diff --git a/statchart/src/StatChart.ts b/statchart/src/StatChart.ts
index efa3cf8c3..d33b76546 100644
--- a/statchart/src/StatChart.ts
+++ b/statchart/src/StatChart.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 // limitations under the License.
 
 import { PanelPlugin } from '@perses-dev/plugin-system';
-import { createInitialStatChartOptions, StatChartOptions } from './stat-chart-model';
+import { createInitialStatChartOptions, getStatChartQueryOptions, StatChartOptions } from './stat-chart-model';
 import { StatChartValueMappingEditor } from './StatChartValueMappingEditor';
 import { StatChartOptionsEditorSettings } from './StatChartOptionsEditorSettings';
 import { StatChartPanel, StatChartPanelProps } from './StatChartPanel';
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import { StatChartPanel, StatChartPanelProps } from './StatChartPanel';
 export const StatChart: PanelPlugin<StatChartOptions, StatChartPanelProps> = {
   PanelComponent: StatChartPanel,
   supportedQueryTypes: ['TimeSeriesQuery'],
+  queryOptions: getStatChartQueryOptions,
   panelOptionsEditorComponents: [
     {
       label: 'Settings',
diff --git a/statchart/src/stat-chart-model.test.ts b/statchart/src/stat-chart-model.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5679b356b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/statchart/src/stat-chart-model.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+// Copyright The Perses Authors
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+import { CalculationType } from '@perses-dev/plugin-system';
+import { createInitialStatChartOptions, getStatChartQueryMode, StatChartOptions } from './stat-chart-model';
+
+function options(overrides: Partial<StatChartOptions> = {}): StatChartOptions {
+  return {
+    calculation: 'last-number',
+    format: { unit: 'decimal' },
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+describe('getStatChartQueryMode', () => {
+  it('uses instant for `last`, the one calculation an instant query reproduces exactly', () => {
+    expect(getStatChartQueryMode(options({ calculation: 'last' }))).toBe('instant');
+  });
+
+  // `last-number` is the last *non-null* value, so with trailing nulls it must look
+  // back past the latest point — which an instant query cannot do. It needs range.
+  it('uses range for `last-number`', () => {
+    expect(getStatChartQueryMode(options({ calculation: 'last-number' }))).toBe('range');
+  });
+
+  // Regression: requesting instant unconditionally broke the sparkline, which draws the
+  // series itself. See perses/plugins#738, which was reverted for this reason.
+  it('uses range whenever a sparkline is configured', () => {
+    expect(getStatChartQueryMode(options({ sparkline: {} }))).toBe('range');
+    expect(getStatChartQueryMode(options({ sparkline: { color: '#fff', width: 2 } }))).toBe('range');
+    // even for a calculation that would otherwise be instant
+    expect(getStatChartQueryMode(options({ calculation: 'last', sparkline: {} }))).toBe('range');
+  });
+
+  it.each<CalculationType>(['mean', 'sum', 'min', 'max', 'first', 'first-number'])(
+    'uses range for %s, which aggregates over the whole series',
+    (calculation) => {
+      expect(getStatChartQueryMode(options({ calculation }))).toBe('range');
+    }
+  );
+
+  it('uses range for the default options, which enable the sparkline', () => {
+    expect(getStatChartQueryMode(createInitialStatChartOptions())).toBe('range');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/statchart/src/stat-chart-model.ts b/statchart/src/stat-chart-model.ts
index b7ff3ff61..d017badd4 100644
--- a/statchart/src/stat-chart-model.ts
+++ b/statchart/src/stat-chart-model.ts
@@ -78,3 +78,38 @@ export function createInitialStatChartOptions(): StatChartOptions {
     legendMode: 'auto',
   };
 }
+
+/**
+ * Only `last` is safe to compute from a single instant point: it is literally the
+ * most recent value of the series, which is exactly what an instant query returns.
+ *
+ * Everything else needs the full series, so it must use a range query:
+ *  - `mean`, `sum`, `min`, `max` aggregate over all points;
+ *  - `first` / `first-number` need the *start* of the window, not the latest point;
+ *  - `last-number` is the last *non-null* value (`Last numeric value`), so when the
+ *    most recent point is null it must fall back to an earlier one — which an instant
+ *    query cannot see, giving a different result than the range query.
+ */
+const INSTANT_SAFE_CALCULATIONS: ReadonlySet<CalculationType> = new Set<CalculationType>(['last']);
+
+/**
+ * A stat panel usually shows a single aggregate value, for which an instant query is
+ * enough and much cheaper than a range query — especially against backends that split
+ * range queries into many sub-queries.
+ *
+ * It cannot always be instant though:
+ *  - the sparkline draws the series itself, so it needs range data;
+ *  - calculations other than `last`/`last-number` aggregate over the series, and with a
+ *    single instant point they would silently collapse to that point.
+ *
+ * Requesting instant unconditionally breaks both (see perses/plugins#738, reverted for
+ * the sparkline case), so the mode is derived from the spec.
+ */
+export function getStatChartQueryMode(spec: StatChartOptions): 'instant' | 'range' {
+  if (spec.sparkline !== undefined) return 'range';
+  return INSTANT_SAFE_CALCULATIONS.has(spec.calculation) ? 'instant' : 'range';
+}
+
+export function getStatChartQueryOptions(spec: StatChartOptions): { mode: 'instant' | 'range' } {
+  return { mode: getStatChartQueryMode(spec) };
+}