diff --git a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/lib/fetch_fields.ts b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/lib/fetch_fields.ts
index a9a5f8a0b47c..af3ddd643cac 100644
--- a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/lib/fetch_fields.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/lib/fetch_fields.ts
@@ -50,9 +50,10 @@ export async function fetchFields(
       {}
     );
 
-    if (defaultIndexPattern?.title && patterns.includes(defaultIndexPattern.title)) {
-      fields[''] = fields[defaultIndexPattern.title];
+    if (defaultIndexPattern) {
+      fields[''] = toSanitizedFieldType(await defaultIndexPattern.getNonScriptedFields());
     }
+
     return fields;
   } catch (error) {
     if (error.name !== 'AbortError') {
diff --git a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/controls_references.ts b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/controls_references.ts
index 9419efad41b8..e584270425eb 100644
--- a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/controls_references.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/controls_references.ts
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@
  */
 
 import { SavedObjectReference } from '../../../../../core/types';
+import { VisParams } from '../../../common';
 
 export const extractControlsReferences = (
-  visState: Record<string, any>,
+  visParams: VisParams,
   references: SavedObjectReference[] = []
 ) => {
-  const controls = visState.params?.controls ?? [];
+  const controls = visParams?.controls ?? [];
 
   controls.forEach((control: Record<string, string>, i: number) => {
     if (!control.indexPattern) {
@@ -29,10 +30,10 @@ export const extractControlsReferences = (
 };
 
 export const injectControlsReferences = (
-  visState: Record<string, any>,
+  visParams: VisParams,
   references: SavedObjectReference[]
 ) => {
-  const controls = visState.params?.controls ?? [];
+  const controls = visParams.controls ?? [];
 
   controls.forEach((control: Record<string, string>) => {
     if (!control.indexPatternRefName) {
diff --git a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/index.ts b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/index.ts
index 727005b7f183..0acda1c0a0f8 100644
--- a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/index.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/index.ts
@@ -6,4 +6,7 @@
  * Side Public License, v 1.
  */
 
+export { extractControlsReferences, injectControlsReferences } from './controls_references';
+export { extractTimeSeriesReferences, injectTimeSeriesReferences } from './timeseries_references';
+
 export { extractReferences, injectReferences } from './saved_visualization_references';
diff --git a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/saved_visualization_references.ts b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/saved_visualization_references.ts
index 4afd1bf5980a..66ef9a1d7d2d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/saved_visualization_references.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/saved_visualization_references.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import {
   SavedObjectAttributes,
   SavedObjectReference,
 } from '../../../../../core/public';
-import { VisSavedObject } from '../../types';
+import { SavedVisState, VisSavedObject } from '../../types';
 import {
   extractSearchSourceReferences,
   injectSearchSourceReferences,
@@ -52,10 +52,13 @@ export function extractReferences({
 
   // Extract index patterns from controls
   if (updatedAttributes.visState) {
-    const visState = JSON.parse(String(updatedAttributes.visState));
+    const visState = JSON.parse(String(updatedAttributes.visState)) as SavedVisState;
 
-    extractControlsReferences(visState, updatedReferences);
-    extractTimeSeriesReferences(visState, updatedReferences);
+    extractControlsReferences(visState.params, updatedReferences);
+
+    if (visState.type === 'metrics') {
+      extractTimeSeriesReferences(visState.params, updatedReferences);
+    }
 
     updatedAttributes.visState = JSON.stringify(visState);
   }
@@ -85,7 +88,10 @@ export function injectReferences(savedObject: VisSavedObject, references: SavedO
   }
 
   if (savedObject.visState?.params) {
-    injectControlsReferences(savedObject.visState, references);
-    injectTimeSeriesReferences(savedObject.visState, references);
+    injectControlsReferences(savedObject.visState.params, references);
+
+    if (savedObject.visState.type === 'metrics') {
+      injectTimeSeriesReferences(savedObject.visState.params, references);
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/timeseries_references.ts b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/timeseries_references.ts
index 2a3fccb79779..845da0d011ed 100644
--- a/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/timeseries_references.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/visualizations/public/saved_visualizations/saved_visualization_references/timeseries_references.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 import { SavedObjectReference } from '../../../../../core/types';
+import { VisParams } from '../../../common';
 
 /** @internal **/
 const REF_NAME_POSTFIX = '_ref_name';
@@ -17,28 +18,24 @@ const INDEX_PATTERN_REF_TYPE = 'index_pattern';
 /** @internal **/
 type Action = (object: Record<string, any>, key: string) => void;
 
-const doForExtractedIndices = (action: Action, visState: Record<string, any>) => {
-  if (visState.type !== 'metrics') {
-    return;
-  }
-
-  action(visState.params, 'index_pattern');
+const doForExtractedIndices = (action: Action, visParams: VisParams) => {
+  action(visParams, 'index_pattern');
 
-  visState.params.series.forEach((series: any) => {
+  visParams.series.forEach((series: any) => {
     if (series.override_index_pattern) {
       action(series, 'series_index_pattern');
     }
   });
 
-  if (visState.params.annotations) {
-    visState.params.annotations.forEach((annotation: any) => {
+  if (visParams.annotations) {
+    visParams.annotations.forEach((annotation: any) => {
       action(annotation, 'index_pattern');
     });
   }
 };
 
 export const extractTimeSeriesReferences = (
-  visState: Record<string, any>,
+  visParams: VisParams,
   references: SavedObjectReference[] = []
 ) => {
   let i = 0;
@@ -55,11 +52,11 @@ export const extractTimeSeriesReferences = (
       });
       delete object[key];
     }
-  }, visState);
+  }, visParams);
 };
 
 export const injectTimeSeriesReferences = (
-  visState: Record<string, any>,
+  visParams: VisParams,
   references: SavedObjectReference[]
 ) => {
   doForExtractedIndices((object, key) => {
@@ -74,5 +71,5 @@ export const injectTimeSeriesReferences = (
 
       delete object[refKey];
     }
-  }, visState);
+  }, visParams);
 };