElidN17dc7LrGbnVws9bOoYfesdpc+/dqYiruY8dBFkvGvBxxrI1goGS7Dc7S3teQn1lJHTl81mlE3jXz1Tkpj/3RAswSJJcKpKqysMBivFka2cmHFHMtDDa7Mkc/1M+fEQwGiXUhpLMEcNZoXWqKkIX3iBrOdwpy62IEy083Mk1qNny71fkdkFxbvWzPM96oRi41NxaOoLfWHlU7JT0vPjgZmOyHsVS01PWSrjrbD8CymHeCzvrJjxzz9Ub7zHbT3oGA/NX7zq2/JQ5lNwupb/owCCeqJ+01ODpvpcX7mW1hLrnzcz345vfzbUXcdIzP6l5mXboRTuLV0QX4X1Tssw0Wy3aLHommpJ8ZvzxXQEmAfGhIqylXuRUJOzE+GR5+X2dX9Ea9RUMr6wIP3TxdCf8vOZwsHs6CBMeWJlNP9SSl89sujVfg4H7iYNg4HKSaNEAw32khI3tBdYXHt/eeb1WJHgTMBxnhl5XQ/q8WnYCuvUe6qskjprfr0EnidtYP1z6zAZaym7WKk566uFJeMsOcxI9lb71ou1X9JzamMP/4PsgDK7lwnbHSvFTrE0D/AriDsVg5F6mhZ/OvL37HZ2fZUaS28Xu6RLLcpsE75762JH7jKyO4rRV3AdamGUWD+8/ZS2Di/fTAhhK9MV618zhouHbH3ZOtSMr83H/evdMiDtKkpkhBrHDysRqbP3R9uJUEM+MyDgJ5rzWs/2speamNw14YYTVktzujLGax5ne2Dl/xP1q90qS3d275lgtK7M36oUuP21trZp62lhP/cSCZXyu1T7/Q67ntLvPqJj7sb7nz7vcs2Z1Q9DVlAT2nnRQLFsOB0XNTgmDHWG0Zavn812lr6wANTvlc077jJmo5TEeWTEz/6ih9LJeksD50azeveto93n/aV+YvReh3fejqsiT4mWqqMGO9LDm/7+fYfYsmNs9sh48pXH6wXYU/mkuy25FXJcXj1pa3oCrGEHDytxnxPL4rrn1g1wzE7k83s5sptPqnvdTjtezyoiz5H7BTwKGHSOBU5HoYuuTEI92h21+6dXa3kHW+9/zixE4H2xHE4I/x9jcfQB72qnWc58PzSgJjug5fcxJTJbb1QU902GzXt3Sw+Pe+FP27DtW1gP3As1PeUvJ8PXxTv3665f//O2/AQAA//+lslh9")
+	unpacked := packer.MustUnpack("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")
 	raw, ok := unpacked["_meta/agent.fleet.yml"]
 	if !ok {
 		// ensure we have something loaded.
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator.go
index 33cbea4fd154..9eee74af1cf2 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator.go
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ func (o *Operator) runFlow(p Descriptor, operations []operation) error {
 			continue
 		}
 
+		o.logger.Debugf("running operation '%s' for %s.%s", op.Name(), p.BinaryName(), p.Version())
 		if err := op.Run(o.bgContext, app); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator_handlers.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator_handlers.go
index 2d583f8a12dd..34022763bcba 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator_handlers.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/operation/operator_handlers.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/errors"
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact"
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/core/plugin/app"
+	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/release"
 )
 
 type handleFunc func(step configrequest.Step) error
@@ -66,7 +67,12 @@ func getProgramFromStepWithTags(step configrequest.Step, artifactConfig *artifac
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
-	p := app.NewDescriptor(step.Process, step.Version, artifactConfig, tags)
+	version := step.Version
+	if release.Snapshot() {
+		version = fmt.Sprintf("%s-SNAPSHOT", version)
+	}
+
+	p := app.NewDescriptor(step.Process, version, artifactConfig, tags)
 	return p, config, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/downloader.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/downloader.go
index 6c208f0656b1..c17ae5dc0e36 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/downloader.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/downloader.go
@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@ import (
 
 const (
 	packagePermissions = 0660
-	beatsSubfolder     = "beats"
+)
+
+var (
+	defaultDropSubdir = filepath.Join("data", "downloads")
 )
 
