diff --git a/lib/config/migration.ts b/lib/config/migration.ts
index 2d35cafd138034c6073a9c4cf87d4012d03bd8a4..8b66fdfd7bb328e7e37d75a87083b76b48098df0 100644
--- a/lib/config/migration.ts
+++ b/lib/config/migration.ts
@@ -39,40 +39,7 @@ export function migrateConfig(config: RenovateConfig): MigratedConfig {
       'peerDependencies',
     ];
     for (const [key, val] of Object.entries(newConfig)) {
-      if (key === 'packageFiles' && is.array(val)) {
-        const fileList = [];
-        for (const packageFile of val) {
-          if (is.object(packageFile) && !is.array(packageFile)) {
-            fileList.push((packageFile as any).packageFile);
-            if (Object.keys(packageFile).length > 1) {
-              migratedConfig.packageRules = is.array(
-                migratedConfig.packageRules
-              )
-                ? migratedConfig.packageRules
-                : [];
-              const payload = migrateConfig(
-                packageFile as RenovateConfig
-              ).migratedConfig;
-              for (const subrule of payload.packageRules ?? []) {
-                subrule.paths = [(packageFile as any).packageFile];
-                migratedConfig.packageRules.push(subrule);
-              }
-              delete payload.packageFile;
-              delete payload.packageRules;
-              if (Object.keys(payload).length) {
-                migratedConfig.packageRules.push({
-                  ...payload,
-                  paths: [(packageFile as any).packageFile],
-                });
-              }
-            }
-          } else {
-            fileList.push(packageFile);
-          }
-        }
-        migratedConfig.includePaths = fileList;
-        delete migratedConfig.packageFiles;
-      } else if (depTypes.includes(key)) {
+      if (depTypes.includes(key)) {
         migratedConfig.packageRules = is.array(migratedConfig.packageRules)
           ? migratedConfig.packageRules
           : [];
@@ -209,7 +176,10 @@ export function migrateConfig(config: RenovateConfig): MigratedConfig {
           // merge each subrule and add to the parent list
           for (const subrule of packageRule.packageRules) {
             // TODO: fix types #7154
-            const combinedRule = mergeChildConfig(packageRule, subrule as any);
+            const combinedRule = mergeChildConfig(
+              packageRule,
+              subrule as PackageRule
+            );
             delete combinedRule.packageRules;
             migratedConfig.packageRules.push(combinedRule);
           }
diff --git a/lib/config/migrations/custom/package-files-migration.spec.ts b/lib/config/migrations/custom/package-files-migration.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..51ce8f0902a8497aa75e01f4db9f1fd17b45e403
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/config/migrations/custom/package-files-migration.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+import { PackageFilesMigration } from './package-files-migration';
+
+describe('config/migrations/custom/package-files-migration', () => {
+  it('should migrate value to array', () => {
+    expect(PackageFilesMigration).toMigrate(
+      {
+        packageFiles: [
+          {
+            packageFile: 'package.json',
+            packageRules: [],
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        includePaths: ['package.json'],
+        packageRules: [{ paths: ['package.json'], packageRules: [] }],
+      }
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should handle multiple packageFile', () => {
+    expect(PackageFilesMigration).toMigrate(
+      {
+        packageFiles: [['package.json', 'Chart.yaml']],
+      },
+      {
+        includePaths: ['package.json', 'Chart.yaml'],
+      }
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should still work for wrong config', () => {
+    expect(PackageFilesMigration).toMigrate(
+      {
+        packageRules: [{ labels: ['lint'] }],
+        packageFiles: [
+          {
+            packageFile: 'package.json',
+            packageRules: [{ labels: ['breaking'] }],
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        includePaths: ['package.json'],
+        packageRules: [
+          { labels: ['lint'] },
+          {
+            paths: ['package.json'],
+            packageRules: [{ labels: ['breaking'] }],
+          },
+        ],
+      }
