diff --git a/plugs/query/query.ts b/plugs/query/query.ts
index bf10d4c9..40593f39 100644
--- a/plugs/query/query.ts
+++ b/plugs/query/query.ts
@@ -12,13 +12,12 @@ export async function widget(bodyText: string): Promise<WidgetContent> {
 
   try {
     const queryAST = parseTreeToAST(
-      await language.parseLanguage("query", bodyText),
-    );
-    const parsedQuery = astToKvQuery(
-      JSON.parse(
-        await replaceTemplateVars(JSON.stringify(queryAST[1]), pageMeta),
+      await language.parseLanguage(
+        "query",
+        await replaceTemplateVars(bodyText, pageMeta),
       ),
     );
+    const parsedQuery = astToKvQuery(queryAST[1]);
 
     const eventName = `query:${parsedQuery.querySource}`;
 
diff --git a/plugs/query/template.ts b/plugs/query/template.ts
index 0abad251..83da1aaa 100644
--- a/plugs/query/template.ts
+++ b/plugs/query/template.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { editor, handlebars, markdown, space, YAML } from "$sb/syscalls.ts";
 import { rewritePageRefs } from "$sb/lib/resolve.ts";
 import { renderMarkdownToHtml } from "../markdown/markdown_render.ts";
 import { prepareJS, wrapHTML } from "./util.ts";
+import { replaceTemplateVars } from "../template/template.ts";
 
 type TemplateConfig = {
   // Pull the template from a page
@@ -29,11 +30,17 @@ export async function widget(bodyText: string): Promise<WidgetContent> {
       templateText = await space.readPage(templatePage);
     }
 
+    const value = config.value
+      ? JSON.parse(
+        await replaceTemplateVars(JSON.stringify(config.value), pageMeta),
+      )
+      : undefined;
+
     const rendered = config.raw
       ? templateText
       : await handlebars.renderTemplate(
         templateText,
-        config.value,
+        value,
         {
           page: pageMeta,
         },