diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index cb2a39fc1b..9c76fa336e 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/iamacarpet/go-win64api v0.0.0-20210311141720-fe38760bed28
 	github.com/k3s-io/helm-controller v0.16.1
 	github.com/k3s-io/k3s v1.30.3-0.20240715171250-37830fe170fa // master
+	github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.11
 	github.com/libp2p/go-netroute v0.2.1
 	github.com/natefinch/lumberjack v2.0.0+incompatible
 	github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2 v2.16.0
@@ -251,7 +252,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/josharian/intern v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/josharian/native v1.1.0 // indirect
 	github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12 // indirect
-	github.com/k3s-io/kine v0.11.11 // indirect
 	github.com/karrick/godirwalk v1.17.0 // indirect
 	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.7 // indirect
 	github.com/klauspost/cpuid/v2 v2.2.7 // indirect
diff --git a/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go b/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go
index e21b43f8c0..546150127d 100644
--- a/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/rke2/rke2_linux.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/pkg/cli/cmds"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/pkg/cluster/managed"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/pkg/etcd"
+	"github.com/k3s-io/kine/pkg/endpoint"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/rancher/rke2/pkg/cli/defaults"
 	"github.com/rancher/rke2/pkg/images"
@@ -63,8 +64,14 @@ func initExecutor(clx *cli.Context, cfg Config, isServer bool) (*podexecutor.Sta
 	if cmds.ServerConfig.DatastoreEndpoint != "" || (clx.Bool("disable-etcd") && !clx.IsSet("server")) {
 		cmds.ServerConfig.DisableETCD = false
 		cmds.ServerConfig.ClusterInit = false
-		cmds.ServerConfig.KineTLS = true
-		ExternalDatabase = true
+
+		// When the datastore sets a etcd endpoint, rke2 does not need kine with tls and changes
+		// in the --etcd-servers inside podexecutor using ExternalDatabase
+		driver, _ := endpoint.ParseStorageEndpoint(cmds.ServerConfig.DatastoreEndpoint)
+		if !(driver == endpoint.ETCDBackend) {
+			cmds.ServerConfig.KineTLS = true
+			ExternalDatabase = true
+		}
 	} else {
 		managed.RegisterDriver(&etcd.ETCD{})
 	}