diff --git a/x-pack/platform/plugins/shared/lens/public/datasources/text_based/to_expression.ts b/x-pack/platform/plugins/shared/lens/public/datasources/text_based/to_expression.ts
index 114be587bac0e..d9a12add77409 100644
--- a/x-pack/platform/plugins/shared/lens/public/datasources/text_based/to_expression.ts
+++ b/x-pack/platform/plugins/shared/lens/public/datasources/text_based/to_expression.ts
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ function getExpressionForLayer(
           function: 'lens_map_to_columns',
           arguments: {
             idMap: [JSON.stringify(idMapper)],
+            isTextBased: [true],
           },
         },
         ...formatterOverrides,