diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.test.ts
index 6d0c450add3..4dcc732fb01 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { VariableRefresh } from '@grafana/data';
+import { VariableRefresh, PanelData, LoadingState, toDataFrame, FieldType, getDefaultTimeRange } from '@grafana/data';
 import { config } from '@grafana/runtime';
 import {
   AdHocFiltersVariable,
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import {
   VizPanel,
   SceneDataQuery,
   SceneQueryRunner,
+  SceneDataTransformer,
+  SceneDataNode,
   sceneUtils,
   dataLayers,
 } from '@grafana/scenes';
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ import {
   TabsLayoutSpec,
   defaultDataQueryKind,
 } from '@grafana/schema/dist/esm/schema/dashboard/v2';
+import { GrafanaQueryType } from 'app/plugins/datasource/grafana/types';
 
 import { DashboardEditPane } from '../edit-pane/DashboardEditPane';
 import { DashboardAnnotationsDataLayer } from '../scene/DashboardAnnotationsDataLayer';
@@ -954,6 +957,103 @@ describe('getVizPanelQueries', () => {
     expect(result[1].spec.query.group).toBe('prometheus');
     expect(result[1].spec.query.version).toBe('v0');
   });
+
+  describe('snapshot mode', () => {
+    it('should return empty queries when isSnapshot is true but panel has no data provider', () => {
+      const vizPanel = new VizPanel({
+        key: 'panel-1',
+        pluginId: 'timeseries',
+        // No $data provider
+      });
+
+      const result = getVizPanelQueries(vizPanel, undefined, true);
+      expect(result).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('should create snapshot query from SceneQueryRunner data when isSnapshot is true', () => {
+      const mockDataFrame = toDataFrame({
+        name: 'test-series',
+        fields: [
+          { name: 'time', type: FieldType.time, values: [1000, 2000, 3000] },
+          { name: 'value', type: FieldType.number, values: [1, 2, 3] },
+        ],
+      });
+
+      const panelData: PanelData = {
+        series: [mockDataFrame],
+        state: LoadingState.Done,
+        timeRange: getDefaultTimeRange(),
+      };
+
+      const queryRunner = new SceneQueryRunner({
+        queries: [],
+        data: panelData,
+      });
+
+      const vizPanel = new VizPanel({
+        key: 'panel-1',
+        pluginId: 'timeseries',
+        $data: queryRunner,
+      });
+
+      const result = getVizPanelQueries(vizPanel, undefined, true);
+
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].kind).toBe('PanelQuery');
+      expect(result[0].spec.refId).toBe('A');
+      expect(result[0].spec.hidden).toBe(false);
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.kind).toBe('DataQuery');
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.version).toBe(defaultDataQueryKind().version);
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.group).toBe('grafana');
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.datasource).toEqual({ name: 'grafana' });
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.queryType).toBe(GrafanaQueryType.Snapshot);
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.snapshot).toBeDefined();
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.snapshot).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.snapshot[0].schema?.fields).toBeDefined();
+    });
+
+    it('should create snapshot query from SceneDataTransformer data when isSnapshot is true', () => {
+      const mockDataFrame = toDataFrame({
+        name: 'transformed-series',
+        fields: [
+          { name: 'time', type: FieldType.time, values: [1000, 2000] },
+          { name: 'transformed', type: FieldType.number, values: [10, 20] },
+        ],
+      });
+
+      const panelData: PanelData = {
+        series: [mockDataFrame],
+        state: LoadingState.Done,
+        timeRange: getDefaultTimeRange(),
+      };
+
+      const dataNode = new SceneDataNode({
+        data: panelData,
+      });
+
+      const dataTransformer = new SceneDataTransformer({
+        $data: dataNode,
+        transformations: [],
+      });
+
+      const vizPanel = new VizPanel({
+        key: 'panel-1',
+        pluginId: 'timeseries',
+        $data: dataTransformer,
+      });
+
+      const result = getVizPanelQueries(vizPanel, undefined, true);
+
+      expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result[0].kind).toBe('PanelQuery');
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.kind).toBe('DataQuery');
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.queryType).toBe(GrafanaQueryType.Snapshot);
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.snapshot).toBeDefined();
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.snapshot).toHaveLength(1);
+      // Verify it gets data from the nested $data (SceneDataNode) not the transformer
+      expect(result[0].spec.query.spec.snapshot[0].schema?.fields).toBeDefined();
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 function getMinimalSceneState(body: DashboardLayoutManager): Partial<DashboardSceneState> {
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts
index 4a63c62af93..0ef2a5e5f05 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,10 @@ import {
   SceneVariableSet,
   VizPanel,
 } from '@grafana/scenes';
-import { DataSourceRef, VariableRefresh } from '@grafana/schema';
+import { DataSourceRef } from '@grafana/schema';
 import { sortedDeepCloneWithoutNulls } from 'app/core/utils/object';
+import { getPanelDataFrames } from 'app/features/dashboard/components/HelpWizard/utils';
+import { GrafanaQueryType } from 'app/plugins/datasource/grafana/types';
 
 import {
   Spec as DashboardV2Spec,
@@ -127,7 +129,7 @@ export function transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2(scene: DashboardScene, isSnaps
     // EOF variables
 