 // Downloader is a downloader able to fetch artifacts from elastic.co web page.
@@ -83,13 +86,13 @@ func (e *Downloader) download(operatingSystem, programName, version string) (str
 func getDropPath(cfg *artifact.Config) string {
 	// if drop path is not provided fallback to beats subfolder
 	if cfg == nil || cfg.DropPath == "" {
-		return beatsSubfolder
+		return defaultDropSubdir
 	}
 
 	// if droppath does not exist fallback to beats subfolder
 	stat, err := os.Stat(cfg.DropPath)
 	if err != nil || !stat.IsDir() {
-		return beatsSubfolder
+		return defaultDropSubdir
 	}
 
 	return cfg.DropPath
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/verifier.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/verifier.go
index 2a16790f4457..c8f22b363288 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/verifier.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/download/fs/verifier.go
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ func (v *Verifier) Verify(programName, version string) (bool, error) {
 
 func (v *Verifier) getPublicAsc(filename string) ([]byte, error) {
 	ascFile := fmt.Sprintf("%s%s", filename, ascSuffix)
-	fullPath := filepath.Join(beatsSubfolder, ascFile)
+	fullPath := filepath.Join(defaultDropSubdir, ascFile)
 
 	b, err := ioutil.ReadFile(fullPath)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/installer.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/installer.go
index 7ccb6321918b..b8860f6b003f 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/installer.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/installer.go
@@ -39,5 +39,6 @@ func NewInstaller(config *artifact.Config) (Installer, error) {
 	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
 		return zip.NewInstaller(config)
 	}
+
 	return tar.NewInstaller(config)
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/tar/tar_installer.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/tar/tar_installer.go
index 998589bad8ab..1b5e28a23ee1 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/tar/tar_installer.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/tar/tar_installer.go
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ func unpack(r io.Reader, dir string) error {
 	}
 
 	tr := tar.NewReader(zr)
+	var rootDir string
 
 	for {
 		f, err := tr.Next()
@@ -70,6 +71,11 @@ func unpack(r io.Reader, dir string) error {
 		rel := filepath.FromSlash(f.Name)
 		abs := filepath.Join(dir, rel)
 
+		// find the root dir
+		if currentDir := filepath.Dir(abs); rootDir == "" || len(filepath.Dir(rootDir)) > len(currentDir) {
+			rootDir = currentDir
+		}
+
 		fi := f.FileInfo()
 		mode := fi.Mode()
 		switch {
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/zip/zip_installer.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/zip/zip_installer.go
index 6e8d36bb9b02..f71b1e6f71a9 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/zip/zip_installer.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact/install/zip/zip_installer.go
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@
 package zip
 
 import (
+	"archive/zip"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/agent/errors"
 	"github.com/elastic/beats/v7/x-pack/agent/pkg/artifact"
@@ -35,37 +35,72 @@ func NewInstaller(config *artifact.Config) (*Installer, error) {
 // Install performs installation of program in a specific version.
 // It expects package to be already downloaded.
 func (i *Installer) Install(programName, version, installDir string) error {
-	if err := i.unzip(programName, version, installDir); err != nil {
+	artifactPath, err := artifact.GetArtifactPath(programName, version, i.config.OS(), i.config.Arch(), i.config.TargetDirectory)
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	oldPath := filepath.Join(installDir, fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s-windows", programName, version))
-	newPath := filepath.Join(installDir, strings.Title(programName))
-	if err := os.Rename(oldPath, newPath); err != nil {
-		return errors.New(err, errors.TypeFilesystem, errors.M(errors.MetaKeyPath, newPath))
+	if err := i.unzip(artifactPath, programName, version); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
-	return i.runInstall(programName, installDir)
-}
-
-func (i *Installer) unzip(programName, version, installPath string) error {
-	artifactPath, err := artifact.GetArtifactPath(programName, version, i.config.OS(), i.config.Arch(), i.config.TargetDirectory)
+	rootDir, err := i.getRootDir(artifactPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// if root directory is not the same as desired directory rename
+	// e.g contains `-windows-` or  `-SNAPSHOT-`
+	if rootDir != installDir {
+		if err := os.Rename(rootDir, installDir); err != nil {
+			return errors.New(err, errors.TypeFilesystem, errors.M(errors.MetaKeyPath, installDir))
+		}
+	}
+
+	return i.runInstall(programName, version, installDir)
+}
+
+func (i *Installer) unzip(artifactPath, programName, version string) error {
 	if _, err := os.Stat(artifactPath); err != nil {
 		return errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("artifact for '%s' version '%s' could not be found at '%s'", programName, version, artifactPath), errors.TypeFilesystem, errors.M(errors.MetaKeyPath, artifactPath))
 	}
 
