diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.ts
index 28bc2692997..04389a82c77 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ import { isAllVariable } from '../../variables/utils';
 import { DashboardPanelsChangedEvent, RenderEvent } from 'app/types/events';
 import { getTimeSrv } from '../services/TimeSrv';
 import { mergePanels, PanelMergeInfo } from '../utils/panelMerge';
-import { isOnTheSameGridRow } from './utils';
+import { deleteScopeVars, isOnTheSameGridRow } from './utils';
 import { RefreshEvent, TimeRangeUpdatedEvent } from '@grafana/runtime';
 import { sortedDeepCloneWithoutNulls } from 'app/core/utils/object';
 import { Subscription } from 'rxjs';
@@ -553,9 +553,7 @@ export class DashboardModel {
     const panelsToRemove = [];
 
     // cleanup scopedVars
-    for (const panel of this.panels) {
-      delete panel.scopedVars;
-    }
+    deleteScopeVars(this.panels);
 
     for (let i = 0; i < this.panels.length; i++) {
       const panel = this.panels[i];
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.test.ts
index d6f35a986d5..a1399d82a3d 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { PanelModel } from './PanelModel';
-import { isOnTheSameGridRow } from './utils';
+import { deleteScopeVars, isOnTheSameGridRow } from './utils';
 import { REPEAT_DIR_HORIZONTAL } from '../../../core/constants';
 
 describe('isOnTheSameGridRow', () => {
@@ -33,3 +33,30 @@ describe('isOnTheSameGridRow', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('deleteScopeVars', () => {
+  describe('when called with a collapsed row with panels', () => {
+    it('then scopedVars should be deleted on the row and all collapsed panels', () => {
+      const panel1 = new PanelModel({
+        id: 1,
+        type: 'row',
+        collapsed: true,
+        scopedVars: { job: { value: 'myjob', text: 'myjob' } },
+        panels: [
+          { id: 2, type: 'graph', title: 'Graph', scopedVars: { job: { value: 'myjob', text: 'myjob' } } },
+          { id: 3, type: 'graph2', title: 'Graph2', scopedVars: { job: { value: 'myjob', text: 'myjob' } } },
+        ],
+      });
+
+      expect(panel1.scopedVars).toBeDefined();
+      expect(panel1.panels[0].scopedVars).toBeDefined();
+      expect(panel1.panels[1].scopedVars).toBeDefined();
+
+      deleteScopeVars([panel1]);
+
+      expect(panel1.scopedVars).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(panel1.panels[0].scopedVars).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(panel1.panels[1].scopedVars).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.ts
index 8742b1a1851..7a726900aeb 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/utils.ts
@@ -15,3 +15,14 @@ export function isOnTheSameGridRow(sourcePanel: PanelModel, otherPanel: PanelMod
 
   return false;
 }
+
+export function deleteScopeVars(panels: PanelModel[]) {
+  for (const panel of panels) {
+    delete panel.scopedVars;
+    if (panel.panels?.length) {
+      for (const collapsedPanel of panel.panels) {
+        delete collapsedPanel.scopedVars;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.test.ts b/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.test.ts
index e3524f38346..84149200b41 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.test.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 import {
+  flattenPanels,
   getAffectedPanelIdsForVariable,
   getAllAffectedPanelIdsForVariableChange,
   getDependenciesForVariable,
   getPropsWithVariable,
 } from './utils';
-import { PanelModel } from '@grafana/data';
 import { variableAdapters } from '../adapters';
 import { createDataSourceVariableAdapter } from '../datasource/adapter';
 import { createCustomVariableAdapter } from '../custom/adapter';
 import { createQueryVariableAdapter } from '../query/adapter';
+import { PanelModel } from 'app/features/dashboard/state';
 
 describe('getPropsWithVariable', () => {
   it('when called it should return the correct graph', () => {
@@ -310,6 +311,49 @@ describe('getAllAffectedPanelIdsForVariableChange ', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('flattenPanels', () => {
+  describe('when called with a row with collapsed panels', () => {
+    it('then the result should be correct', () => {
+      const panel1 = new PanelModel({
+        id: 1,
+        type: 'row',
+        collapsed: true,
+        panels: [
+          { id: 2, type: 'graph', title: 'Graph' },
+          { id: 3, type: 'graph2', title: 'Graph2' },
+        ],
+      });
+      const panel2 = new PanelModel({ id: 2, type: 'graph', title: 'Graph' });
+      const panel3 = new PanelModel({ id: 3, type: 'graph2', title: 'Graph2' });
+
+      const result = flattenPanels([panel1]);
+
+      expect(result[0].getSaveModel()).toEqual(panel1.getSaveModel());
+      expect(result[1].getSaveModel()).toEqual(panel2.getSaveModel());
+      expect(result[2].getSaveModel()).toEqual(panel3.getSaveModel());
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('when called with a row with expanded panels', () => {
+    it('then the result should be correct', () => {
+      const panel1 = new PanelModel({
+        id: 1,
+        type: 'row',
+        collapsed: false,
+        panels: [],
+      });
+      const panel2 = new PanelModel({ id: 2, type: 'graph', title: 'Graph' });
+      const panel3 = new PanelModel({ id: 3, type: 'graph2', title: 'Graph2' });
+
+      const result = flattenPanels([panel1, panel2, panel3]);
+
+      expect(result[0].getSaveModel()).toEqual(panel1.getSaveModel());
+      expect(result[1].getSaveModel()).toEqual(panel2.getSaveModel());
+      expect(result[2].getSaveModel()).toEqual(panel3.getSaveModel());
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 const dashWithRepeatsAndRows: any = {
   annotations: {
     list: [
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.ts b/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.ts
index 79f27b10d3f..35f77855016 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/inspect/utils.ts
@@ -231,13 +231,17 @@ export function getAllAffectedPanelIdsForVariableChange(
   variables: VariableModel[],
   panels: PanelModel[]
 ): number[] {
-  let affectedPanelIds: number[] = getAffectedPanelIdsForVariable(variableId, panels);
-  const affectedPanelIdsForAllVariables = getAffectedPanelIdsForVariable(DataLinkBuiltInVars.includeVars, panels);
+  const flattenedPanels = flattenPanels(panels);
+  let affectedPanelIds: number[] = getAffectedPanelIdsForVariable(variableId, flattenedPanels);
+  const affectedPanelIdsForAllVariables = getAffectedPanelIdsForVariable(
+    DataLinkBuiltInVars.includeVars,
+    flattenedPanels
+  );
   affectedPanelIds = [...new Set([...affectedPanelIdsForAllVariables, ...affectedPanelIds])];
 
   const dependencies = getDependenciesForVariable(variableId, variables, new Set());
   for (const dependency of dependencies) {
-    const affectedPanelIdsForDependency = getAffectedPanelIdsForVariable(dependency, panels);
+    const affectedPanelIdsForDependency = getAffectedPanelIdsForVariable(dependency, flattenedPanels);
     affectedPanelIds = [...new Set([...affectedPanelIdsForDependency, ...affectedPanelIds])];
   }
 
@@ -375,3 +379,16 @@ export const getVariableUsages = (variableId: string, usages: VariableUsageTree[
 
   return countLeaves(usage.tree);
 };
+
+export function flattenPanels(panels: PanelModel[]): PanelModel[] {
+  const result: PanelModel[] = [];
+
+  for (const panel of panels) {
+    result.push(panel);
+    if (panel.panels?.length) {
+      result.push(...flattenPanels(panel.panels.map((p: PanelModel) => new PanelModel(p))));
+    }
+  }
+
+  return result;
+}