diff --git a/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_panels.go b/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_panels.go
index c923e9d73e..a7ddf7918a 100644
--- a/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_panels.go
+++ b/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_panels.go
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@ func (d *v1Decoder) mapV1SelectFields(w map[string]any) []telemetrytypes.Telemet
 	if len(raw) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
+	normalizePreV5FieldKeys(raw)
 	fields, err := decodeTelemetryFields(raw)
 	if err != nil {
 		d.note("widget %q has malformed %s: %v", d.readString(w, "id"), field, err)
diff --git a/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_queries.go b/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_queries.go
index e6eb340e38..6199c6e6e4 100644
--- a/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_queries.go
+++ b/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_queries.go
@@ -102,8 +102,8 @@ func (d *v1Decoder) collectV1QueryEnvelopes(widget map[string]any) ([]map[string
 		var out []map[string]any
 		var signal telemetrytypes.Signal
 		for _, q := range d.readObjects(builder, "queryData") {
-			normalizeV1Having(q)
-			normalizeV1LogTraceAggregations(q)
+			normalizePreV5Having(q)
+			normalizePreV5LogTraceAggregations(q)
 			name := d.readString(q, "queryName")
 			out = append(out, qb.WrapInV5Envelope(name, q, string(qb.QueryTypeBuilder.StringValue())))
 			if signal.IsZero() {
@@ -111,12 +111,12 @@ func (d *v1Decoder) collectV1QueryEnvelopes(widget map[string]any) ([]map[string
 			}
 		}
 		for _, f := range d.readObjects(builder, "queryFormulas") {
-			normalizeV1Having(f)
+			normalizePreV5Having(f)
 			name := d.readString(f, "queryName")
 			out = append(out, qb.WrapInV5Envelope(name, f, string(qb.QueryTypeFormula.StringValue())))
 		}
 		for _, op := range d.readObjects(builder, "queryTraceOperator") {
-			normalizeV1Having(op)
+			normalizePreV5Having(op)
 			name := d.readString(op, "queryName")
 			out = append(out, qb.WrapInV5Envelope(name, op, string(qb.QueryTypeTraceOperator.StringValue())))
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_malformed.go b/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_queries_malformed.go
similarity index 68%
rename from pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_malformed.go
rename to pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_queries_malformed.go
index 97590c736e..b7611022e2 100644
--- a/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_malformed.go
+++ b/pkg/types/dashboardtypes/perses_v1_to_v2_queries_malformed.go
@@ -11,16 +11,16 @@ import (
 // Malformed-field normalization
 // ══════════════════════════════════════════════
 //
-// Reshape known-malformed v1 fields into their v5 form before decode. A common
-// case: a dashboard stamped version:"v5" whose bodies aren't actually v5-shaped
-// bypasses the v4→v5 migrator (pkg/transition) and then fails the strict v5
-// decode. These mirror the frontend, which normalizes by shape regardless of
-// the version tag.
+// Reshape known-malformed query-builder fields from their pre-v5 shape into the
+// v5 form before decode. A common case: a dashboard stamped version:"v5" whose
+// bodies aren't actually v5-shaped bypasses the v4→v5 migrator (pkg/transition)
+// and then fails the strict v5 decode. These mirror the frontend, which
+// normalizes by shape regardless of the version tag.
 //
 // Only reshape known field shapes here; leave genuinely corrupt input (e.g. an
 // empty required field) to fail validation rather than grow per-case fixups.
 
-// normalizeV1Having rewrites a builder query's v4 having (an array of
+// normalizePreV5Having rewrites a builder query's v4 having (an array of
 // {columnName, op, value} clauses) into the v5 {"expression": ...} shape in
 // place. The v5 decoder wants an object, but a query can still carry the array
 // form — e.g. a dashboard stamped version:"v5" whose bodies predate v5, which
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import (
 // convertHavingToExpression (QueryBuilderV2/utils.ts): each clause becomes
 // "columnName op value", clauses join with " AND ", array values render as
 // "[v1, v2]". A having that is already an object (or absent) is left untouched.
-func normalizeV1Having(query map[string]any) {
+func normalizePreV5Having(query map[string]any) {
 	clauses, ok := query["having"].([]any)
 	if !ok {
 		return
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func normalizeV1Having(query map[string]any) {
 	query["having"] = map[string]any{"expression": strings.Join(exprs, " AND ")}
 }
 
-// normalizeV1LogTraceAggregations reshapes a logs/traces builder query's
+// normalizePreV5LogTraceAggregations reshapes a logs/traces builder query's
 // aggregations into the v5 {"expression", "alias"} form in place, dropping the
 // metric-only fields (metricName/temporality/timeAggregation/spaceAggregation/
 // reduceTo) that some dashboards carry on non-metric queries — a logs query
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func normalizeV1Having(query map[string]any) {
 // default an empty one to "count()". Metric queries are left untouched, since a
 // metric-shaped aggregation is correct for them. Idempotent on aggregations
 // that are already expression-only.
-func normalizeV1LogTraceAggregations(query map[string]any) {
+func normalizePreV5LogTraceAggregations(query map[string]any) {
 	switch signalFromDataSource(query["dataSource"]) {
 	case telemetrytypes.SignalLogs, telemetrytypes.SignalTraces:
 	default:
@@ -86,6 +86,33 @@ func normalizeV1LogTraceAggregations(query map[string]any) {
 	}
 }
 
+// normalizePreV5FieldKeys renames telemetry field keys from the pre-v5
+// query-builder shape ({key, dataType, type}) to the v5 one ({name,
+// fieldDataType, fieldContext}) in place — the same mapping WrapInV5Envelope
+// does for groupBy/orderBy. Without it an old-shape field decodes with an empty
+// name, which TelemetryFieldKey rejects. Entries already carrying "name" are
+// left as-is.
+func normalizePreV5FieldKeys(fields []any) {
+	for _, f := range fields {
+		field, ok := f.(map[string]any)
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		if _, hasName := field["name"]; hasName {
+			continue
+		}
+		if key, ok := field["key"]; ok {
+			field["name"] = key
+		}
+		if dataType, ok := field["dataType"]; ok {
+			field["fieldDataType"] = dataType
+		}
+		if typ, ok := field["type"]; ok {
+			field["fieldContext"] = typ
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // formatHavingValue renders a having clause value: an array as "[v1, v2]", any
 // scalar as its default string form.
 func formatHavingValue(value any) string {