diff --git a/packages/frontend-core/src/components/CoreFilterBuilder.svelte b/packages/frontend-core/src/components/CoreFilterBuilder.svelte
index c078901880..839b370eca 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-core/src/components/CoreFilterBuilder.svelte
+++ b/packages/frontend-core/src/components/CoreFilterBuilder.svelte
@@ -39,13 +39,13 @@
   export let toReadable
   export let toRuntime
 
-  $: editableFilters = filters
-    ? Helpers.cloneDeep(filters)
-    : {
-        logicalOperator: FilterGroupLogicalOperator.ALL,
-        onEmptyFilter: EmptyFilterOption.RETURN_NONE,
-        groups: [],
-      }
+  const defaultConf = {
+    logicalOperator: FilterGroupLogicalOperator.ALL,
+    onEmptyFilter: EmptyFilterOption.RETURN_NONE,
+    groups: [],
+  }
+
+  $: editableFilters = filters ? Helpers.cloneDeep(filters) : null
 
   $: {
     if (
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@
     } = req
 
     let editable = Helpers.cloneDeep(editableFilters)
-    let targetGroup = editable.groups?.[groupIdx]
+    let targetGroup = editable?.groups?.[groupIdx]
     let targetFilter = targetGroup?.filters?.[filterIdx]
 
     if (targetFilter) {
@@ -202,7 +202,11 @@
       }
     } else if (targetGroup) {
       if (deleteGroup) {
-        editable.groups.splice(groupIdx, 1)
+        if (editable.groups.length > 1) {
+          editable.groups.splice(groupIdx, 1)
+        } else {
+          editable = {}
+        }
       } else if (addFilter) {
         targetGroup.filters.push({
           valueType: FilterValueType.VALUE,
@@ -214,6 +218,9 @@
         }
       }
     } else if (addGroup) {
+      if (!editable) {
+        editable = defaultConf
+      }
       editable.groups.push({
         logicalOperator: Constants.FilterOperator.ANY,
         filters: [
@@ -381,7 +388,7 @@
       {/if}
 
       <div class="filters-footer">
-        {#if behaviourFilters && editableFilters?.groups.length}
+        {#if behaviourFilters && editableFilters?.groups?.length}
           <div class="empty-filter">
             <span>Return</span>
             <span class="empty-filter-picker">
diff --git a/packages/frontend-core/src/fetch/DataFetch.js b/packages/frontend-core/src/fetch/DataFetch.js
index 545fc03c67..18dc72bf24 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-core/src/fetch/DataFetch.js
+++ b/packages/frontend-core/src/fetch/DataFetch.js
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ export default class DataFetch {
     }
 
     // Build the query
-    let query = this.features.supportsSearch ? this.options.query : null
+    let query = this.options.query || null
 
     if (!query && this.features.supportsSearch) {
       query = buildQuery(filter || defaultQuery)
diff --git a/packages/frontend-core/src/utils/utils.js b/packages/frontend-core/src/utils/utils.js
index 7194aab07b..3e8cdcc781 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-core/src/utils/utils.js
+++ b/packages/frontend-core/src/utils/utils.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { makePropSafe as safe } from "@budibase/string-templates"
 import { Helpers } from "@budibase/bbui"
-import * as Constants from "../constants"
 
 export const sleep = ms => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms))
 
@@ -352,58 +351,3 @@ export const buildMultiStepFormBlockDefaultProps = props => {
     title,
   }
 }
-
-export const handleFilterChange = (req, filters) => {
-  const {
-    groupIdx,
-    filterIdx,
-    filter,
-    group,
-    addFilter,
-    addGroup,
-    deleteGroup,
-    deleteFilter,
-    logicalOperator,
-    onEmptyFilter,
-  } = req
-
-  let editable = Helpers.cloneDeep(filters)
-  let targetGroup = editable.groups?.[groupIdx]
-  let targetFilter = targetGroup?.filters?.[filterIdx]
-
-  if (targetFilter) {
-    if (deleteFilter) {
-      targetGroup.filters.splice(filterIdx, 1)
-    } else if (filter) {
-      targetGroup.filters[filterIdx] = filter
-    }
-  } else if (targetGroup) {
-    if (deleteGroup) {
-      editable.groups.splice(groupIdx, 1)
-    } else if (addFilter) {
-      targetGroup.filters.push({})
-    } else if (group) {
-      editable.groups[groupIdx] = {
-        ...targetGroup,
-        ...group,
-      }
-    }
-  } else if (addGroup) {
-    editable.groups.push({
-      logicalOperator: Constants.FilterOperator.ANY,
-      filters: [{}],
-    })
-  } else if (logicalOperator) {
-    editable = {
-      ...editable,
-      logicalOperator,
-    }
-  } else if (onEmptyFilter) {
-    editable = {
-      ...editable,
-      onEmptyFilter,
-    }
-  }
-
-  return editable
-}
diff --git a/packages/shared-core/src/filters.ts b/packages/shared-core/src/filters.ts
index ded45746a9..4bb3a6a7df 100644
--- a/packages/shared-core/src/filters.ts
+++ b/packages/shared-core/src/filters.ts
@@ -321,6 +321,11 @@ const builderFilter = (expression: SearchFilter) => {
     containsAny: {},
   }
   let { operator, field, type, value, externalType, onEmptyFilter } = expression
+
+  if (!operator || !field) {
+    return
+  }
+
   const queryOperator = operator as SearchFilterOperator
   const isHbs =
     typeof value === "string" && (value.match(HBS_REGEX) || []).length > 0
@@ -446,7 +451,9 @@ export const buildQuery = (filter: SearchFilterGroup | SearchFilter[]) => {
       conditions: parsedFilter.groups?.map((group: SearchFilterGroup) => {
         return {
           [operatorMap[group.logicalOperator]]: {
-            conditions: group.filters?.map(x => builderFilter(x)),
+            conditions: group.filters
+              ?.map(x => builderFilter(x))
+              .filter(filter => filter),
           },
         }
       }),
diff --git a/packages/shared-core/src/utils.ts b/packages/shared-core/src/utils.ts
index 0824c7e8d5..027db8e914 100644
--- a/packages/shared-core/src/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/shared-core/src/utils.ts
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ export const processSearchFilters = (
 
     return migratedSetting
   } else if (!filters?.groups) {
-    return defaultCfg
+    return null
   }
   return filters
 }