diff --git a/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb b/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb
index 17c9ac21b64683a5dba46d89e069a767c49441ab..83fa94dce819d59b39bf5672b84f65631ea10824 100644
--- a/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb
+++ b/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ def save_protected_branch
         super
 
         sync_code_owner_approval_rules if project.feature_available?(:code_owners)
+        track_onboarding_progress
 
         protected_branch
       end
@@ -58,6 +59,12 @@ def merge_requests_for_branch
           .preload_source_project
           .select(&:source_project)
       end
+
+      def track_onboarding_progress
+        return unless protected_branch.code_owner_approval_required
+
+        OnboardingProgressService.new(project.namespace).execute(action: :code_owners_enabled)
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb b/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb
index 3d1d37c4acbd978234027fbfe9e686856c46bd07..a1ddfe61d262c2201056c497bc1311675efe64cb 100644
--- a/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb
+++ b/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
           params[:code_owner_approval_required] = true
         end
 
-        it "ignores incoming params and sets code_owner_approval_required to false" do
+        it "ignores incoming params and sets code_owner_approval_required to false", :aggregate_failures do
           expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
           expect(ProtectedBranch.last.code_owner_approval_required).to be_falsy
         end
@@ -42,20 +42,33 @@
       context "when available" do
         before do
           stub_licensed_features(code_owner_approval_required: true)
+          params[:code_owner_approval_required] = code_owner_approval_required
         end
 
-        it "sets code_owner_approval_required to true when param is true" do
-          params[:code_owner_approval_required] = true
+        context "when code_owner_approval_required param is true" do
+          let(:code_owner_approval_required) { true }
 
-          expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
-          expect(ProtectedBranch.last.code_owner_approval_required).to be_truthy
+          it "sets code_owner_approval_required to true", :aggregate_failures do
+            expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
+            expect(ProtectedBranch.last.code_owner_approval_required).to be_truthy
+          end
+
+          it_behaves_like 'records an onboarding progress action', :code_owners_enabled do
+            let(:namespace) { target_project.namespace }
+
+            subject { service.execute }
+          end
         end
 
-        it "sets code_owner_approval_required to false when param is false" do
-          params[:code_owner_approval_required] = false
+        context "when code_owner_approval_required param is false" do
+          let(:code_owner_approval_required) { false }
 
-          expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
-          expect(ProtectedBranch.last.code_owner_approval_required).to be_falsy
+          it "sets code_owner_approval_required to false", :aggregate_failures do
+            expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
+            expect(ProtectedBranch.last.code_owner_approval_required).to be_falsy
+          end
+
+          it_behaves_like 'does not record an onboarding progress action'
         end
       end
     end
@@ -69,7 +82,7 @@
         )
       end
 
-      it "calls MergeRequest::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules to update open MRs" do
+      it "calls MergeRequest::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules to update open MRs", :aggregate_failures do
         expect(::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules).to receive(:new).with(merge_request).and_call_original
         expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
       end
@@ -80,7 +93,7 @@
             params[:name] = wildcard
           end
 
-          it "calls MergeRequest::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules to update open MRs for #{wildcard}" do
+          it "calls MergeRequest::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules to update open MRs for #{wildcard}", :aggregate_failures do
             expect(::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules).to receive(:new).with(merge_request).and_call_original
             expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
           end