diff --git a/src/plugins/controls/public/constants.ts b/src/plugins/controls/public/constants.ts
index 0773dd7ea9076..1be94fcc6ae11 100644
--- a/src/plugins/controls/public/constants.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/controls/public/constants.ts
@@ -7,3 +7,5 @@
  */
 
 export const MIN_POPOVER_WIDTH = 300;
+
+export const CHANGE_CHECK_DEBOUNCE = 100;
diff --git a/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/embeddable/control_group_container.tsx b/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/embeddable/control_group_container.tsx
index ce78cdc5d1195..dcb74fd606154 100644
--- a/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/embeddable/control_group_container.tsx
+++ b/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/embeddable/control_group_container.tsx
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ export class ControlGroupContainer extends Container<
   public onFiltersPublished$: Subject<Filter[]>;
   public onControlRemoved$: Subject<string>;
 
-  /** This currently reports the **entire** control group input on unsaved changes  */
+  /** This currently reports the **entire** persistable control group input on unsaved changes */
   public unsavedChanges: BehaviorSubject<PersistableControlGroupInput | undefined>;
 
   public fieldFilterPredicate: FieldFilterPredicate | undefined;
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ export class ControlGroupContainer extends Container<
     this.onFiltersPublished$ = new Subject<Filter[]>();
     this.onControlRemoved$ = new Subject<string>();
 
-    // start diffing dashboard state
+    // start diffing control group state
     this.unsavedChanges = new BehaviorSubject<PersistableControlGroupInput | undefined>(undefined);
     const diffingMiddleware = startDiffingControlGroupState.bind(this)();
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/external_api/control_group_renderer.tsx b/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/external_api/control_group_renderer.tsx
index d236a49f661cb..b5e024815e7ab 100644
--- a/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/external_api/control_group_renderer.tsx
+++ b/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/external_api/control_group_renderer.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
  * Side Public License, v 1.
  */
 
+import { isEqual, pick } from 'lodash';
 import React, {
   forwardRef,
   useEffect,
@@ -14,28 +15,31 @@ import React, {
   useRef,
   useState,
 } from 'react';
-import { isEqual } from 'lodash';
 import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';
 
-import { compareFilters } from '@kbn/es-query';
-import type { Filter, TimeRange, Query } from '@kbn/es-query';
 import { EmbeddableFactory } from '@kbn/embeddable-plugin/public';
+import type { Filter, Query, TimeRange } from '@kbn/es-query';
+import { compareFilters } from '@kbn/es-query';
 
 import {
+  getDefaultControlGroupInput,
+  getDefaultControlGroupPersistableInput,
+  persistableControlGroupInputKeys,
+} from '../../../common';
+import { ControlGroupContainer } from '../embeddable/control_group_container';
+import { ControlGroupContainerFactory } from '../embeddable/control_group_container_factory';
+import {
+  ControlGroupCreationOptions,
   ControlGroupInput,
-  CONTROL_GROUP_TYPE,
   ControlGroupOutput,
-  ControlGroupCreationOptions,
+  CONTROL_GROUP_TYPE,
 } from '../types';
 import {
-  ControlGroupAPI,
   AwaitingControlGroupAPI,
   buildApiFromControlGroupContainer,
+  ControlGroupAPI,
 } from './control_group_api';
-import { getDefaultControlGroupInput } from '../../../common';
 import { controlGroupInputBuilder, ControlGroupInputBuilder } from './control_group_input_builder';
-import { ControlGroupContainer } from '../embeddable/control_group_container';
-import { ControlGroupContainerFactory } from '../embeddable/control_group_container_factory';
 
 export interface ControlGroupRendererProps {
   filters?: Filter[];
@@ -87,7 +91,13 @@ export const ControlGroupRenderer = forwardRef<AwaitingControlGroupAPI, ControlG
             ...initialInput,
           },
           undefined,
-          settings,
+          {
+            ...settings,
+            lastSavedInput: {
+              ...getDefaultControlGroupPersistableInput(),
+              ...pick(initialInput, persistableControlGroupInputKeys),
+            },
+          },
           fieldFilterPredicate
         )) as ControlGroupContainer;
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/state/control_group_diffing_integration.ts b/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/state/control_group_diffing_integration.ts
index 8f97bc537c55b..23f20ff885bcd 100644
--- a/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/state/control_group_diffing_integration.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/controls/public/control_group/state/control_group_diffing_integration.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { debounceTime, Observable, startWith, Subject, switchMap } from 'rxjs';
 
