diff --git a/e2e/test/scenarios/question-reproductions/reproductions-3.cy.spec.js b/e2e/test/scenarios/question-reproductions/reproductions-3.cy.spec.js
index d0a0b63eadec4dcea1f2e3eb903177bf4f16f55e..f180dfca818c0b9fb44cd9d4b7c0fdcc6d26803e 100644
--- a/e2e/test/scenarios/question-reproductions/reproductions-3.cy.spec.js
+++ b/e2e/test/scenarios/question-reproductions/reproductions-3.cy.spec.js
@@ -2126,6 +2126,102 @@ describe("issue 41612", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("issue 36027", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    restore();
+    cy.signInAsAdmin();
+
+    const CONCRETE_CREATED_AT_FIELD_REF = [
+      "field",
+      ORDERS.CREATED_AT,
+      { "base-type": "type/DateTime", "temporal-unit": "month" },
+    ];
+
+    const CREATED_AT_FIELD_REF = [
+      "field",
+      "CREATED_AT",
+      { "base-type": "type/DateTime", "temporal-unit": "month" },
+    ];
+
+    const BASE_QUERY = {
+      aggregation: [["count"]],
+      breakout: [CONCRETE_CREATED_AT_FIELD_REF],
+      "source-table": ORDERS_ID,
+    };
+
+    createQuestion({ query: BASE_QUERY }, { wrapId: true }).then(
+      baseQuestionId => {
+        createQuestion(
+          {
+            display: "waterfall",
+            query: {
+              aggregation: [
+                ["sum", ["field", "count", { "base-type": "type/Integer" }]],
+              ],
+              breakout: [CREATED_AT_FIELD_REF],
+              joins: [
+                {
+                  alias: "Q1",
+                  strategy: "left-join",
+                  "source-table": `card__${baseQuestionId}`,
+                  condition: [
+                    "<=",
+                    CREATED_AT_FIELD_REF,
+                    CONCRETE_CREATED_AT_FIELD_REF,
+                  ],
+                },
+              ],
+              "source-query": BASE_QUERY,
+            },
+            visualization_settings: {
+              "graph.dimensions": ["CREATED_AT"],
+              "graph.metrics": ["sum"],
+            },
+          },
+          { visitQuestion: true },
+        );
+      },
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("should use default metrics/dimensions if they're missing after removing some query clauses (metabase#36027)", () => {
+    openNotebook();
+    getNotebookStep("summarize", { stage: 1 })
+      .findByLabelText("Remove step")
+      .click({ force: true });
+    getNotebookStep("join", { stage: 1 })
+      .findByLabelText("Remove step")
+      .click({ force: true });
+    visualize();
+
+    echartsContainer().within(() => {
+      cy.findByText("Created At").should("be.visible"); // x-axis
+      cy.findByText("Count").should("be.visible"); // y-axis
+
+      // x-axis values
+      ["January 2023", "January 2024", "January 2025", "January 2026"].forEach(
+        state => {
+          cy.findByText(state).should("be.visible");
+        },
+      );
+
+      // y-axis values
+      [
+        "0",
+        "3,000",
+        "6,000",
+        "9,000",
+        "12,000",
+        "15,000",
+        "18,000",
+        "21,000",
+      ].forEach(state => {
+        cy.findByText(state).should("be.visible");
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 function expectNoScrollbarContainer(element) {
   const hasScrollbarContainer =
     element.scrollHeight <= element.clientHeight &&
diff --git a/frontend/src/metabase/dashboard/components/AddSeriesModal/AddSeriesModal.unit.spec.tsx b/frontend/src/metabase/dashboard/components/AddSeriesModal/AddSeriesModal.unit.spec.tsx
index 761f0159f9cca0c0593279b4cc289d6539bdca04..6a7ab2515499e94434bd96fa67e42674ecc2e4b3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/metabase/dashboard/components/AddSeriesModal/AddSeriesModal.unit.spec.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/metabase/dashboard/components/AddSeriesModal/AddSeriesModal.unit.spec.tsx
@@ -105,7 +105,22 @@ describe("AddSeriesModal", () => {
       dashcard: incompleteDashcard,
       dashcardData: {
         [incompleteDashcard.id]: {
-          [incompleteCard.id]: dataset,
+          [incompleteCard.id]: createMockDataset({
+            data: createMockDatasetData({
+              rows: [
+                ["1958-04-01T00:00:00+07:00"],
+                ["1958-05-01T00:00:00+07:00"],
+                ["1958-06-01T00:00:00+07:00"],
+                ["1958-07-01T00:00:00+07:00"],
+              ],
+              cols: [
+                createMockColumn({
+                  base_type: "type/Date",
+                  display_name: displayColumnName,
+                }),
+              ],
+            }),
+          }),
         },
       },
     });
diff --git a/frontend/src/metabase/visualizations/lib/settings/graph.js b/frontend/src/metabase/visualizations/lib/settings/graph.js
index 4f937d4c71513ba1397c06f3acdad6ff63a87e8a..883a776c9439c139de7d3a90b4acedab332a56a5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/metabase/visualizations/lib/settings/graph.js
+++ b/frontend/src/metabase/visualizations/lib/settings/graph.js
@@ -81,8 +81,15 @@ export const GRAPH_DATA_SETTINGS = {
       series.length <= MAX_SERIES
         ? "0.5rem"
         : "1rem",
-    isValid: (series, vizSettings) =>
-      getAreDimensionsAndMetricsValid(series, vizSettings),
+    isValid: (series, vizSettings) => {
+      const dimensions = vizSettings["graph.dimensions"] ?? [];
+      if (dimensions.length === 0) {
+        const defaultDimensions = getDefaultDimensions(series, vizSettings);
+        return defaultDimensions.length === 0;
+      } else {
+        return getAreDimensionsAndMetricsValid(series, vizSettings);
+      }
+    },
     getDefault: (series, vizSettings) =>
       getDefaultDimensions(series, vizSettings),
     persistDefault: true,
@@ -142,8 +149,15 @@ export const GRAPH_DATA_SETTINGS = {
     section: t`Data`,
     title: t`Y-axis`,
     widget: "fields",
-    isValid: (series, vizSettings) =>
-      getAreDimensionsAndMetricsValid(series, vizSettings),
+    isValid: (series, vizSettings) => {
+      const metrics = vizSettings["graph.metrics"] ?? [];
+      if (metrics.length === 0) {
+        const defaultMetrics = getDefaultMetrics(series, vizSettings);
+        return defaultMetrics.length === 0;
+      } else {
+        return getAreDimensionsAndMetricsValid(series, vizSettings);
+      }
+    },
     getDefault: (series, vizSettings) => getDefaultMetrics(series, vizSettings),
     persistDefault: true,
     getProps: ([{ card, data }], vizSettings, _onChange, extra) => {