diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/app.js b/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/app.js
index 42b83e4d23..3ac02257f4 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/app.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/endpoints/admin/app.js
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 const debug = require('@tryghost/debug')('web:endpoints:admin:app');
 const boolParser = require('express-query-boolean');
-const express = require('../../../../../shared/express');
 const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
-const shared = require('../../../shared');
-const apiMw = require('../../middleware');
 const errorHandler = require('@tryghost/mw-error-handler');
+const versionMatch = require('@tryghost/mw-version-match');
+
+const shared = require('../../../shared');
+const express = require('../../../../../shared/express');
 const sentry = require('../../../../../shared/sentry');
 const routes = require('./routes');
 const APIVersionCompatibilityService = require('../../../../services/api-version-compatibility');
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ module.exports = function setupApiApp() {
 
     // Check version matches for API requests, depends on res.locals.safeVersion being set
     // Therefore must come after themeHandler.ghostLocals, for now
-    apiApp.use(apiMw.versionMatch);
+    apiApp.use(versionMatch);
 
     // Admin API shouldn't be cached
     apiApp.use(shared.middleware.cacheControl('private'));
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/middleware/index.js b/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/middleware/index.js
index 91b438796c..a30445b446 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/middleware/index.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/middleware/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 module.exports = {
     cors: require('./cors'),
     updateUserLastSeen: require('./update-user-last-seen'),
-    upload: require('./upload'),
-    versionMatch: require('./version-match')
+    upload: require('./upload')
 };
diff --git a/ghost/core/package.json b/ghost/core/package.json
index cad4b42683..5cf19c11ce 100644
--- a/ghost/core/package.json
+++ b/ghost/core/package.json
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@
     "@tryghost/mw-cache-control": "0.0.0",
     "@tryghost/mw-error-handler": "0.0.0",
     "@tryghost/mw-session-from-token": "0.0.0",
+    "@tryghost/mw-version-match": "0.0.0",
     "@tryghost/mw-vhost": "0.0.0",
     "@tryghost/nodemailer": "0.3.32",
     "@tryghost/nql": "0.11.0",
diff --git a/ghost/mw-version-match/.eslintrc.js b/ghost/mw-version-match/.eslintrc.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c9c1bcb522
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ghost/mw-version-match/.eslintrc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+module.exports = {
+    plugins: ['ghost'],
+    extends: [
+        'plugin:ghost/node'
+    ]
+};
diff --git a/ghost/mw-version-match/README.md b/ghost/mw-version-match/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..20cfe72469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ghost/mw-version-match/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# Mw Version Match
+
+Version compatibility middleware for Ghost
+
+
+## Usage
+
+
+## Develop
+
+This is a monorepo package.
+
+Follow the instructions for the top-level repo.
+1. `git clone` this repo & `cd` into it as usual
+2. Run `yarn` to install top-level dependencies.
+
+
+
+## Test
+
+- `yarn lint` run just eslint
+- `yarn test` run lint and tests
+
diff --git a/ghost/mw-version-match/index.js b/ghost/mw-version-match/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5ef8696c30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ghost/mw-version-match/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+module.exports = require('./lib/mw-version-match');
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/web/api/middleware/version-match.js b/ghost/mw-version-match/lib/mw-version-match.js
similarity index 100%
rename from ghost/core/core/server/web/api/middleware/version-match.js
rename to ghost/mw-version-match/lib/mw-version-match.js
diff --git a/ghost/mw-version-match/package.json b/ghost/mw-version-match/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a5f9f87bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ghost/mw-version-match/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+{
+  "name": "@tryghost/mw-version-match",
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "repository": "https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/tree/main/packages/mw-version-match",
+  "author": "Ghost Foundation",
+  "private": true,
+  "main": "index.js",
+  "scripts": {
+    "dev": "echo \"Implement me!\"",
+    "test:unit": "NODE_ENV=testing c8 --all --check-coverage --100  --reporter text --reporter cobertura mocha './test/**/*.test.js'",
+    "test": "yarn test:unit",
+    "lint:code": "eslint *.js lib/ --ext .js --cache",
+    "lint": "yarn lint:code && yarn lint:test",
+    "lint:test": "eslint -c test/.eslintrc.js test/ --ext .js --cache"
+  },
+  "files": [
+    "index.js",
+    "lib"
+  ],
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "c8": "7.13.0",
+    "mocha": "10.2.0",
+    "sinon": "15.0.1"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@tryghost/errors": "1.2.21",
+    "@tryghost/tpl": "0.1.21",
+    "semver": "7.3.8"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ghost/mw-version-match/test/.eslintrc.js b/ghost/mw-version-match/test/.eslintrc.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..829b601eb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ghost/mw-version-match/test/.eslintrc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+module.exports = {
+    plugins: ['ghost'],
+    extends: [
+        'plugin:ghost/test'
+    ]
+};
diff --git a/ghost/core/test/unit/server/web/api/middleware/version-match.test.js b/ghost/mw-version-match/test/version-match.test.js
similarity index 96%
rename from ghost/core/test/unit/server/web/api/middleware/version-match.test.js
rename to ghost/mw-version-match/test/version-match.test.js
index e2fb5a04c5..fd76e00145 100644
--- a/ghost/core/test/unit/server/web/api/middleware/version-match.test.js
+++ b/ghost/mw-version-match/test/version-match.test.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-const should = require('should');
+require('should');
 const sinon = require('sinon');
-const versionMatch = require('../../../../../../core/server/web/api/middleware/version-match');
+
+const versionMatch = require('../');
 
 describe('Version Mismatch', function () {
     let req;