 import { ControlGroupContainer } from '..';
 import { persistableControlGroupInputIsEqual } from '../../../common';
+import { CHANGE_CHECK_DEBOUNCE } from '../../constants';
 import { controlGroupReducers } from './control_group_reducers';
 
 /**
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ export function startDiffingControlGroupState(this: ControlGroupContainer) {
     checkForUnsavedChangesSubject$
       .pipe(
         startWith(null),
-        debounceTime(100), // TODO: constant
+        debounceTime(CHANGE_CHECK_DEBOUNCE),
         switchMap(() => {
           return new Observable((observer) => {
             if (observer.closed) return;
diff --git a/src/plugins/dashboard/public/dashboard_container/embeddable/create/create_dashboard.ts b/src/plugins/dashboard/public/dashboard_container/embeddable/create/create_dashboard.ts
index f2e62a21d6c09..480ce26afad6c 100644
--- a/src/plugins/dashboard/public/dashboard_container/embeddable/create/create_dashboard.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/dashboard/public/dashboard_container/embeddable/create/create_dashboard.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * in compliance with, at your election, the Elastic License 2.0 or the Server
  * Side Public License, v 1.
  */
-import { cloneDeep, identity, omit, pickBy } from 'lodash';
+import { cloneDeep, identity, omit, pick, pickBy } from 'lodash';
 import { BehaviorSubject, combineLatestWith, distinctUntilChanged, map, Subject } from 'rxjs';
 import { v4 } from 'uuid';
 
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import {
   CONTROL_GROUP_TYPE,
   getDefaultControlGroupInput,
   getDefaultControlGroupPersistableInput,
-  PersistableControlGroupInput,
+  persistableControlGroupInputKeys,
 } from '@kbn/controls-plugin/common';
 import {
   ControlGroupContainerFactory,
@@ -214,11 +214,6 @@ export const initializeDashboard = async ({
     }),
     'controlGroupInput'
   );
-  const initialControlGroupInput: PersistableControlGroupInput | {} = {
-    ...(loadDashboardReturn?.dashboardInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
-    ...(sessionStorageInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
-    ...(overrideInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
-  };
 
   // Back up any view mode passed in explicitly.
   if (overrideInput?.viewMode) {
@@ -405,6 +400,11 @@ export const initializeDashboard = async ({
       create: ControlGroupContainerFactory['create'];
     };
     const { filters, query, timeRange, viewMode, id } = initialDashboardInput;
+    const initialControlGroupInput: ControlGroupInput | {} = {
+      ...(loadDashboardReturn?.dashboardInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
+      ...(sessionStorageInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
+      ...(overrideInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
+    };
     const fullControlGroupInput = {
       id: `control_group_${id ?? 'new_dashboard'}`,
       ...getDefaultControlGroupInput(),
@@ -418,10 +418,18 @@ export const initializeDashboard = async ({
     if (controlGroup) {
       controlGroup.updateInputAndReinitialize(fullControlGroupInput);
     } else {
+      const lastSavedControlGroupInput = pick(
+        {
+          ...(loadDashboardReturn?.dashboardInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
+          ...(overrideInput?.controlGroupInput ?? {}),
+        },
+        persistableControlGroupInputKeys
+      );
       const newControlGroup = await controlsGroupFactory?.create(fullControlGroupInput, this, {
-        lastSavedInput:
-          loadDashboardReturn?.dashboardInput.controlGroupInput ??
-          getDefaultControlGroupPersistableInput(),
+        lastSavedInput: {
+          ...getDefaultControlGroupPersistableInput(),
+          ...lastSavedControlGroupInput,
+        },
       });
       if (!newControlGroup || isErrorEmbeddable(newControlGroup)) {
         throw new Error('Error in control group startup');