     // elements
-    elements: getElements(scene, dsReferencesMapping),
+    elements: getElements(scene, dsReferencesMapping, isSnapshot),
     // EOF elements
 
     // annotations
@@ -170,17 +172,18 @@ function getLiveNow(state: DashboardSceneState) {
   return Boolean(liveNow);
 }
 
-function getElements(scene: DashboardScene, dsReferencesMapping?: DSReferencesMapping) {
+function getElements(scene: DashboardScene, dsReferencesMapping?: DSReferencesMapping, isSnapshot = false) {
   const panels = scene.state.body.getVizPanels() ?? [];
   const panelsArray = panels.map((vizPanel) => {
-    return vizPanelToSchemaV2(vizPanel, dsReferencesMapping);
+    return vizPanelToSchemaV2(vizPanel, dsReferencesMapping, isSnapshot);
   });
   return createElements(panelsArray, scene);
 }
 
 export function vizPanelToSchemaV2(
   vizPanel: VizPanel,
-  dsReferencesMapping?: DSReferencesMapping
+  dsReferencesMapping?: DSReferencesMapping,
+  isSnapshot = false
 ): PanelKind | LibraryPanelKind {
   if (isLibraryPanel(vizPanel)) {
     const behavior = getLibraryPanelBehavior(vizPanel)!;
@@ -216,7 +219,7 @@ export function vizPanelToSchemaV2(
       data: {
         kind: 'QueryGroup',
         spec: {
-          queries: getVizPanelQueries(vizPanel, dsReferencesMapping),
+          queries: getVizPanelQueries(vizPanel, dsReferencesMapping, isSnapshot),
           transformations: getVizPanelTransformations(vizPanel),
           queryOptions: getVizPanelQueryOptions(vizPanel),
         },
@@ -290,9 +293,51 @@ function getPanelLinks(panel: VizPanel): DataLink[] {
   return [];
 }
 
-export function getVizPanelQueries(vizPanel: VizPanel, dsReferencesMapping?: DSReferencesMapping): PanelQueryKind[] {
+export function getVizPanelQueries(
+  vizPanel: VizPanel,
+  dsReferencesMapping?: DSReferencesMapping,
+  isSnapshot = false
+): PanelQueryKind[] {
   const queries: PanelQueryKind[] = [];
   const queryRunner = getQueryRunnerFor(vizPanel);
+
+  if (isSnapshot) {
+    const dataProvider = vizPanel.state.$data;
+    if (!dataProvider) {
+      return queries;
+    }
+
+    let snapshotData = getPanelDataFrames(dataProvider.state.data);
+    if (dataProvider instanceof SceneDataTransformer) {
+      snapshotData = getPanelDataFrames(dataProvider.state.$data!.state.data);
+    }
+
+    const snapshotQuery: DataQueryKind = {
+      kind: 'DataQuery',
+      version: defaultDataQueryKind().version,
+      group: 'grafana',
+      datasource: {
+        name: 'grafana',
+      },
+      spec: {
+        queryType: GrafanaQueryType.Snapshot,
+        snapshot: snapshotData,
+      },
+    };
+
+    queries.push({
+      kind: 'PanelQuery',
+      spec: {
+        query: snapshotQuery,
+        refId: 'A',
+        hidden: false,
+      },
+    });
+
+    return queries;
+  }
+
+  // Regular query handling (non-snapshot)
   const vizPanelQueries = queryRunner?.state.queries;
 
   if (vizPanelQueries) {
@@ -631,15 +676,16 @@ export function trimDashboardForSnapshot(title: string, time: TimeRange, dash: D
 
   if (spec.variables) {
     spec.variables.forEach((variable) => {
-      if ('query' in variable) {
-        variable.query = '';
+      if ('query' in variable.spec) {
+        variable.spec.query = '';
       }
-      if ('options' in variable && 'current' in variable) {
-        variable.options = variable.current && !isEmptyObject(variable.current) ? [variable.current] : [];
+      if ('options' in variable.spec && 'current' in variable.spec) {
+        variable.spec.options =
+          variable.spec.current && !isEmptyObject(variable.spec.current) ? [variable.spec.current] : [];
       }
 
-      if ('refresh' in variable) {
-        variable.refresh = VariableRefresh.never;
+      if ('refresh' in variable.spec) {
+        variable.spec.refresh = 'never';
       }
     });
   }