diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.test.ts
index 9941af03f0c19..c877e69d7b0dd 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.test.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ describe('existingFields', () => {
       name,
       isScript: false,
       isMeta: false,
-      path: name,
       ...obj,
     };
   }
@@ -51,28 +50,19 @@ describe('existingFields', () => {
     expect(result).toEqual(['geo.country_name']);
   });
 
-  it('should use path, not name', () => {
-    const result = existingFields(
-      [searchResults({ 'stuff.foo': ['bar'] })],
-      [field({ name: 'goober', path: 'stuff.foo' })]
-    );
-
-    expect(result).toEqual(['goober']);
-  });
-
   it('supports scripted fields', () => {
     const result = existingFields(
       [searchResults({ bar: ['scriptvalue'] })],
-      [field({ name: 'baz', isScript: true, path: 'bar' })]
+      [field({ name: 'bar', isScript: true })]
     );
 
-    expect(result).toEqual(['baz']);
+    expect(result).toEqual(['bar']);
   });
 
   it('supports meta fields', () => {
     const result = existingFields(
       [{ _mymeta: 'abc', ...searchResults({ bar: ['scriptvalue'] }) }],
-      [field({ name: '_mymeta', isMeta: true, path: '_mymeta' })]
+      [field({ name: '_mymeta', isMeta: true })]
     );
 
     expect(result).toEqual(['_mymeta']);
@@ -103,7 +93,6 @@ describe('buildFieldList', () => {
     expect(fields.find((f) => f.isScript)).toMatchObject({
       isScript: true,
       name: 'foo',
-      path: 'foo',
       lang: 'painless',
       script: '2+2',
     });
@@ -115,7 +104,6 @@ describe('buildFieldList', () => {
       isScript: false,
       isMeta: true,
       name: '_mymeta',
-      path: '_mymeta',
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.ts b/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.ts
index d9b31402f1ef1..c925517b572da 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/lens/server/routes/existing_fields.ts
@@ -9,11 +9,7 @@ import { schema } from '@kbn/config-schema';
 import { ILegacyScopedClusterClient, SavedObject, RequestHandlerContext } from 'src/core/server';
 import { CoreSetup } from 'src/core/server';
 import { BASE_API_URL } from '../../common';
-import {
-  IndexPatternsFetcher,
-  IndexPatternAttributes,
-  UI_SETTINGS,
-} from '../../../../../src/plugins/data/server';
+import { IndexPatternAttributes, UI_SETTINGS } from '../../../../../src/plugins/data/server';
 
 /**
  * The number of docs to sample to determine field empty status.
@@ -24,7 +20,6 @@ export interface Field {
   name: string;
   isScript: boolean;
   isMeta: boolean;
-  path: string;
   lang?: string;
   script?: string;
 }
@@ -139,7 +134,6 @@ export function buildFieldList(
       return {
         name: field.name,
         isScript: !!field.scripted,
-        path: field.name,
         lang: field.lang,
         script: field.script,
         // id is a special case - it doesn't show up in the meta field list,
@@ -230,7 +224,7 @@ export function existingFields(
       if (field.isMeta) {
         fieldStore = doc;
       }
-      const value = fieldStore[field.path];
+      const value = fieldStore[field.name];
       if (Array.isArray(value) && value.length) {
         missingFields.delete(field);
       } else if (!Array.isArray(value) && value) {