diff --git a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/__tests__/sub_url_route_filter.js b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/__tests__/sub_url_route_filter.js
similarity index 98%
rename from src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/__tests__/sub_url_route_filter.js
rename to src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/__tests__/sub_url_route_filter.js
index 5ce42b9c729160c..46421fdbd228020 100644
--- a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/__tests__/sub_url_route_filter.js
+++ b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/__tests__/sub_url_route_filter.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import ngMock from 'ng_mock';
 import expect from '@kbn/expect';
 
-import { SubUrlRouteFilterProvider } from '../sub_url_route_filter';
+import { SubUrlRouteFilterProvider } from '../sub_url_hooks';
 
 describe('kbn-chrome subUrlRouteFilter()', () => {
   describe('no ngRoute', () => {
diff --git a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js
index 145653ad261128f..70aa3f8d86c2bfb 100644
--- a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js
+++ b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/angular.js
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import { toastNotifications } from '../../notify';
 import { UrlOverflowServiceProvider } from '../../error_url_overflow';
 
 import { directivesProvider } from '../directives';
+import { registerSubUrlHooks } from './sub_url_hooks';
 
 const URL_LIMIT_WARN_WITHIN = 1000;
 
@@ -137,6 +138,7 @@ export function initAngularApi(chrome, internals) {
       });
 
     directivesProvider(chrome, internals);
+    registerSubUrlHooks(kibana, internals);
 
     uiModules.link(kibana);
   };
diff --git a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/sub_url_hooks.js b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/sub_url_hooks.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..1890e7af5c42730
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/api/sub_url_hooks.js
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import url from 'url';
+
+import {
+  getUnhashableStatesProvider,
+  unhashUrl,
+} from '../../state_management/state_hashing';
+
+export function registerSubUrlHooks(angularModule, internals) {
+  angularModule.run(($rootScope, Private, $location) => {
+    const getUnhashableStates = Private(getUnhashableStatesProvider);
+    const subUrlRouteFilter = Private(SubUrlRouteFilterProvider);
+
+    function updateSubUrls() {
+      const urlWithHashes = window.location.href;
+      const urlWithStates = unhashUrl(urlWithHashes, getUnhashableStates());
+      internals.trackPossibleSubUrl(urlWithStates);
+    }
+
+    function onRouteChange($event) {
+      if (subUrlRouteFilter($event)) {
+        updateSubUrls();
+      }
+    }
+
+    $rootScope.$on('$locationChangeStart', (e, newUrl) => {
+      // This handler fixes issue #31238 where browser back navigation
+      // fails due to angular 1.6 parsing url encoded params wrong.
+      const absUrlHash = url.parse($location.absUrl()).hash.slice(1);
+      const decodedAbsUrlHash = decodeURIComponent(absUrlHash);
+      const hash = url.parse(newUrl).hash.slice(1);
+      const decodedHash = decodeURIComponent(hash);
+      if (absUrlHash !== hash && decodedHash === decodedAbsUrlHash) {
+        // replace the urlencoded hash with the version that angular sees.
+        $location.url(absUrlHash).replace();
+      }
+    });
+
+    $rootScope.$on('$routeChangeSuccess', onRouteChange);
+    $rootScope.$on('$routeUpdate', onRouteChange);
+    updateSubUrls(); // initialize sub urls
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ *  Creates a function that will be called on each route change
+ *  to determine if the event should be used to update the last
+ *  subUrl of chrome links/tabs
+ *  @injected
+ */
+export function SubUrlRouteFilterProvider($injector) {
+  if (!$injector.has('$route')) {
+    return function alwaysUpdate() {
+      return true;
+    };
+  }
+
+  const $route = $injector.get('$route');
+  return function ignoreRedirectToRoutes() {
+    return Boolean($route.current && !$route.current.redirectTo);
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/kbn_chrome.js b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/kbn_chrome.js
index 7d7f703ccc88051..682af0abc47d9a1 100644
--- a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/kbn_chrome.js
+++ b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/kbn_chrome.js
@@ -20,19 +20,15 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
 import $ from 'jquery';
-import url from 'url';
 
 import { uiModules } from '../../modules';
-import {
-  getUnhashableStatesProvider,
-  unhashUrl,
-} from '../../state_management/state_hashing';
+
 import {
   notify,
   GlobalBannerList,
   banners,
 } from '../../notify';
-import { SubUrlRouteFilterProvider } from './sub_url_route_filter';
+
 import { I18nContext } from '../../i18n';
 
 export function kbnChromeProvider(chrome, internals) {
@@ -58,39 +54,7 @@ export function kbnChromeProvider(chrome, internals) {
         },
 
         controllerAs: 'chrome',
-        controller($scope, $rootScope, Private, $location) {
-          const getUnhashableStates = Private(getUnhashableStatesProvider);
-          const subUrlRouteFilter = Private(SubUrlRouteFilterProvider);
-
-          function updateSubUrls() {
-            const urlWithHashes = window.location.href;
-            const urlWithStates = unhashUrl(urlWithHashes, getUnhashableStates());
-            internals.trackPossibleSubUrl(urlWithStates);
-          }
-
-          function onRouteChange($event) {
-            if (subUrlRouteFilter($event)) {
-              updateSubUrls();
-            }
-          }
-
-          $rootScope.$on('$locationChangeStart', (e, newUrl) => {
-            // This handler fixes issue #31238 where browser back navigation
-            // fails due to angular 1.6 parsing url encoded params wrong.
-            const absUrlHash = url.parse($location.absUrl()).hash.slice(1);
-            const decodedAbsUrlHash = decodeURIComponent(absUrlHash);
-            const hash = url.parse(newUrl).hash.slice(1);
-            const decodedHash = decodeURIComponent(hash);
-            if (absUrlHash !== hash && decodedHash === decodedAbsUrlHash) {
-              // replace the urlencoded hash with the version that angular sees.
-              $location.url(absUrlHash).replace();
-            }
-          });
-
-          $rootScope.$on('$routeChangeSuccess', onRouteChange);
-          $rootScope.$on('$routeUpdate', onRouteChange);
-          updateSubUrls(); // initialize sub urls
-
+        controller($scope) {
           // Notifications
           $scope.notifList = notify._notifs;
 
diff --git a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/sub_url_route_filter.js b/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/sub_url_route_filter.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 0ccd10d97ad25c8..000000000000000
--- a/src/legacy/ui/public/chrome/directives/sub_url_route_filter.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
- * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
- * this work for additional information regarding copyright
- * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
- * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
- * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
- * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
- * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
- * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
- * specific language governing permissions and limitations
- * under the License.
- */
-
-/**
- *  Creates a function that will be called on each route change
- *  to determine if the event should be used to update the last
- *  subUrl of chrome links/tabs
- *  @injected
- */
-export function SubUrlRouteFilterProvider($injector) {
-  if (!$injector.has('$route')) {
-    return function alwaysUpdate() {
-      return true;
-    };
-  }
-
-  const $route = $injector.get('$route');
-  return function ignoreRedirectToRoutes() {
-    return Boolean($route.current && !$route.current.redirectTo);
-  };
-}