diff --git a/data/test/tabletserver/exec_cases.txt b/data/test/tabletserver/exec_cases.txt
index 85a06cb4e0f..a0df3ba6f45 100644
--- a/data/test/tabletserver/exec_cases.txt
+++ b/data/test/tabletserver/exec_cases.txt
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 {
   "PlanID": "PASS_SELECT",
   "TableName": "a",
-  "FieldQuery": "select * from a where 1 != 1",
+  "FieldQuery": "select * from a where 1 != 1 group by b",
   "FullQuery": "select * from a group by b limit :#maxLimit"
 }
 
diff --git a/data/test/vtgate/postprocess_cases.txt b/data/test/vtgate/postprocess_cases.txt
index 2a547705f36..8b11127485b 100644
--- a/data/test/vtgate/postprocess_cases.txt
+++ b/data/test/vtgate/postprocess_cases.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,17 @@
+# Group by with aggregation
+"select col1, count(col2) as col2_count from unsharded group by col1 order by col2_count asc"
+{
+  "Original": "select col1, count(col2) as col2_count from unsharded group by col1 order by col2_count asc",
+  "Instructions": {
+    "Opcode": "SelectUnsharded",
+    "Keyspace": {
+      "Name": "main",
+      "Sharded": false
+    },
+    "Query": "select col1, count(col2) as col2_count from unsharded group by col1 order by col2_count asc",
+    "FieldQuery": "select col1, count(col2) as col2_count from unsharded where 1 != 1 group by col1"
+  }
+}
 # Group by unsharded
 "select col1, col2 from unsharded group by col2"
 {
@@ -9,7 +23,7 @@
       "Sharded": false
     },
     "Query": "select col1, col2 from unsharded group by col2",
-    "FieldQuery": "select col1, col2 from unsharded where 1 != 1"
+    "FieldQuery": "select col1, col2 from unsharded where 1 != 1 group by col2"
   }
 }
 
@@ -24,7 +38,7 @@
       "Sharded": true
     },
     "Query": "select col1, col2 from user where id = 1 group by col2",
-    "FieldQuery": "select col1, col2 from user where 1 != 1",
+    "FieldQuery": "select col1, col2 from user where 1 != 1 group by col2",
     "Vindex": "user_index",
     "Values": 1
   }
@@ -41,7 +55,7 @@
       "Sharded": true
     },
     "Query": "select col1, id from user group by id",
-    "FieldQuery": "select col1, id from user where 1 != 1"
+    "FieldQuery": "select col1, id from user where 1 != 1 group by id"
   }
 }
 
@@ -56,7 +70,7 @@
       "Sharded": true
     },
     "Query": "select id from user group by id, col",
-    "FieldQuery": "select id from user where 1 != 1"
+    "FieldQuery": "select id from user where 1 != 1 group by id, col"
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/go/vt/sqlparser/impossible_query.go b/go/vt/sqlparser/impossible_query.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f91952a7e7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/vt/sqlparser/impossible_query.go
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package sqlparser
+
+// FormatImpossibleQuery creates an impossible query in a TrackedBuffer.
+// An impossible query is a modified version of a query where all selects have where clauses that are
+// impossible for mysql to resolve. This is used in the vtgate and vttablet:
+//
+// - In the vtgate it's used for joins: if the first query returns no result, then vtgate uses the impossible
+// query just to fetch field info from vttablet
+// - In the vttablet, it's just an optimization: the field info is fetched once form MySQL, cached and reused
+// for subsequent queries
+func FormatImpossibleQuery(buf *TrackedBuffer, node SQLNode) {
+	switch node := node.(type) {
+	case *Select:
+		buf.Myprintf("select %v from %v where 1 != 1", node.SelectExprs, node.From)
+		if node.GroupBy != nil {
+			node.GroupBy.Format(buf)
+		}
+	case *JoinTableExpr:
+		if node.Join == LeftJoinStr || node.Join == RightJoinStr {
+			// ON clause is requried
+			buf.Myprintf("%v %s %v on 1 != 1", node.LeftExpr, node.Join, node.RightExpr)
+		} else {
+			buf.Myprintf("%v %s %v", node.LeftExpr, node.Join, node.RightExpr)
+		}
+	default:
+		node.Format(buf)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/go/vt/sqlparser/tracked_buffer.go b/go/vt/sqlparser/tracked_buffer.go
index dc5a63f6443..db8d494f6ff 100644
--- a/go/vt/sqlparser/tracked_buffer.go
+++ b/go/vt/sqlparser/tracked_buffer.go
@@ -30,6 +30,13 @@ func NewTrackedBuffer(nodeFormatter func(buf *TrackedBuffer, node SQLNode)) *Tra
 	}
 }
 