-	powershellArg := fmt.Sprintf("Expand-Archive -Path \"%s\" -DestinationPath \"%s\"", artifactPath, installPath)
+	powershellArg := fmt.Sprintf("Expand-Archive -LiteralPath \"%s\" -DestinationPath \"%s\"", artifactPath, i.config.InstallPath)
 	installCmd := exec.Command("powershell", "-command", powershellArg)
 	return installCmd.Run()
 }
 
-func (i *Installer) runInstall(programName, installPath string) error {
+func (i *Installer) runInstall(programName, version, installPath string) error {
 	powershellCmd := fmt.Sprintf(powershellCmdTemplate, installPath, programName)
-
 	installCmd := exec.Command("powershell", "-command", powershellCmd)
+
 	return installCmd.Run()
 }
+
+// retrieves root directory from zip archive
+func (i *Installer) getRootDir(zipPath string) (dir string, err error) {
+	defer func() {
+		if dir != "" {
+			dir = filepath.Join(i.config.InstallPath, dir)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	zipReader, err := zip.OpenReader(zipPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	defer zipReader.Close()
+
+	var rootDir string
+	for _, f := range zipReader.File {
+		if filepath.Base(f.Name) == filepath.Dir(f.Name) {
+			return f.Name, nil
+		}
+
+		if currentDir := filepath.Dir(f.Name); rootDir == "" || len(currentDir) < len(rootDir) {
+			rootDir = currentDir
+		}
+	}
+
+	return rootDir, nil
+}
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/basecmd/version/cmd.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/basecmd/version/cmd.go
index da05cfdd4978..b2de26fd1d44 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/basecmd/version/cmd.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/basecmd/version/cmd.go
@@ -19,10 +19,15 @@ func NewCommandWithArgs(streams *cli.IOStreams) *cobra.Command {
 		Use:   "version",
 		Short: "Display the version of the agent.",
 		Run: func(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) {
+			version := release.Version()
+			if release.Snapshot() {
+				version = version + "-SNAPSHOT"
+			}
+
 			fmt.Fprintf(
 				streams.Out,
 				"Agent version is %s (build: %s at %s)\n",
-				release.Version(),
+				version,
 				release.Commit(),
 				release.BuildTime(),
 			)
diff --git a/x-pack/agent/pkg/release/version.go b/x-pack/agent/pkg/release/version.go
index d0e45df3c6cf..946e608c31e0 100644
--- a/x-pack/agent/pkg/release/version.go
+++ b/x-pack/agent/pkg/release/version.go
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 
 package release
 
-import "time"
+import (
+	"strconv"
+	"time"
+)
 
 // version is the current version of the agent.
 var version = "8.0.0"
@@ -18,7 +21,10 @@ var buildTime = "<unknown>"
 // qualifier returns the version qualifier like alpha1.
 var qualifier = ""
 
-// Commit returns the current build hash or unkown if it was not injected in the build process.
+// snapshot is a flag marking build as a snapshot.
+var snapshot = ""
+
+// Commit returns the current build hash or unknown if it was not injected in the build process.
 func Commit() string {
 	return commit
 }
@@ -39,3 +45,9 @@ func Version() string {
 	}
 	return version + "-" + qualifier
 }
+
+// Snapshot returns true if binary was built as snapshot.
+func Snapshot() bool {
+	val, err := strconv.ParseBool(snapshot)
+	return err == nil && val
+}