diff --git a/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb b/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb
index 9819e723fe8..f2e1c906dac 100644
--- a/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb
+++ b/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb
@@ -94,7 +94,12 @@ class KubernetesService < DeploymentService
       { key: 'KUBE_TOKEN', value: token, public: false },
       { key: 'KUBE_NAMESPACE', value: namespace, public: true }
     ]
-    variables << { key: 'KUBE_CA_PEM', value: ca_pem, public: true } if ca_pem.present?
+
+    if ca_pem.present?
+      variables << { key: 'KUBE_CA_PEM', value: ca_pem, public: true }
+      variables << { key: 'KUBE_CA_PEM_FILE', value: ca_pem, public: true, file: true }
+    end
+
     variables
   end
 
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/add-kube-ca-pem-file-deprecate-kube-ca-pem.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/add-kube-ca-pem-file-deprecate-kube-ca-pem.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1ae1e3c7a7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/add-kube-ca-pem-file-deprecate-kube-ca-pem.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: Add KUBE_CA_PEM_FILE, deprecate KUBE_CA_PEM
+merge_request: 9398
+author:
diff --git a/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md b/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md
index cc67e667472..2a890acde4d 100644
--- a/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md
+++ b/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ GitLab CI build environment:
 - `KUBE_URL` - equal to the API URL
 - `KUBE_TOKEN`
 - `KUBE_NAMESPACE`
-- `KUBE_CA_PEM` - only if a custom CA bundle was specified
+- `KUBE_CA_PEM_FILE` - only present if a custom CA bundle was specified. Path to a file containing PEM data.
+- `KUBE_CA_PEM` (deprecated)- only if a custom CA bundle was specified. Raw PEM data.
 
 ## Web terminals
 
diff --git a/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb b/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb
index 24356447fed..585c899cdf9 100644
--- a/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb
@@ -163,6 +163,12 @@ describe KubernetesService, models: true, caching: true do
         { key: 'KUBE_CA_PEM', value: 'CA PEM DATA', public: true }
       )
     end
+
+    it 'sets KUBE_CA_PEM_FILE' do
+      expect(subject.predefined_variables).to include(
+        { key: 'KUBE_CA_PEM_FILE', value: 'CA PEM DATA', public: true, file: true }
+      )
+    end
   end
 
   describe '#terminals' do