diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/lib/server.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/lib/server.dart
index 0da546c36..563093ca3 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/lib/server.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/lib/server.dart
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ Future<void> main(List<String> args) async {
     print('warning: no redis server specified.\n');
   }
 
-  final sdk = Sdk();
+  final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
 
   final int port;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/lib/src/sdk.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/lib/src/sdk.dart
index 7ec96247c..dc09c40ca 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/lib/src/sdk.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/lib/src/sdk.dart
@@ -60,7 +60,10 @@ final class Sdk {
     required this.engineVersion,
   }) : _flutterBinPath = flutterBinPath;
 
-  factory Sdk() {
+  /// Create an [Sdk] to track the location and version information
+  /// of the Flutter SDK used to run `dart_services`, or if not valid,
+  /// the one configured using the `FLUTTER_ROOT` environment variable.
+  factory Sdk.fromLocalFlutter() {
     // Note below, 'Platform.resolvedExecutable' will not lead to a real SDK if
     // we've been compiled into an AOT binary. In those cases we fall back to
     // looking for a 'FLUTTER_ROOT' environment variable.
diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/test/analysis_test.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/test/analysis_test.dart
index 46b95550c..9b47aff8a 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/test/analysis_test.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/test/analysis_test.dart
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ void main() => defineTests();
 
 void defineTests() {
   group('analysis', () {
-    final sdk = Sdk();
+    final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
     late AnalysisServerWrapper analysisServer;
 
     setUpAll(() async {
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ void defineTests() {
   });
 
   group('analysis flutter', () {
-    final sdk = Sdk();
+    final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
     late AnalysisServerWrapper analysisServer;
 
     setUpAll(() async {
diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/test/caching_test.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/test/caching_test.dart
index b0371fa8f..4026f7a62 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/test/caching_test.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/test/caching_test.dart
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ void defineTests(bool hasRedis) {
 
     setUpAll(() async {
       redisProcess = await startRedisProcessAndDrainIO(9501);
-      sdk = Sdk();
+      sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
       log.onRecord.listen((LogRecord rec) {
         logMessages.add('${rec.level.name}: ${rec.time}: ${rec.message}');
       });
diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/test/compiling_test.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/test/compiling_test.dart
index 85d9e9f35..b03a7789c 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/test/compiling_test.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/test/compiling_test.dart
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ void defineTests() {
     late Compiler compiler;
 
     setUpAll(() async {
-      compiler = Compiler(Sdk(), storageBucket: 'nnbd_artifacts');
+      compiler =
+          Compiler(Sdk.fromLocalFlutter(), storageBucket: 'nnbd_artifacts');
     });
 
     tearDownAll(() async {
diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/test/project_creator_test.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/test/project_creator_test.dart
index 839af4947..f17bbd953 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/test/project_creator_test.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/test/project_creator_test.dart
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import 'package:test_descriptor/test_descriptor.dart' as d;
 void main() => defineTests();
 
 void defineTests() {
-  final sdk = Sdk();
+  final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
 
   final languageVersion = sdk.dartVersion;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/test/server_test.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/test/server_test.dart
index b3310b710..56d88de40 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/test/server_test.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/test/server_test.dart
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ void defineTests() {
     late final ServicesClient client;
 
     setUpAll(() async {
-      sdk = Sdk();
+      sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
       server = await EndpointsServer.serve(0, sdk, null, 'nnbd_artifacts');
 
       httpClient = Client();
diff --git a/pkgs/dart_services/tool/grind.dart b/pkgs/dart_services/tool/grind.dart
index 3333f16e6..c4803bcfa 100644
--- a/pkgs/dart_services/tool/grind.dart
+++ b/pkgs/dart_services/tool/grind.dart
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ final List<String> compilationArtifacts = [
     'google storage')
 void validateStorageArtifacts() async {
   final args = context.invocation.arguments;
-  final sdk = Sdk();
+  final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
   final version = sdk.dartVersion;
   final bucket = switch (args.hasOption('bucket')) {
     true => args.getOption('bucket'),
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ void buildProjectTemplates() async {
     await templatesDirectory.delete(recursive: true);
   }
 
-  final sdk = Sdk();
+  final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
   final projectCreator = ProjectCreator(
     sdk,
     templatesPath,
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ void buildProjectTemplates() async {
 @Task('build the sdk compilation artifacts for upload to google storage')
 @Depends(updatePubDependencies)
 void buildStorageArtifacts() async {
-  final sdk = Sdk();
+  final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
   delete(getDir('artifacts'));
   final instructions = <String>[];
 
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ Future<void> _run(
 @Task('Update pubspec dependency versions')
 @Depends(buildProjectTemplates)
 void updatePubDependencies() async {
-  final sdk = Sdk();
+  final sdk = Sdk.fromLocalFlutter();
   await _updateDependenciesFile(channel: sdk.channel, sdk: sdk);
 }