diff --git a/pkg/schema/load/panel.go b/pkg/schema/load/panel.go
index d87e5622746..df1855e44fb 100644
--- a/pkg/schema/load/panel.go
+++ b/pkg/schema/load/panel.go
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@ func mapPanelModel(id string, vcs schema.VersionedCueSchema) cue.Value {
 		panelSchema: maj: in.v.maj
 		panelSchema: min: in.v.min
 		options: in.model.PanelOptions
-		fieldConfig: defaults: custom: in.model.PanelFieldConfig
+		fieldConfig: defaults: custom: {}
+		if in.model.PanelFieldConfig != _|_ {
+			fieldConfig: defaults: custom: in.model.PanelFieldConfig
+		}
 	}
 	`, id, maj, min))
 
@@ -140,7 +143,8 @@ func readPanelModels(p BaseLoadPaths) (map[string]schema.VersionedCueSchema, err
 		}
 
 		// Ensure the declared value is subsumed by/correct wrt #PanelFamily
-		if err := pmf.Subsume(pmod); err != nil {
+		// TODO not actually sure that Final is what we want here.
+		if err := pmf.Subsume(pmod, cue.Final()); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/dashlist/models.cue b/public/app/plugins/panel/dashlist/models.cue
index 377cc998d20..aee280c8e97 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/dashlist/models.cue
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/dashlist/models.cue
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ Family: {
                     folderId?: int
                     tags: [...string] | *[]
                 },
-                PanelFieldConfig: {}
             }
         ]
     ]
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/news/models.cue b/public/app/plugins/panel/news/models.cue
index 2d4f2a07607..c9c77c8e6a7 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/news/models.cue
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/news/models.cue
@@ -8,8 +8,7 @@ Family: {
                     // empty/missing will default to grafana blog
                     feedUrl?: string
                     useProxy?: bool
-                },
-                PanelFieldConfig: {}
+                }
             }
         ]
     ]
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/text/models.cue b/public/app/plugins/panel/text/models.cue
index a9b802b3957..01412605177 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/text/models.cue
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/text/models.cue
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@ Family: {
                     For markdown syntax help: [commonmark.org/help](https://commonmark.org/help/)
                     """
                 }
-
-                PanelFieldConfig: {}
             }
         ]
     ]