diff --git a/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb b/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb
index 831f4e5a3c8..62f7c057c5b 100644
--- a/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb
+++ b/app/models/project_services/kubernetes_service.rb
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class KubernetesService < DeploymentService
       { key: 'KUBE_URL', value: api_url, public: true },
       { key: 'KUBE_TOKEN', value: token, public: false },
       { key: 'KUBE_NAMESPACE', value: actual_namespace, public: true },
-      { key: 'KUBECONFIG_FILE', value: config, public: false, file: true }
+      { key: 'KUBECONFIG', value: config, public: false, file: true }
     ]
 
     if ca_pem.present?
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/33360-generate-kubeconfig.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/33360-generate-kubeconfig.yml
index 354a8a7f9b4..96f0b1bc93f 100644
--- a/changelogs/unreleased/33360-generate-kubeconfig.yml
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/33360-generate-kubeconfig.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 ---
-title: Provide KUBECONFIG_FILE from KubernetesService for runners
+title: Provide KUBECONFIG from KubernetesService for runners
 merge_request: 12223
 author:
diff --git a/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md b/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md
index d1c3e18a276..bfe2672e098 100644
--- a/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md
+++ b/doc/user/project/integrations/kubernetes.md
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ GitLab CI build environment:
 - `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.
-- `KUBECONFIG_FILE` - Path to a file containing kubeconfig for this deployment. CA bundle would be embedded if specified.
+- `KUBECONFIG` - Path to a file containing kubeconfig for this deployment. CA bundle would be embedded if specified.
 
 ## Web terminals
 
diff --git a/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb b/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb
index d4feae231bc..7ec2ea5ba95 100644
--- a/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/project_services/kubernetes_service_spec.rb
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ describe KubernetesService, models: true, caching: true do
           { key: 'KUBE_URL', value: 'https://kube.domain.com', public: true },
           { key: 'KUBE_TOKEN', value: 'token', public: false },
           { key: 'KUBE_NAMESPACE', value: namespace, public: true },
-          { key: 'KUBECONFIG_FILE', value: kubeconfig, public: false, file: true },
+          { key: 'KUBECONFIG', value: kubeconfig, public: false, file: true },
           { key: 'KUBE_CA_PEM', value: 'CA PEM DATA', public: true },
           { key: 'KUBE_CA_PEM_FILE', value: 'CA PEM DATA', public: true, file: true }
         )