diff --git a/data/test/vtgate/filter_cases.txt b/data/test/vtgate/filter_cases.txt
index 8e021fdb1fb..ac56a1dd440 100644
--- a/data/test/vtgate/filter_cases.txt
+++ b/data/test/vtgate/filter_cases.txt
@@ -747,6 +747,21 @@
   }
 }
 
+# database() call in where clause.
+"select id from user where database()"
+{
+  "Original": "select id from user where database()",
+  "Instructions": {
+    "Opcode": "SelectScatter",
+    "Keyspace": {
+      "Name": "user",
+      "Sharded": true
+    },
+    "Query": "select id from user where 'targetString'",
+    "FieldQuery": "select id from user where 1 != 1"
+  }
+}
+
 # outer and inner subquery route reference the same "uu.id" name
 # but they refer to different things. The first reference is to the outermost query,
 # and the second reference is to the the innermost 'from' subquery.
diff --git a/data/test/vtgate/from_cases.txt b/data/test/vtgate/from_cases.txt
index 46eb385ef7d..5d61fc3a729 100644
--- a/data/test/vtgate/from_cases.txt
+++ b/data/test/vtgate/from_cases.txt
@@ -1100,6 +1100,22 @@
   }
 }
 
+# database call in ON clause.
+# The on clause is weird because the substitution must even for root expressions.
+"select u1.a from unsharded u1 join unsharded u2 on database()"
+{
+  "Original": "select u1.a from unsharded u1 join unsharded u2 on database()",
+  "Instructions": {
+    "Opcode": "SelectUnsharded",
+    "Keyspace": {
+      "Name": "main",
+      "Sharded": false
+    },
+    "Query": "select u1.a from unsharded as u1 join unsharded as u2 on 'targetString'",
+    "FieldQuery": "select u1.a from unsharded as u1 join unsharded as u2 on 'targetString' where 1 != 1"
+  }
+}
+
 # verify ',' vs JOIN precedence
 "select u1.a from unsharded u1, unsharded u2 join unsharded u3 on u1.a = u2.a"
 "symbol u1.a not found"
diff --git a/data/test/vtgate/select_cases.txt b/data/test/vtgate/select_cases.txt
index fb0f1209f09..d19f8034268 100644
--- a/data/test/vtgate/select_cases.txt
+++ b/data/test/vtgate/select_cases.txt
@@ -143,6 +143,22 @@
   }
 }
 
+# database calls should be substituted
+"select database() from dual"
+{
+  "Original": "select database() from dual",
+  "Instructions": {
+    "Opcode": "SelectUnsharded",
+    "Keyspace": {
+      "Name": "main",
+      "Sharded": false
+    },
+    "Query": "select 'targetString' from dual",
+    "FieldQuery": "select 'targetString' from dual where 1 != 1"
+  }
+}
+
+
 # nextval for simple route
 "select next value from user"
 "NEXT used on a sharded table"
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/builder.go b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/builder.go
index 22ee2185397..221151d892f 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/builder.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/builder.go
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ type ContextVSchema interface {
 	FindTable(tablename sqlparser.TableName) (*vindexes.Table, string, topodatapb.TabletType, key.Destination, error)
 	FindTableOrVindex(tablename sqlparser.TableName) (*vindexes.Table, vindexes.Vindex, string, topodatapb.TabletType, key.Destination, error)
 	DefaultKeyspace() (*vindexes.Keyspace, error)
+	TargetString() string
 }
 
