diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/editor/actions.ts b/public/app/features/variables/editor/actions.ts
index 1a7164a1881..150d1e83f54 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/editor/actions.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/editor/actions.ts
@@ -57,11 +57,6 @@ export const onEditorAdd = (identifier: VariableIdentifier): ThunkResult<void> =
 
 export const changeVariableName = (identifier: VariableIdentifier, newName: string): ThunkResult<void> => {
   return (dispatch, getState) => {
-    const variableInState = getVariable(identifier.id, getState());
-    if (newName === variableInState.name) {
-      return;
-    }
-
     let errorText = null;
     if (!newName.match(/^(?!__).*$/)) {
       errorText = "Template names cannot begin with '__', that's reserved for Grafana's global variables";
@@ -100,6 +95,10 @@ export const completeChangeVariableName = (identifier: VariableIdentifier, newNa
   getState
 ) => {
   const originalVariable = getVariable(identifier.id, getState());
+  if (originalVariable.name === newName) {
+    dispatch(changeVariableNameSucceeded(toVariablePayload(identifier, { newName })));
+    return;
+  }
   const model = { ...cloneDeep(originalVariable), name: newName, id: newName };
   const global = originalVariable.global;
   const index = originalVariable.index;
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/state/actions.test.ts b/public/app/features/variables/state/actions.test.ts
index 17088532ba3..5ca68d71dd4 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/state/actions.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/state/actions.test.ts
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ describe('shared actions', () => {
 
   describe('changeVariableName', () => {
     describe('when changeVariableName is dispatched with the same name', () => {
-      it('then no actions are dispatched', () => {
+      it('then the correct actions are dispatched', () => {
         const textbox = textboxBuilder()
           .withId('textbox')
           .withName('textbox')
@@ -333,10 +333,11 @@ describe('shared actions', () => {
             addVariable(toVariablePayload(constant, { global: false, index: 1, model: constant }))
           )
           .whenActionIsDispatched(changeVariableName(toVariableIdentifier(constant), constant.name), true)
-          .thenNoActionsWhereDispatched();
+          .thenDispatchedActionsShouldEqual(
+            changeVariableNameSucceeded({ type: 'constant', id: 'constant', data: { newName: 'constant' } })
+          );
       });
     });
-
     describe('when changeVariableName is dispatched with an unique name', () => {
       it('then the correct actions are dispatched', () => {
         const textbox = textboxBuilder()