+// Convenience function, initiates the writing of a single SQLNode tree by passing
+// through to Myprintf with a default format string
+func (buf *TrackedBuffer) WriteNode(node SQLNode) *TrackedBuffer {
+	buf.Myprintf("%v", node)
+	return buf
+}
+
 // Myprintf mimics fmt.Fprintf(buf, ...), but limited to Node(%v),
 // Node.Value(%s) and string(%s). It also allows a %a for a value argument, in
 // which case it adds tracking info for future substitutions.
diff --git a/go/vt/tabletserver/endtoend/queries_test.go b/go/vt/tabletserver/endtoend/queries_test.go
index f1a7c3a2069..39f7b2a8c43 100644
--- a/go/vt/tabletserver/endtoend/queries_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/tabletserver/endtoend/queries_test.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func TestNocacheCases(t *testing.T) {
 				{"1", "3"},
 			},
 			Rewritten: []string{
-				"select eid, sum(id) from vitess_a where 1 != 1",
+				"select eid, sum(id) from vitess_a where 1 != 1 group by eid",
 				"select /* group by */ eid, sum(id) from vitess_a group by eid limit 10001",
 			},
 			RowsAffected: 1,
diff --git a/go/vt/tabletserver/planbuilder/query_gen.go b/go/vt/tabletserver/planbuilder/query_gen.go
index 3f7b50a97db..a3a36cb05c7 100644
--- a/go/vt/tabletserver/planbuilder/query_gen.go
+++ b/go/vt/tabletserver/planbuilder/query_gen.go
@@ -19,32 +19,13 @@ func GenerateFullQuery(statement sqlparser.Statement) *sqlparser.ParsedQuery {
 // GenerateFieldQuery generates a query to just fetch the field info
 // by adding impossible where clauses as needed.
 func GenerateFieldQuery(statement sqlparser.Statement) *sqlparser.ParsedQuery {
-	buf := sqlparser.NewTrackedBuffer(FormatImpossible)
-	buf.Myprintf("%v", statement)
+	buf := sqlparser.NewTrackedBuffer(sqlparser.FormatImpossibleQuery).WriteNode(statement)
+
 	if buf.HasBindVars() {
 		return nil
 	}
-	return buf.ParsedQuery()
-}
 
-// FormatImpossible is a callback function used by TrackedBuffer
-// to generate a modified version of the query where all selects
-// have impossible where clauses. It overrides a few node types
-// and passes the rest down to the default FormatNode.
-func FormatImpossible(buf *sqlparser.TrackedBuffer, node sqlparser.SQLNode) {
-	switch node := node.(type) {
-	case *sqlparser.Select:
-		buf.Myprintf("select %v from %v where 1 != 1", node.SelectExprs, node.From)
-	case *sqlparser.JoinTableExpr:
-		if node.Join == sqlparser.LeftJoinStr || node.Join == sqlparser.RightJoinStr {
-			// ON clause is requried
-			buf.Myprintf("%v %s %v on 1 != 1", node.LeftExpr, node.Join, node.RightExpr)
-		} else {
-			buf.Myprintf("%v %s %v", node.LeftExpr, node.Join, node.RightExpr)
-		}
-	default:
-		node.Format(buf)
-	}
+	return buf.ParsedQuery()
 }
 
 // GenerateSelectLimitQuery generates a select query with a limit clause.
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/route.go b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/route.go
index 21046efb356..ffe67927fa5 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/route.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/route.go
@@ -519,17 +519,6 @@ func (rb *route) isLocal(col *sqlparser.ColName) bool {
 func (rb *route) generateFieldQuery(sel *sqlparser.Select, jt *jointab) string {
 	formatter := func(buf *sqlparser.TrackedBuffer, node sqlparser.SQLNode) {
 		switch node := node.(type) {
-		case *sqlparser.Select:
-			buf.Myprintf("select %v from %v where 1 != 1", node.SelectExprs, node.From)
-			return
-		case *sqlparser.JoinTableExpr:
-			if node.Join == sqlparser.LeftJoinStr || node.Join == sqlparser.RightJoinStr {
-				// ON clause is requried
-				buf.Myprintf("%v %s %v on 1 != 1", node.LeftExpr, node.Join, node.RightExpr)
-			} else {
-				buf.Myprintf("%v %s %v", node.LeftExpr, node.Join, node.RightExpr)
-			}
-			return
 		case *sqlparser.ColName:
 			if !rb.isLocal(node) {
 				_, joinVar := jt.Lookup(node)
@@ -540,11 +529,10 @@ func (rb *route) generateFieldQuery(sel *sqlparser.Select, jt *jointab) string {
 			node.Name.Format(buf)
 			return
 		}
-		node.Format(buf)
+		sqlparser.FormatImpossibleQuery(buf, node)
 	}
-	buf := sqlparser.NewTrackedBuffer(formatter)
-	formatter(buf, sel)
-	return buf.ParsedQuery().Query
+
+	return sqlparser.NewTrackedBuffer(formatter).WriteNode(sel).ParsedQuery().Query
 }
 
 // SupplyVar should be unreachable.