 // Build builds a plan for a query based on the specified vschema.
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/expr.go b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/expr.go
index cb044532cbc..672a9e2675b 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/expr.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/expr.go
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ func skipParenthesis(node sqlparser.Expr) sqlparser.Expr {
 //
 // If an expression has no references to the current query, then the left-most
 // origin is chosen as the default.
-func (pb *primitiveBuilder) findOrigin(expr sqlparser.Expr) (origin builder, err error) {
+func (pb *primitiveBuilder) findOrigin(expr sqlparser.Expr) (origin builder, pushExpr sqlparser.Expr, err error) {
 	highestOrigin := pb.bldr.First()
 	var subroutes []*route
 	err = sqlparser.Walk(func(node sqlparser.SQLNode) (kontinue bool, err error) {
@@ -120,30 +120,33 @@ func (pb *primitiveBuilder) findOrigin(expr sqlparser.Expr) (origin builder, err
 			subroutes = append(subroutes, subroute)
 			return false, nil
 		case *sqlparser.FuncExpr:
+			switch {
 			// If it's last_insert_id, ensure it's a single unsharded route.
-			if !node.Name.EqualString("last_insert_id") {
-				return true, nil
-			}
-			if rb, isRoute := pb.bldr.(*route); !isRoute || rb.ERoute.Keyspace.Sharded {
-				return false, errors.New("unsupported: LAST_INSERT_ID is only allowed for unsharded keyspaces")
+			case node.Name.EqualString("last_insert_id"):
+				if rb, isRoute := pb.bldr.(*route); !isRoute || rb.ERoute.Keyspace.Sharded {
+					return false, errors.New("unsupported: LAST_INSERT_ID is only allowed for unsharded keyspaces")
+				}
+			case node.Name.EqualString("database"):
+				expr = sqlparser.ReplaceExpr(expr, node, sqlparser.NewStrVal([]byte(pb.vschema.TargetString())))
 			}
+			return true, nil
 		}
 		return true, nil
 	}, expr)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 	highestRoute, isRoute := highestOrigin.(*route)
 	if !isRoute && len(subroutes) > 0 {
-		return nil, errors.New("unsupported: subquery cannot be merged with cross-shard subquery")
+		return nil, nil, errors.New("unsupported: subquery cannot be merged with cross-shard subquery")
 	}
 	for _, subroute := range subroutes {
 		if err := highestRoute.SubqueryCanMerge(pb, subroute); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return nil, nil, err
 		}
 		subroute.Redirect = highestRoute
 	}
-	return highestOrigin, nil
+	return highestOrigin, expr, nil
 }
 
 func hasSubquery(node sqlparser.SQLNode) bool {
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/from.go b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/from.go
index e6541b6fe2b..cc0571821fe 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/from.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/from.go
@@ -315,13 +315,12 @@ func (pb *primitiveBuilder) mergeRoutes(rpb *primitiveBuilder, ajoin *sqlparser.
 	if ajoin == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
+	_, expr, err := pb.findOrigin(ajoin.Condition.On)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	ajoin.Condition.On = expr
 	for _, filter := range splitAndExpression(nil, ajoin.Condition.On) {
-		// If VTGate evolves, this section should be rewritten
-		// to use processExpr.
-		_, err = pb.findOrigin(filter)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
 		lRoute.UpdatePlan(pb, filter)
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/plan_test.go b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/plan_test.go
index 409a40f869b..d6bcd90d667 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/plan_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/plan_test.go
@@ -210,6 +210,10 @@ func (vw *vschemaWrapper) DefaultKeyspace() (*vindexes.Keyspace, error) {
 	return vw.v.Keyspaces["main"].Keyspace, nil
 }
 
+func (vw *vschemaWrapper) TargetString() string {
+	return "targetString"
+}
+
 // For the purposes of this set of tests, just compare the actual plan
 // and ignore all the metrics.
 type testPlan struct {
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/select.go b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/select.go
index cb1e854ba4e..76d5f73ec26 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/select.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/planbuilder/select.go
@@ -119,11 +119,11 @@ func (pb *primitiveBuilder) pushFilter(boolExpr sqlparser.Expr, whereType string
 	filters := splitAndExpression(nil, boolExpr)
 	reorderBySubquery(filters)
 	for _, filter := range filters {
-		origin, err := pb.findOrigin(filter)
+		origin, expr, err := pb.findOrigin(filter)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if err := pb.bldr.PushFilter(pb, filter, whereType, origin); err != nil {
+		if err := pb.bldr.PushFilter(pb, expr, whereType, origin); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -168,10 +168,11 @@ func (pb *primitiveBuilder) pushSelectRoutes(selectExprs sqlparser.SelectExprs)
 	for i, node := range selectExprs {
 		switch node := node.(type) {
 		case *sqlparser.AliasedExpr:
-			origin, err := pb.findOrigin(node.Expr)
+			origin, expr, err := pb.findOrigin(node.Expr)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
+			node.Expr = expr
 			resultColumns[i], _, err = pb.bldr.PushSelect(node, origin)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/vcursor_impl.go b/go/vt/vtgate/vcursor_impl.go
index 8c0f02c8c02..60b7328231d 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/vcursor_impl.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/vcursor_impl.go
@@ -128,6 +128,11 @@ func (vc *vcursorImpl) DefaultKeyspace() (*vindexes.Keyspace, error) {
 	return ks.Keyspace, nil
 }
 
+// TargetString returns the current TargetString of the session.
+func (vc *vcursorImpl) TargetString() string {
+	return vc.safeSession.TargetString
+}
+
 // Execute performs a V3 level execution of the query.
 func (vc *vcursorImpl) Execute(method string, query string, BindVars map[string]*querypb.BindVariable, isDML bool) (*sqltypes.Result, error) {
 	qr, err := vc.executor.Execute(vc.ctx, method, vc.safeSession, vc.marginComments.Leading+query+vc.marginComments.Trailing, BindVars)