diff --git a/ui/src/dashboards/actions/thunks.ts b/ui/src/dashboards/actions/thunks.ts
index a18d64f1999..9aa061233eb 100644
--- a/ui/src/dashboards/actions/thunks.ts
+++ b/ui/src/dashboards/actions/thunks.ts
@@ -286,7 +286,8 @@ export const getDashboard = (dashboardID: string) => async (
       throw new Error(resp.data.message)
     }
 
-    dispatch(hydrateVariables())
+    const skipCache = true
+    dispatch(hydrateVariables(skipCache))
 
     const normDash = normalize<Dashboard, DashboardEntities, string>(
       resp.data,
diff --git a/ui/src/external/monaco.flux.server.ts b/ui/src/external/monaco.flux.server.ts
index 74cdc307676..fb10bba0961 100644
--- a/ui/src/external/monaco.flux.server.ts
+++ b/ui/src/external/monaco.flux.server.ts
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ export class LSPServer {
     // drift between the parser and the internal representation
     const variables = getAllVariables(state, contextID)
       .map(v => asAssignment(v))
-      .filter(v => !(v.init.type === 'StringLiteral' && !v.init.value))
+      .filter(v => !!v)
 
     const file = buildVarsOption(variables)
 
diff --git a/ui/src/timeMachine/actions/queries.ts b/ui/src/timeMachine/actions/queries.ts
index 8badd09b173..a350715fcfd 100644
--- a/ui/src/timeMachine/actions/queries.ts
+++ b/ui/src/timeMachine/actions/queries.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {runStatusesQuery} from 'src/alerting/utils/statusEvents'
 
 // Actions
 import {notify} from 'src/shared/actions/notifications'
+import {hydrateVariables} from 'src/variables/actions/thunks'
 
 // Constants
 import {rateLimitReached, resultTooLarge} from 'src/shared/copy/notifications'
@@ -115,6 +116,8 @@ export const executeQueries = () => async (dispatch, getState: GetState) => {
   try {
     dispatch(setQueryResults(RemoteDataState.Loading, [], null))
 
+    await dispatch(hydrateVariables())
+
     //TODO: replace with activeContext selector
     const contextID =
       activeTimeMachine.contextID || state.timeMachines.activeTimeMachineID
diff --git a/ui/src/types/variables.ts b/ui/src/types/variables.ts
index 8722d10ba6c..275fdf962f9 100644
--- a/ui/src/types/variables.ts
+++ b/ui/src/types/variables.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 import {Variable as GenVariable, Label} from 'src/client'
-import {VariableProperties as GenVariableProperties} from 'src/client'
+import {
+  QueryVariableProperties as GenQueryVariableProperties,
+  ConstantVariableProperties as GenConstantVariableProperties,
+  MapVariableProperties as GenMapVariableProperties,
+} from 'src/client'
 
 import {
   VariableArgumentType,
+  VariableMapObject,
   QueryArguments,
   MapArguments,
   CSVArguments,
@@ -16,9 +21,19 @@ export interface SystemVariableProperties {
   type?: 'system'
   values?: any
 }
+export interface QueryVariableProperties
+  extends Omit<GenQueryVariableProperties, 'values'> {
+  values?: {
+    query?: string
+    language?: string
+    results?: string[] | VariableMapObject
+  }
+}
 export type VariableProperties =
   | SystemVariableProperties
-  | GenVariableProperties
+  | QueryVariableProperties
+  | GenConstantVariableProperties
+  | GenMapVariableProperties
 
 export interface Variable
   extends Omit<Omit<GenVariable, 'labels'>, 'arguments'> {
diff --git a/ui/src/variables/actions/thunks.ts b/ui/src/variables/actions/thunks.ts
index 8833d829f6e..16762821669 100644
--- a/ui/src/variables/actions/thunks.ts
+++ b/ui/src/variables/actions/thunks.ts
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export const getVariables = () => async (
   }
 }
 
-export const hydrateVariables = () => async (
+export const hydrateVariables = (skipCache?: boolean) => async (
   dispatch: Dispatch<Action>,
   getState: GetState
 ) => {
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ export const hydrateVariables = () => async (
   const vals = await hydrateVars(vars, getAllVariablesFromState(state), {
     orgID: org.id,
     url: state.links.query.self,
-    skipCache: true,
+    skipCache,
   }).promise
 
   vars
diff --git a/ui/src/variables/selectors/index.tsx b/ui/src/variables/selectors/index.tsx
index 7cee083e7fe..bd55cfb0735 100644
--- a/ui/src/variables/selectors/index.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/variables/selectors/index.tsx
@@ -175,6 +175,11 @@ export const getVariable = (
   if (!vari.selected) {
     if (vari.arguments.type === 'map') {
       vari.selected = [Object.keys(vari.arguments.values)[0]]
+    } else if (
+      vari.arguments.type === 'query' &&
+      vari.arguments.values.results
+    ) {
+      vari.selected = [vari.arguments.values.results[0]]
     } else {
       vari.selected = [vari.arguments.values[0]]
     }
@@ -252,6 +257,9 @@ export const asAssignment = (variable: Variable): VariableAssignment => {
   }
 
   if (variable.arguments.type === 'query') {
+    if (!variable.selected || !variable.selected[0]) {
+      return null
+    }
     out.init = {
       type: 'StringLiteral',
       value: variable.selected[0],
diff --git a/ui/src/variables/utils/buildVarsOption.ts b/ui/src/variables/utils/buildVarsOption.ts
index 203deb191a6..077a6ef097b 100644
--- a/ui/src/variables/utils/buildVarsOption.ts
+++ b/ui/src/variables/utils/buildVarsOption.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export const buildVarsOption = (variables: VariableAssignment[]): File => ({
         },
         init: {
           type: 'ObjectExpression',
-          properties: variables.map(assignmentToProperty),
+          properties: variables.filter(v => !!v).map(assignmentToProperty),
         },
       },
     },
diff --git a/ui/src/variables/utils/hydrateVars.ts b/ui/src/variables/utils/hydrateVars.ts
index 4fdaeec9a41..2a9894c2045 100644
--- a/ui/src/variables/utils/hydrateVars.ts
+++ b/ui/src/variables/utils/hydrateVars.ts
@@ -372,7 +372,14 @@ export const hydrateVars = (
     node.status === RemoteDataState.Loading
 
     try {
+      // TODO: remove the concept of node.values, just use node.variable
       node.values = await hydrateVarsHelper(node, options)
+      if (node.variable.arguments.type === 'query') {
+        node.variable.arguments.values.results = node.values.values
+      } else {
+        node.variable.arguments.values = node.values.values
+      }
+      node.variable.selected = node.values.selected
       node.status = RemoteDataState.Done
 
       return Promise.all(node.parents.filter(readyToResolve).map(resolve))