diff --git a/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/find_slo_groups.ts b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/find_slo_groups.ts
index e27934180c57c..0d48575ca3a6c 100644
--- a/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/find_slo_groups.ts
+++ b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/find_slo_groups.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { IllegalArgumentError } from '../errors';
 import { typedSearch } from '../utils/queries';
 import type { EsSummaryDocument } from './summary_transform_generator/helpers/create_temp_summary';
 import { getElasticsearchQueryOrThrow, parseStringFilters } from './transform_generators';
+import { excludeStaleSummaryFilter } from './summary_utils';
 
 const DEFAULT_PAGE = 1;
 const MAX_PER_PAGE = 5000;
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ export class FindSLOGroups {
         bool: {
           filter: [
             { term: { spaceId: this.spaceId } },
+            ...excludeStaleSummaryFilter(settings, kqlQuery, true),
             getElasticsearchQueryOrThrow(kqlQuery),
             ...(parsedFilters.filter ?? []),
           ],
diff --git a/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_search_client/summary_search_client.ts b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_search_client/summary_search_client.ts
index 011501b4dac16..90492accb1538 100644
--- a/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_search_client/summary_search_client.ts
+++ b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_search_client/summary_search_client.ts
@@ -5,19 +5,18 @@
  * 2.0.
  */
 
-import type { estypes } from '@elastic/elasticsearch';
 import type { IScopedClusterClient, Logger, SavedObjectsClientContract } from '@kbn/core/server';
 import { isCCSRemoteIndexName } from '@kbn/es-query';
 import { ALL_VALUE } from '@kbn/slo-schema';
 import { assertNever } from '@kbn/std';
 import { partition } from 'lodash';
 import { SUMMARY_DESTINATION_INDEX_PATTERN } from '../../../common/constants';
-import type { StoredSLOSettings } from '../../domain/models';
 import { toHighPrecision } from '../../utils/number';
 import { createEsParams, typedSearch } from '../../utils/queries';
 import { getSummaryIndices, getSloSettings } from '../slo_settings';
 import type { EsSummaryDocument } from '../summary_transform_generator/helpers/create_temp_summary';
 import { getElasticsearchQueryOrThrow, parseStringFilters } from '../transform_generators';
+import { excludeStaleSummaryFilter } from '../summary_utils';
 import { fromRemoteSummaryDocumentToSloDefinition } from '../unsafe_federated/remote_summary_doc_to_slo';
 import { getFlattenedGroupings } from '../utils';
 import type {
@@ -187,31 +186,7 @@ export class DefaultSummarySearchClient implements SummarySearchClient {
   }
 }
 
-function excludeStaleSummaryFilter(
-  settings: StoredSLOSettings,
-  kqlFilter: string,
-  hideStale?: boolean
-): estypes.QueryDslQueryContainer[] {
-  if (kqlFilter.includes('summaryUpdatedAt') || !settings.staleThresholdInHours || !hideStale) {
-    return [];
-  }
-  return [
-    {
-      bool: {
-        should: [
-          { term: { isTempDoc: true } },
-          {
-            range: {
-              summaryUpdatedAt: {
-                gte: `now-${settings.staleThresholdInHours}h`,
-              },
-            },
-          },
-        ],
-      },
-    },
-  ];
-}
+// excludeStaleSummaryFilter moved to ../summary_utils.ts
 
 function getRemoteClusterName(index: string) {
   if (isCCSRemoteIndexName(index)) {
diff --git a/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_utils.test.ts b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_utils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..39e7f06094dd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_utils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License
+ * 2.0; you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License
+ * 2.0.
+ */
+
+import { excludeStaleSummaryFilter } from './summary_utils';
+
+describe('excludeStaleSummaryFilter', () => {
+  it('returns empty array when kqlFilter contains summaryUpdatedAt', () => {
+    const settings = { staleThresholdInHours: 24 } as any;
+    const res = excludeStaleSummaryFilter(settings, 'summaryUpdatedAt:>now-1d', true);
+    expect(res).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('returns empty array when staleThresholdInHours is falsy', () => {
+    const settings = { staleThresholdInHours: 0 } as any;
+    const res = excludeStaleSummaryFilter(settings, '', true);
+    expect(res).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('returns empty array when hideStale is false', () => {
+    const settings = { staleThresholdInHours: 12 } as any;
+    const res = excludeStaleSummaryFilter(settings, '', false);
+    expect(res).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('returns the expected bool/should filter when conditions met', () => {
+    const settings = { staleThresholdInHours: 48 } as any;
+    const res = excludeStaleSummaryFilter(settings, '', true);
+    expect(res).toHaveLength(1);
+    const filt = res[0] as any;
+    expect(filt.bool).toBeDefined();
+    expect(Array.isArray(filt.bool.should)).toBe(true);
+    const [termClause, rangeClause] = filt.bool.should;
+    expect(termClause).toEqual({ term: { isTempDoc: true } });
+    expect(rangeClause).toHaveProperty(
+      'range.summaryUpdatedAt.gte',
+      `now-${settings.staleThresholdInHours}h`
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_utils.ts b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..04d0cd81a47b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/solutions/observability/plugins/slo/server/services/summary_utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License
+ * 2.0; you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License
+ * 2.0.
+ */
+
+import type { estypes } from '@elastic/elasticsearch';
+import type { StoredSLOSettings } from '../domain/models';
+
+export function excludeStaleSummaryFilter(
+  settings: StoredSLOSettings,
+  kqlFilter: string,
+  hideStale?: boolean
+): estypes.QueryDslQueryContainer[] {
+  if (kqlFilter.includes('summaryUpdatedAt') || !settings.staleThresholdInHours || !hideStale) {
+    return [];
+  }
+  return [
+    {
+      bool: {
+        should: [
+          { term: { isTempDoc: true } },
+          {
+            range: {
+              summaryUpdatedAt: {
+                gte: `now-${settings.staleThresholdInHours}h`,
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    },
+  ];
+}