diff --git a/public/app/features/explore/hooks/useStateSync/migrators/v1.test.ts b/public/app/features/explore/hooks/useStateSync/migrators/v1.test.ts
index 810d8800d65..5cbfee69aba 100644
--- a/public/app/features/explore/hooks/useStateSync/migrators/v1.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/explore/hooks/useStateSync/migrators/v1.test.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,107 @@ describe('v1 migrator', () => {
         },
       });
     });
+
+    it('correctly parses state with queryRef', () => {
+      expect(
+        v1Migrator.parse({
+          panes: `{
+            "aaa": {
+              "datasource": "my-ds",
+              "queries": [
+                {
+                  "refId": "A"
+                }
+              ],
+              "range": {
+                "from": "now",
+                "to": "now-5m"
+              },
+              "queryRef": "library-query-123"
+            }
+          }`,
+        }).to
+      ).toMatchObject({
+        panes: {
+          aaa: {
+            datasource: 'my-ds',
+            queries: [{ refId: 'A' }],
+            range: {
+              from: 'now',
+              to: 'now-5m',
+            },
+            queryRef: 'library-query-123',
+          },
+        },
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('ignores queryRef if it is not a string', () => {
+      expect(
+        v1Migrator.parse({
+          panes: `{
+            "aaa": {
+              "datasource": "my-ds",
+              "queries": [
+                {
+                  "refId": "A"
+                }
+              ],
+              "range": {
+                "from": "now",
+                "to": "now-5m"
+              },
+              "queryRef": 123
+            }
+          }`,
+        }).to
+      ).toMatchObject({
+        panes: {
+          aaa: {
+            datasource: 'my-ds',
+            queries: [{ refId: 'A' }],
+            range: {
+              from: 'now',
+              to: 'now-5m',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('handles empty string queryRef', () => {
+      expect(
+        v1Migrator.parse({
+          panes: `{
+            "aaa": {
+              "datasource": "my-ds",
+              "queries": [
+                {
+                  "refId": "A"
+                }
+              ],
+              "range": {
+                "from": "now",
+                "to": "now-5m"
+              },
+              "queryRef": ""
+            }
+          }`,
+        }).to
+      ).toMatchObject({
+        panes: {
+          aaa: {
+            datasource: 'my-ds',
+            queries: [{ refId: 'A' }],
+            range: {
+              from: 'now',
+              to: 'now-5m',
+            },
+            queryRef: '',
+          },
+        },
+      });
+    });
   });
 
   describe('migrate', () => {