diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/__tests__/dashboard_context.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/__tests__/dashboard_context.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6081ceb5020cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/__tests__/dashboard_context.js
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+import sinon from 'sinon';
+import { expect } from 'chai';
+import { dashboardContextProvider } from '../dashboard_context';
+
+describe('Dashboard Context', () => {
+
+  describe('with query bar', () => {
+    let Private;
+    let getAppState;
+    let getDashboardContext;
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      Private = sinon.stub().returns({
+        getFilters() {
+          return [];
+        }
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should return an empty must and must not when there are no filters or queries', () => {
+      getAppState = sinon.stub().returns({
+        query: {
+          language: 'lucene',
+          query: null
+        }
+      });
+      getDashboardContext = dashboardContextProvider(Private, getAppState);
+      const context = getDashboardContext();
+      expect(context).to.eql({
+        bool: {
+          must: [],
+          must_not: []
+        }
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should add a valid query to must', () => {
+      getAppState = sinon.stub().returns({
+        query: {
+          language: 'lucene',
+          query: '*'
+        }
+      });
+      getDashboardContext = dashboardContextProvider(Private, getAppState);
+      const context = getDashboardContext();
+      expect(context).to.eql({
+        bool: {
+          must: [
+            {
+              query_string: {
+                query: '*'
+              }
+            }
+          ],
+          must_not: []
+        }
+      });
+    });
+
+  });
+
+  describe('with filter bar', () => {
+    let Private;
+    let getAppState;
+    let getDashboardContext;
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      getAppState = sinon.stub().returns({ query: { language: 'something-else' } });
+    });
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+      getAppState.reset();
+    });
+
+    it('should add a valid filter to must', () => {
+      Private = sinon.stub().returns({
+        getFilters() {
+          return [
+            { meta: { negate: false }, term: { foo: 'bar' } }
+          ];
+        }
+      });
+      getDashboardContext = dashboardContextProvider(Private, getAppState);
+      const context = getDashboardContext();
+      expect(context).to.eql({
+        bool: {
+          must: [{ term: { foo: 'bar' } }],
+          must_not: []
+        }
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should add a valid filter to must_not', () => {
+      Private = sinon.stub().returns({
+        getFilters() {
+          return [
+            { meta: { negate: true }, term: { foo: 'bar' } }
+          ];
+        }
+      });
+      getDashboardContext = dashboardContextProvider(Private, getAppState);
+      const context = getDashboardContext();
+      expect(context).to.eql({
+        bool: {
+          must: [],
+          must_not: [{ term: { foo: 'bar' } }]
+        }
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should not add a disabled filter', () => {
+      Private = sinon.stub().returns({
+        getFilters() {
+          return [
+            { meta: { negate: true, disabled: true }, term: { foo: 'bar' } }
+          ];
+        }
+      });
+      getDashboardContext = dashboardContextProvider(Private, getAppState);
+      const context = getDashboardContext();
+      expect(context).to.eql({
+        bool: {
+          must: [],
+          must_not: []
+        }
+      });
+    });
+
+  });
+
+});
+
+
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/dashboard_context.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/dashboard_context.js
index 5788905f58ed6..1824ba3f21bd0 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/dashboard_context.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/dashboard_context.js
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ export function dashboardContextProvider(Private, getAppState) {
 
     if (queryBarQuery.language === 'lucene') {
       // Add the query bar filter, its handled differently.
-      bool.must.push(luceneStringToDsl(queryBarQuery.query));
+      const query = luceneStringToDsl(queryBarQuery.query);
+      if (query) bool.must.push(query);
     }
 
     // Add each of the filter bar filters
@@ -26,10 +27,10 @@ export function dashboardContextProvider(Private, getAppState) {
       if (filter.meta.disabled) return;
       if (filter.meta.negate) {
         bool.must_not = bool.must_not || [];
-        bool.must_not.push(esFilter.query || esFilter);
+        if (esFilter.query || esFilter) bool.must_not.push(esFilter.query || esFilter);
       } else {
         bool.must = bool.must || [];
-        bool.must.push(esFilter.query || esFilter);
+        if (esFilter.query || esFilter) bool.must.push(esFilter.query || esFilter);
       }
     });
 
diff --git a/src/ui/public/courier/saved_object/saved_object.js b/src/ui/public/courier/saved_object/saved_object.js
index 050f36439c048..45770af5fb4e5 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/courier/saved_object/saved_object.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/courier/saved_object/saved_object.js
@@ -107,7 +107,9 @@ export function SavedObjectProvider(Promise, Private, Notifier, confirmModalProm
 
       this.searchSource.set(_.defaults(state, fnProps));
 
-      this.searchSource.set('query', migrateLegacyQuery(this.searchSource.getOwn('query')));
+      if (!_.isUndefined(this.searchSource.getOwn('query'))) {
+        this.searchSource.set('query', migrateLegacyQuery(this.searchSource.getOwn('query')));
+      }
     };
 
     /**