diff --git a/pkg/model/components/BUILD.bazel b/pkg/model/components/BUILD.bazel
index c5b01928e1..6f20886c54 100644
--- a/pkg/model/components/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/pkg/model/components/BUILD.bazel
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/apis/kops:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/apis/kops/util:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/assets:go_default_library",
+        "//pkg/featureflag:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/k8sversion:go_default_library",
         "//upup/pkg/fi:go_default_library",
         "//upup/pkg/fi/cloudup/gce:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/model/components/apiserver.go b/pkg/model/components/apiserver.go
index 995bd95c44..ffecdeb3fe 100644
--- a/pkg/model/components/apiserver.go
+++ b/pkg/model/components/apiserver.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 
 	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/apis/kops"
+	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/featureflag"
 	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi"
 	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi/loader"
 
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@ func (b *KubeAPIServerOptionsBuilder) BuildOptions(o interface{}) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unknown cloudprovider %q", clusterSpec.CloudProvider)
 	}
 
-	if clusterSpec.ExternalCloudControllerManager != nil {
+	if featureflag.EnableExternalCloudController.Enabled() && clusterSpec.ExternalCloudControllerManager != nil {
 		c.CloudProvider = "external"
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/model/components/kubecontrollermanager.go b/pkg/model/components/kubecontrollermanager.go
index b440c81c49..958caf44be 100644
--- a/pkg/model/components/kubecontrollermanager.go
+++ b/pkg/model/components/kubecontrollermanager.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/klog"
 	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/apis/kops"
 	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/apis/kops/util"
+	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/featureflag"
 	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi"
 	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi/cloudup/gce"
 	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi/loader"
@@ -123,7 +124,7 @@ func (b *KubeControllerManagerOptionsBuilder) BuildOptions(o interface{}) error
 		return fmt.Errorf("unknown cloudprovider %q", clusterSpec.CloudProvider)
 	}
 
-	if clusterSpec.ExternalCloudControllerManager != nil {
+	if featureflag.EnableExternalCloudController.Enabled() && clusterSpec.ExternalCloudControllerManager != nil {
 		kcm.CloudProvider = "external"
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/model/components/kubelet.go b/pkg/model/components/kubelet.go
index abb0f1a19c..96c9853abb 100644
--- a/pkg/model/components/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/model/components/kubelet.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 
 	"k8s.io/klog"
 	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/apis/kops"
+	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/featureflag"
 	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi"
 	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi/loader"
 )
@@ -215,7 +216,7 @@ func (b *KubeletOptionsBuilder) BuildOptions(o interface{}) error {
 		clusterSpec.Kubelet.CloudProvider = "alicloud"
 	}
 
-	if clusterSpec.ExternalCloudControllerManager != nil {
+	if featureflag.EnableExternalCloudController.Enabled() && clusterSpec.ExternalCloudControllerManager != nil {
 		clusterSpec.Kubelet.CloudProvider = "external"
 	}