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should work for non-object packageFiles', () => {
+    expect(PackageFilesMigration).toMigrate(
+      {
+        packageFiles: ['package.json'],
+      },
+      {
+        includePaths: ['package.json'],
+      }
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should work for nested rules', () => {
+    expect(PackageFilesMigration).toMigrate(
+      {
+        packageFiles: [
+          {
+            packageFile: 'package.json',
+            packageRules: [
+              {
+                labels: ['linter'],
+                packageRules: [{ addLabels: ['es-lint'] }],
+              },
+            ],
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        includePaths: ['package.json'],
+        packageRules: [
+          {
+            paths: ['package.json'],
+            packageRules: [
+              {
+                labels: ['linter'],
+                packageRules: [{ addLabels: ['es-lint'] }],
+              },
+            ],
+          },
+        ],
+      }
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('no change for empty packageFiles', () => {
+    expect(PackageFilesMigration).toMigrate(
+      {
+        includePaths: ['package.json'],
+        packageRules: [{ labels: ['linter'] }],
+        packageFiles: [],
+      },
+      {
+        includePaths: ['package.json'],
+        packageRules: [{ labels: ['linter'] }],
+      }
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/config/migrations/custom/package-files-migration.ts b/lib/config/migrations/custom/package-files-migration.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..879e14ed309126783ce286e36c9a4bd876af3e33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/config/migrations/custom/package-files-migration.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import is from '@sindresorhus/is';
+import type { PackageRule } from '../../types';
+import { AbstractMigration } from '../base/abstract-migration';
+
+export class PackageFilesMigration extends AbstractMigration {
+  override readonly deprecated = true;
+  override readonly propertyName = 'packageFiles';
+
+  override run(value: unknown): void {
+    const packageRules: PackageRule[] = this.get('packageRules') ?? [];
+    if (is.array(value)) {
+      const fileList: string[] = [];
+      for (const packageFile of value) {
+        if (
+          is.nonEmptyObject(packageFile) &&
+          'packageFile' in packageFile &&
+          is.string(packageFile.packageFile)
+        ) {
+          fileList.push(packageFile.packageFile);
+          packageFile.paths = [packageFile.packageFile];
+          delete packageFile.packageFile;
+
+          if (Object.keys(packageFile).length > 1) {
+            packageRules.push({
+              ...packageFile,
+            });
+          }
+        } else if (is.array(packageFile, is.string)) {
+          fileList.push(...packageFile);
+        } else if (is.string(packageFile)) {
+          fileList.push(packageFile);
+        }
+      }
+      if (fileList.length) {
+        this.setSafely('includePaths', fileList);
+      }
+      if (packageRules.length) {
+        this.setSafely('packageRules', packageRules);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/config/migrations/migrations-service.ts b/lib/config/migrations/migrations-service.ts
index 9093003b105202f8227a8545880801ce9f7d74d7..da950b2d1c70f936c2ef296591ce8dc982a60156 100644
--- a/lib/config/migrations/migrations-service.ts
+++ b/lib/config/migrations/migrations-service.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import { IgnoreNodeModulesMigration } from './custom/ignore-node-modules-migrati
 import { IgnoreNpmrcFileMigration } from './custom/ignore-npmrc-file-migration';
 import { MatchStringsMigration } from './custom/match-strings-migration';
 import { NodeMigration } from './custom/node-migration';
+import { PackageFilesMigration } from './custom/package-files-migration';
 import { PackageNameMigration } from './custom/package-name-migration';
 import { PackagePatternMigration } from './custom/package-pattern-migration';
 import { PackagesMigration } from './custom/packages-migration';
@@ -128,6 +129,7 @@ export class MigrationsService {
     VersionStrategyMigration,
     DryRunMigration,
     RequireConfigMigration,
+    PackageFilesMigration,
     NodeMigration,
     SemanticPrefixMigration,
   ];