diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.test.ts
index 83482884b08..1b8d2eda579 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.test.ts
@@ -276,6 +276,10 @@ describe('given dashboard with repeated panels', () => {
             },
           ],
         },
+        {
+          id: 5,
+          targets: [{ scenarioId: 'random_walk', refId: 'A' }],
+        },
       ],
     };
 
@@ -312,6 +316,23 @@ describe('given dashboard with repeated panels', () => {
     expect(panel.datasource.uid).toBe('${DS_GFDB}');
   });
 
+  it('should explicitly specify default datasources', () => {
+    const panel = exported.panels[7];
+    expect(exported.__inputs.some((ds: Record<string, string>) => ds.name === 'DS_GFDB')).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(panel.datasource.uid).toBe('${DS_GFDB}');
+    expect(panel.targets[0].datasource).toBe('${DS_GFDB}');
+  });
+
+  it('should not include default datasource in __inputs unnecessarily', async () => {
+    const testJson: any = {
+      panels: [{ id: 1, datasource: { uid: 'other', type: 'other' }, type: 'graph' }],
+    };
+    const testDash = new DashboardModel(testJson);
+    const exporter = new DashboardExporter();
+    const exportedJson: any = await exporter.makeExportable(testDash);
+    expect(exportedJson.__inputs.some((ds: Record<string, string>) => ds.name === 'DS_GFDB')).toBeFalsy();
+  });
+
   it('should replace datasource refs in collapsed row', () => {
     const panel = exported.panels[6].panels[0];
     expect(panel.datasource.uid).toBe('${DS_GFDB}');
@@ -453,7 +474,7 @@ stubs['other2'] = {
   meta: { id: 'other2', info: { version: '1.2.1' }, name: 'OtherDB_2' },
 };
 
-stubs['-- Mixed --'] = {
+stubs['mixed'] = {
   name: 'mixed',
   meta: {
     id: 'mixed',
@@ -463,7 +484,7 @@ stubs['-- Mixed --'] = {
   },
 };
 
-stubs['-- Grafana --'] = {
+stubs['grafana'] = {
   name: '-- Grafana --',
   meta: {
     id: 'grafana',
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.ts
index 3e7886e4c1c..6cc3219be7b 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/DashExportModal/DashboardExporter.ts
@@ -126,15 +126,18 @@ export class DashboardExporter {
     };
 
     const processPanel = (panel: PanelModel) => {
-      if (panel.datasource !== undefined && panel.datasource !== null) {
+      const isRegularPanel =
+        (panel.repeatPanelId === undefined || panel.repeatPanelId === null) &&
+        !('collapsed' in panel) &&
+        !('panels' in panel);
+
+      if (isRegularPanel) {
         templateizeDatasourceUsage(panel);
       }
 
       if (panel.targets) {
         for (const target of panel.targets) {
-          if (target.datasource !== undefined) {
-            templateizeDatasourceUsage(target);
-          }
+          templateizeDatasourceUsage(target);
         }
       }