diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettings.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettings.java
index 3dc0c94ff6603..c908823ea5dc3 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettings.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/IndexSettings.java
@@ -712,10 +712,7 @@ public IndexSettings(final IndexMetadata indexMetadata, final Settings nodeSetti
             MergePolicyConfig.INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_SETTING,
             mergePolicyConfig::setMaxMergesAtOnce
         );
-        scopedSettings.addSettingsUpdateConsumer(
-            MergePolicyConfig.INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_EXPLICIT_SETTING,
-            mergePolicyConfig::setMaxMergesAtOnceExplicit
-        );
+        scopedSettings.addSettingsUpdateConsumer(MergePolicyConfig.INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_EXPLICIT_SETTING, ignored -> {});
         scopedSettings.addSettingsUpdateConsumer(
             MergePolicyConfig.INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGED_SEGMENT_SETTING,
             mergePolicyConfig::setMaxMergedSegment
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/MergePolicyConfig.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/MergePolicyConfig.java
index fbaa912bbcd9f..cb8822e37ce23 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/MergePolicyConfig.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/MergePolicyConfig.java
@@ -53,11 +53,6 @@
  *     Maximum number of segments to be merged at a time during "normal" merging.
  *     Default is <code>10</code>.
  *
- * <li><code>index.merge.policy.max_merge_at_once_explicit</code>:
- *
- *     Maximum number of segments to be merged at a time, during force merge or
- *     expungeDeletes. Default is <code>30</code>.
- *
  * <li><code>index.merge.policy.max_merged_segment</code>:
  *
  *     Maximum sized segment to produce during normal merging (not explicit
@@ -113,7 +108,6 @@ public final class MergePolicyConfig {
     public static final double DEFAULT_EXPUNGE_DELETES_ALLOWED = 10d;
     public static final ByteSizeValue DEFAULT_FLOOR_SEGMENT = new ByteSizeValue(2, ByteSizeUnit.MB);
     public static final int DEFAULT_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE = 10;
-    public static final int DEFAULT_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_EXPLICIT = 30;
     public static final ByteSizeValue DEFAULT_MAX_MERGED_SEGMENT = new ByteSizeValue(5, ByteSizeUnit.GB);
     public static final double DEFAULT_SEGMENTS_PER_TIER = 10.0d;
     public static final double DEFAULT_DELETES_PCT_ALLOWED = 33.0d;
@@ -145,11 +139,11 @@ public final class MergePolicyConfig {
         Property.Dynamic,
         Property.IndexScope
     );
-    // TODO deprecate this as it no longer has any effect
     public static final Setting<Integer> INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_EXPLICIT_SETTING = Setting.intSetting(
         "index.merge.policy.max_merge_at_once_explicit",
-        DEFAULT_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_EXPLICIT,
+        30,
         2,
+        Property.Deprecated,
         Property.Dynamic,
         Property.IndexScope
     );
@@ -182,8 +176,6 @@ public final class MergePolicyConfig {
         double forceMergeDeletesPctAllowed = indexSettings.getValue(INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_EXPUNGE_DELETES_ALLOWED_SETTING); // percentage
         ByteSizeValue floorSegment = indexSettings.getValue(INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_FLOOR_SEGMENT_SETTING);
         int maxMergeAtOnce = indexSettings.getValue(INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_SETTING);
-        // TODO this is removed from lucene 9 - do we need to emit a warning if it is set?
-        int maxMergeAtOnceExplicit = indexSettings.getValue(INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGE_AT_ONCE_EXPLICIT_SETTING);
         // TODO is this really a good default number for max_merge_segment, what happens for large indices,
         // won't they end up with many segments?
         ByteSizeValue maxMergedSegment = indexSettings.getValue(INDEX_MERGE_POLICY_MAX_MERGED_SEGMENT_SETTING);
@@ -204,20 +196,17 @@ public final class MergePolicyConfig {
         mergePolicy.setMaxMergedSegmentMB(maxMergedSegment.getMbFrac());
         mergePolicy.setSegmentsPerTier(segmentsPerTier);
         mergePolicy.setDeletesPctAllowed(deletesPctAllowed);
-        if (logger.isTraceEnabled()) {
-            logger.trace(
-                "using [tiered] merge mergePolicy with expunge_deletes_allowed[{}], floor_segment[{}],"
-                    + " max_merge_at_once[{}], max_merge_at_once_explicit[{}], max_merged_segment[{}], segments_per_tier[{}],"
-                    + " deletes_pct_allowed[{}]",
-                forceMergeDeletesPctAllowed,
-                floorSegment,
-                maxMergeAtOnce,
-                maxMergeAtOnceExplicit,
-                maxMergedSegment,
-                segmentsPerTier,
-                deletesPctAllowed
-            );
-        }
+        logger.trace(
+            "using [tiered] merge mergePolicy with expunge_deletes_allowed[{}], floor_segment[{}],"
+                + " max_merge_at_once[{}], max_merged_segment[{}], segments_per_tier[{}],"
+                + " deletes_pct_allowed[{}]",
+            forceMergeDeletesPctAllowed,
+            floorSegment,
+            maxMergeAtOnce,
+            maxMergedSegment,
+            segmentsPerTier,
+            deletesPctAllowed
+        );
     }
 
     void setSegmentsPerTier(Double segmentsPerTier) {
@@ -228,10 +217,6 @@ void setMaxMergedSegment(ByteSizeValue maxMergedSegment) {
         mergePolicy.setMaxMergedSegmentMB(maxMergedSegment.getMbFrac());
     }
 
-    void setMaxMergesAtOnceExplicit(Integer maxMergeAtOnceExplicit) {
-
-    }
-
     void setMaxMergesAtOnce(Integer maxMergeAtOnce) {
         mergePolicy.setMaxMergeAtOnce(maxMergeAtOnce);
     }