diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyService.java b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyService.java
index 5e1d4deca2857..11b4ee7c3116c 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyService.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyService.java
@@ -510,9 +510,7 @@ private void validateApiKeyExpiration(Map<String, Object> source, ApiKeyCredenti
             final Map<String, Object> metadata = (Map<String, Object>) creator.get("metadata");
             final Map<String, Object> roleDescriptors = (Map<String, Object>) source.get("role_descriptors");
             final Map<String, Object> limitedByRoleDescriptors = (Map<String, Object>) source.get("limited_by_role_descriptors");
-            final String[] roleNames = (roleDescriptors != null) ? roleDescriptors.keySet().toArray(Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY)
-                : limitedByRoleDescriptors.keySet().toArray(Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY);
-            final User apiKeyUser = new User(principal, roleNames, null, null, metadata, true);
+            final User apiKeyUser = new User(principal, Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY, null, null, metadata, true);
             final Map<String, Object> authResultMetadata = new HashMap<>();
             authResultMetadata.put(API_KEY_CREATOR_REALM_NAME, creator.get("realm"));
             authResultMetadata.put(API_KEY_CREATOR_REALM_TYPE, creator.get("realm_type"));
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyServiceTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyServiceTests.java
index 064047bf0279d..d24cde657b43a 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyServiceTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/security/authc/ApiKeyServiceTests.java
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@
 
 import static org.elasticsearch.test.TestMatchers.throwableWithMessage;
 import static org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.security.authz.store.ReservedRolesStore.SUPERUSER_ROLE_DESCRIPTOR;
-import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.arrayContaining;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.contains;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsString;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.emptyArray;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.instanceOf;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is;
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ public void testValidateApiKey() throws Exception {
         assertNotNull(result);
         assertTrue(result.isAuthenticated());
         assertThat(result.getUser().principal(), is("test_user"));
-        assertThat(result.getUser().roles(), arrayContaining("a role"));
+        assertThat(result.getUser().roles(), is(emptyArray()));
         assertThat(result.getUser().metadata(), is(Collections.emptyMap()));
         assertThat(result.getMetadata().get(ApiKeyService.API_KEY_ROLE_DESCRIPTORS_KEY), equalTo(sourceMap.get("role_descriptors")));
         assertThat(result.getMetadata().get(ApiKeyService.API_KEY_LIMITED_ROLE_DESCRIPTORS_KEY),
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ public void testValidateApiKey() throws Exception {
         assertNotNull(result);
         assertTrue(result.isAuthenticated());
         assertThat(result.getUser().principal(), is("test_user"));
-        assertThat(result.getUser().roles(), arrayContaining("a role"));
+        assertThat(result.getUser().roles(), is(emptyArray()));
         assertThat(result.getUser().metadata(), is(Collections.emptyMap()));
         assertThat(result.getMetadata().get(ApiKeyService.API_KEY_ROLE_DESCRIPTORS_KEY), equalTo(sourceMap.get("role_descriptors")));
         assertThat(result.getMetadata().get(ApiKeyService.API_KEY_LIMITED_ROLE_DESCRIPTORS_KEY),
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/src/test/resources/rest-api-spec/test/api_key/10_basic.yml b/x-pack/plugin/src/test/resources/rest-api-spec/test/api_key/10_basic.yml
index dbdf22c69c90c..f58e62b1c20cb 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/src/test/resources/rest-api-spec/test/api_key/10_basic.yml
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/src/test/resources/rest-api-spec/test/api_key/10_basic.yml
@@ -119,8 +119,7 @@ teardown:
       security.authenticate: {}
 
   - match: { username: "api_key_user" }
-  - match: { roles.0:  "role-b" }
-  - match: { roles.1:  "role-a" }
+  - length: { roles: 0 }
   - match: { authentication_realm.name: "_es_api_key" }
   - match: { authentication_realm.type: "_es_api_key" }