diff --git a/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/index_patterns_fetcher.ts b/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/index_patterns_fetcher.ts
index ff9d67152e268..57c636a9e3c69 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/index_patterns_fetcher.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/index_patterns_fetcher.ts
@@ -55,9 +55,10 @@ export class IndexPatternsFetcher {
   async getFieldsForWildcard(options: {
     pattern: string | string[];
     metaFields?: string[];
+    fieldCapsOptions?: { allowNoIndices: boolean };
   }): Promise<FieldDescriptor[]> {
-    const { pattern, metaFields } = options;
-    return await getFieldCapabilities(this._callDataCluster, pattern, metaFields);
+    const { pattern, metaFields, fieldCapsOptions } = options;
+    return await getFieldCapabilities(this._callDataCluster, pattern, metaFields, fieldCapsOptions);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/es_api.ts b/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/es_api.ts
index 0738a16034d46..27ce14f9a3597 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/es_api.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/es_api.ts
@@ -69,15 +69,20 @@ export async function callIndexAliasApi(
  *
  *  @param  {Function} callCluster bound function for accessing an es client
  *  @param  {Array<String>|String} indices
+ *  @param  {Object} fieldCapsOptions
  *  @return {Promise<FieldCapsResponse>}
  */
-export async function callFieldCapsApi(callCluster: LegacyAPICaller, indices: string[] | string) {
+export async function callFieldCapsApi(
+  callCluster: LegacyAPICaller,
+  indices: string[] | string,
+  fieldCapsOptions: { allowNoIndices: boolean } = { allowNoIndices: false }
+) {
   try {
     return (await callCluster('fieldCaps', {
       index: indices,
       fields: '*',
       ignoreUnavailable: true,
-      allowNoIndices: false,
+      ...fieldCapsOptions,
     })) as FieldCapsResponse;
   } catch (error) {
     throw convertEsError(indices, error);
diff --git a/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/field_capabilities/field_capabilities.ts b/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/field_capabilities/field_capabilities.ts
index 6b26c82dc95e7..62e77e0adad66 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/field_capabilities/field_capabilities.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/data/server/index_patterns/fetcher/lib/field_capabilities/field_capabilities.ts
@@ -32,14 +32,20 @@ import { FieldDescriptor } from '../../index_patterns_fetcher';
  *  @param  {Function} callCluster bound function for accessing an es client
  *  @param  {Array}  [indices=[]]  the list of indexes to check
  *  @param  {Array}  [metaFields=[]] the list of internal fields to include
+ *  @param  {Object} fieldCapsOptions
  *  @return {Promise<Array<FieldDescriptor>>}
  */
 export async function getFieldCapabilities(
   callCluster: LegacyAPICaller,
   indices: string | string[] = [],
-  metaFields: string[] = []
+  metaFields: string[] = [],
+  fieldCapsOptions?: { allowNoIndices: boolean }
 ) {
-  const esFieldCaps: FieldCapsResponse = await callFieldCapsApi(callCluster, indices);
+  const esFieldCaps: FieldCapsResponse = await callFieldCapsApi(
+    callCluster,
+    indices,
+    fieldCapsOptions
+  );
   const fieldsFromFieldCapsByName = keyBy(readFieldCapsResponse(esFieldCaps), 'name');
 
   const allFieldsUnsorted = Object.keys(fieldsFromFieldCapsByName)
diff --git a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/components/visualization.js b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/components/visualization.js
index 8b8218653f97c..2774c1c6f24df 100644
--- a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/components/visualization.js
+++ b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/public/application/components/visualization.js
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ export function Visualization(props) {
   const { visData, model } = props;
   // Show the error panel
   const error = _.get(visData, `${model.id}.error`);
+  if (_.get(error, 'error.type') === 'index_not_found_exception') {
+    const index = _.get(error, 'error.index');
+    error.message = `Index "${index}" is missing`;
+  }
   if (error) {
     return (
       <div className={props.className}>
diff --git a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/get_fields.ts b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/get_fields.ts
index 0f0d99bff6f1c..18e10bbe4b2d2 100644
--- a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/get_fields.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/get_fields.ts
@@ -16,12 +16,10 @@
  * specific language governing permissions and limitations
  * under the License.
  */
-import { uniqBy } from 'lodash';
+import { uniqBy, get } from 'lodash';
 import { first, map } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { KibanaRequest, RequestHandlerContext } from 'kibana/server';
 
-// @ts-ignore
-import { getIndexPatternObject } from './vis_data/helpers/get_index_pattern';
 import { indexPatterns } from '../../../data/server';
 import { Framework } from '../plugin';
 import { IndexPatternFieldDescriptor, IndexPatternsFetcher } from '../../../data/server';
@@ -73,7 +71,13 @@ export async function getFields(
         .toPromise();
     },
   };
-  const { indexPatternString } = await getIndexPatternObject(reqFacade, indexPattern);
+  let indexPatternString = indexPattern;
+
+  if (!indexPatternString) {
+    const index = await reqFacade.getUiSettingsService().get('defaultIndex');
+    indexPatternString = get(index, 'title', '');
+  }
+
   const {
     searchStrategy,
     capabilities,
diff --git a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/search_strategies/strategies/abstract_search_strategy.ts b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/search_strategies/strategies/abstract_search_strategy.ts
index 0b1c6e6e20414..281d64c905c5e 100644
--- a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/search_strategies/strategies/abstract_search_strategy.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/search_strategies/strategies/abstract_search_strategy.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ export class AbstractSearchStrategy {
 
     return await indexPatternsService!.getFieldsForWildcard({
       pattern: indexPattern,
+      fieldCapsOptions: { allowNoIndices: true },
     });
   }
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/vis_data/get_interval_and_timefield.js b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/vis_data/get_interval_and_timefield.js
index e4bda194299df..82a2ef66cb1c0 100644
--- a/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/vis_data/get_interval_and_timefield.js
+++ b/src/plugins/vis_type_timeseries/server/lib/vis_data/get_interval_and_timefield.js
@@ -17,12 +17,10 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
-import { get } from 'lodash';
-
 const DEFAULT_TIME_FIELD = '@timestamp';
 
 export function getIntervalAndTimefield(panel, series = {}, indexPatternObject) {
-  const getDefaultTimeField = () => get(indexPatternObject, 'timeFieldName', DEFAULT_TIME_FIELD);
+  const getDefaultTimeField = () => indexPatternObject?.timeFieldName ?? DEFAULT_TIME_FIELD;
 
   const timeField =
     (series.override_index_pattern && series.series_time_field) ||