diff --git a/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/JsonpUtils.java b/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/JsonpUtils.java
index 97928a5ab..74f888d04 100644
--- a/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/JsonpUtils.java
+++ b/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/JsonpUtils.java
@@ -243,7 +243,23 @@ public static Map.Entry<String, JsonParser> lookAheadFieldValue(
         } else {
             // Unbuffered path: parse the object into a JsonObject, then extract the value and parse it again
             JsonObject object = parser.getObject();
-            String result = object.getString(name, null);
+
+            String result = null;
+            JsonValue value = object.get(name);
+            // Handle enums and booleans promoted to enums
+            if (value != null) {
+                if (value.getValueType() == JsonValue.ValueType.STRING) {
+                    result = ((JsonString) value).getString();
+                } else if (value.getValueType() == JsonValue.ValueType.TRUE) {
+                    result = "true";
+                } else if (value.getValueType() == JsonValue.ValueType.FALSE) {
+                    result = "false";
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (result == null) {
+                result = defaultValue;
+            }
 
             if (result == null) {
                 result = defaultValue;
diff --git a/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/jackson/JacksonJsonpParser.java b/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/jackson/JacksonJsonpParser.java
index 4a7676ebb..b1f526725 100644
--- a/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/jackson/JacksonJsonpParser.java
+++ b/java-client/src/main/java/co/elastic/clients/json/jackson/JacksonJsonpParser.java
@@ -336,11 +336,27 @@ public Map.Entry<String, JsonParser> lookAheadFieldValue(String name, String def
                 if (fieldName.equals(name)) {
                     // Found
                     tb.copyCurrentEvent(parser);
-                    expectNextEvent(JsonToken.VALUE_STRING);
+
+                    String result = null;
+                    switch (parser.nextToken()) {
+                        case VALUE_STRING:
+                            result = parser.getText();
+                            break;
+                        // Handle booleans promoted to enums
+                        case VALUE_TRUE:
+                            result = "true";
+                            break;
+                        case VALUE_FALSE:
+                            result = "false";
+                            break;
+                        default:
+                            expectEvent(JsonToken.VALUE_STRING);
+                    }
+
                     tb.copyCurrentEvent(parser);
 
                     return new AbstractMap.SimpleImmutableEntry<>(
-                        parser.getText(),
+                        result,
                         new JacksonJsonpParser(
                             JsonParserSequence.createFlattened(false, tb.asParser(), parser),
                             mapper
diff --git a/java-client/src/test/java/co/elastic/clients/elasticsearch/model/VariantsTest.java b/java-client/src/test/java/co/elastic/clients/elasticsearch/model/VariantsTest.java
index f432c3c7e..1ffbe6ade 100644
--- a/java-client/src/test/java/co/elastic/clients/elasticsearch/model/VariantsTest.java
+++ b/java-client/src/test/java/co/elastic/clients/elasticsearch/model/VariantsTest.java
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@
 import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch._types.query_dsl.Query;
 import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch._types.query_dsl.QueryBuilders;
 import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch.core.SearchRequest;
+import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch.ilm.ExplainLifecycleResponse;
+import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch.ilm.explain_lifecycle.LifecycleExplainManaged;
+import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch.ilm.explain_lifecycle.LifecycleExplainUnmanaged;
 import co.elastic.clients.elasticsearch.indices.GetMappingResponse;
 import co.elastic.clients.json.JsonData;
 import co.elastic.clients.testkit.ModelTestCase;
@@ -281,4 +284,68 @@ public void testContainerWithOptionalVariants() {
             assertEquals(2.0, fsq2.functionScore().functions().get(0).linear().untyped().placement().decay(), 0.001);
         }
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testBooleanVariantTag() {
+
+        String jsonT = "{\n" +
+            "  \"indices\": {\n" +
+            "    \"test\": {\n" +
+            "      \"index\": \"test\",\n" +
+            "      \"managed\": true,\n" +
+            "      \"policy\": \"my_policy\",\n" +
+            "      \"index_creation_date_millis\": 1736785235558,\n" +
+            "      \"time_since_index_creation\": \"27.75d\",\n" +
+            "      \"lifecycle_date_millis\": 1736785235558,\n" +
+            "      \"age\": \"27.75d\",\n" +
+            "      \"phase\": \"warm\",\n" +
+            "      \"phase_time_millis\": 1739183166898,\n" +
+            "      \"action\": \"migrate\",\n" +
+            "      \"action_time_millis\": 1739183166898,\n" +
+            "      \"step\": \"check-migration\",\n" +
+            "      \"step_time_millis\": 1739183166898,\n" +
+            "      \"step_info\": {\n" +
+            "        \"message\": \"Waiting for all shard copies to be active\",\n" +
+            "        \"shards_left_to_allocate\": -1,\n" +
+            "        \"all_shards_active\": false,\n" +
+            "        \"number_of_replicas\": 1\n" +
+            "      },\n" +
+            "      \"phase_execution\": {\n" +
+            "        \"policy\": \"my_policy\",\n" +
+            "        \"phase_definition\": {\n" +
+            "          \"min_age\": \"10d\",\n" +
+            "          \"actions\": {\n" +
+            "            \"forcemerge\": {\n" +
+            "              \"max_num_segments\": 1\n" +
+            "            }\n" +
+            "          }\n" +
+            "        },\n" +
+            "        \"version\": 1,\n" +
+            "        \"modified_date_in_millis\": 1739183005443\n" +
+            "      }\n" +
+            "    }\n" +
+            "  }\n" +
+            "}";
+
+        ExplainLifecycleResponse respT = fromJson(jsonT,ExplainLifecycleResponse.class);
+
+        // if managed is "true" then the variant class must be Managed
+        assertTrue(respT.indices().get("test").isTrue());
+        assertTrue(respT.indices().get("test")._get().getClass().equals(LifecycleExplainManaged.class));
+
+        String jsonF = "{\n" +
+            "  \"indices\": {\n" +
+            "    \"test\": {\n" +
+            "      \"index\": \"test\",\n" +
+            "      \"managed\": false\n" +
+            "    }\n" +
+            "  }\n" +
+            "}";
+
+        ExplainLifecycleResponse respF = fromJson(jsonF,ExplainLifecycleResponse.class);
+
+        // if managed is "false" then the variant class must be Unmanaged
+        assertTrue(respF.indices().get("test").isFalse());
+        assertTrue(respF.indices().get("test")._get().getClass().equals(LifecycleExplainUnmanaged.class));
+    }
 }