diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/__tests__/metric_vis_controller.js b/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/__tests__/metric_vis_controller.js
index 313872b4fd093..7ce5cb6ab1824 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/__tests__/metric_vis_controller.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/__tests__/metric_vis_controller.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ describe('metric vis', function () {
     fieldFormatter: () => {
       return formatter;
     },
-    schema: {}
+    type: {}
   };
 
   let metricController;
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/metric_vis_controller.js b/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/metric_vis_controller.js
index 5a09ef58b561e..fa9adb7885ced 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/metric_vis_controller.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metric_vis/public/metric_vis_controller.js
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ export class MetricVisComponent extends Component {
       table.columns.forEach((column, columnIndex) => {
         const aggConfig = column.aggConfig;
 
-        if (aggConfig && aggConfig.schema.group === 'buckets') {
+        if (aggConfig && aggConfig.type.type === 'buckets') {
           bucketAgg = aggConfig;
           // Store the current index, so we later know in which position in the
           // row array, the bucket agg key will be, so we can create filters on it.
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_response/hierarchical/__tests__/transform_aggregation.js b/src/ui/public/agg_response/hierarchical/__tests__/transform_aggregation.js
index 86b5b1b44938f..ba8b72636b647 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_response/hierarchical/__tests__/transform_aggregation.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_response/hierarchical/__tests__/transform_aggregation.js
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ describe('buildHierarchicalData()', function () {
         return {
           id: id,
           name: name,
-          schema: { group: 'buckets' },
+          type: { type: 'buckets' },
           getKey: (bucket) => bucket.key,
           fieldFormatter: _.constant(String)
         };
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/_get_columns.js b/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/_get_columns.js
index 46c3059feaaba..e5010f0f0358a 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/_get_columns.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/_get_columns.js
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export function tabifyGetColumns(aggs, minimal, hierarchical) {
 
   // separate the metrics
   const grouped = _.groupBy(aggs, function (agg) {
-    return agg.schema.group;
+    return agg.type.type;
   });
 
   if (!grouped.buckets) {
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/tabify.js b/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/tabify.js
index e12d4e43c45f2..05ec560d5214a 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/tabify.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_response/tabify/tabify.js
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ function collectBucket(write, bucket, key, aggScale) {
   const aggInfo = agg.write(write.aggs);
   aggScale *= aggInfo.metricScale || 1;
 
-  switch (agg.schema.group) {
+  switch (agg.type.type) {
     case 'buckets':
       const buckets = new TabifyBuckets(bucket[agg.id], agg.params);
       if (buckets.length) {
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ function collectBucket(write, bucket, key, aggScale) {
 function passEmptyBuckets(write, bucket, key, aggScale) {
   const agg = write.aggStack.shift();
 
-  switch (agg.schema.group) {
+  switch (agg.type.type) {
     case 'metrics':
       // pass control back to collectBucket()
       write.aggStack.unshift(agg);
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/agg_param_writer.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/agg_param_writer.js
index c9182b2271428..bddb4a9a7f3dc 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/agg_param_writer.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/__tests__/agg_param_writer.js
@@ -20,14 +20,11 @@
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import { VisProvider } from '../../vis';
 import { aggTypes } from '..';
-import { VisTypesRegistryProvider } from '../../registry/vis_types';
 import FixturesStubbedLogstashIndexPatternProvider from 'fixtures/stubbed_logstash_index_pattern';
-import { AggConfig } from '../../vis/agg_config';
 
 // eslint-disable-next-line @elastic/kibana-custom/no-default-export
 export default function AggParamWriterHelper(Private) {
   const Vis = Private(VisProvider);
-  const visTypes = Private(VisTypesRegistryProvider);
   const stubbedLogstashIndexPattern = Private(FixturesStubbedLogstashIndexPatternProvider);
 
   /**
@@ -60,32 +57,16 @@ export default function AggParamWriterHelper(Private) {
     // not configurable right now, but totally required
     self.indexPattern = stubbedLogstashIndexPattern;
 
-    // the vis type we will use to write the aggParams
-    self.visType = null;
-
     // the schema that the aggType satisfies
     self.visAggSchema = null;
 
-    // find a suitable vis type and schema
-    _.find(visTypes, function (visType) {
-      const schema = _.find(visType.schemas.all, function (schema) {
-        // type, type, type, type, type... :(
-        return schema.group === self.aggType.type;
-      });
-
-      if (schema) {
-        self.visType = visType;
-        self.visAggSchema = schema;
-        return true;
-      }
-    });
-
-    if (!self.aggType || !self.visType || !self.visAggSchema) {
-      throw new Error('unable to find a usable visType and schema for the ' + opts.aggType + ' agg type');
-    }
-
     self.vis = new Vis(self.indexPattern, {
-      type: self.visType.name
+      type: 'histogram',
+      aggs: [{
+        id: 1,
+        type: self.aggType.name,
+        params: {}
+      }]
     });
   }
 
@@ -108,23 +89,10 @@ export default function AggParamWriterHelper(Private) {
     }
 
 
-    const agg = new AggConfig(self.vis, {
-      id: 1,
-      schema: self.visAggSchema.name,
-      type: self.aggType.name,
-      params: paramValues
-    });
-
-    self.vis.setState({
-      type: self.vis.type.name,
-      aggs: [agg.toJSON()]
-    });
-
-    const aggConfig = _.find(self.vis.aggs, function (aggConfig) {
-      return aggConfig.type === self.aggType;
-    });
+    const aggConfig = self.vis.aggs[0];
+    aggConfig.setParams(paramValues);
 
-    return aggConfig.type.params.write(aggConfig, self.vis.aggs);
+    return aggConfig.write(self.vis.aggs);
   };
 
   return AggParamWriter;
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/_terms_other_bucket_helper.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/_terms_other_bucket_helper.js
index 0a10fa5c5e489..338a427674329 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/_terms_other_bucket_helper.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/_terms_other_bucket_helper.js
@@ -113,9 +113,6 @@ const buildOtherBucketAgg = (aggConfigs, aggWithOtherBucket, response) => {
   const filterAgg = new AggConfig(aggConfigs[index].vis, {
     type: 'filters',
     id: 'other',
-    schema: {
-      group: 'buckets'
-    }
   });
 
   // nest all the child aggregations of aggWithOtherBucket
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/geo_hash.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/geo_hash.js
index 7acbb63577e1c..3cc5facd3ae39 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/geo_hash.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/buckets/geo_hash.js
@@ -159,8 +159,7 @@ export const geoHashBucketAgg = new BucketAggType({
         enabled: true,
         params: {
           field: agg.getField()
-        },
-        schema: 'metric'
+        }
       }));
     }
 
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_controller.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_controller.js
index ddd642b463fe6..a2df4ec6ac977 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_controller.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/lib/parent_pipeline_agg_controller.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const parentPipelineAggController = function ($scope) {
   $scope.$watch('agg.params.metricAgg', updateOrderAgg);
 
   $scope.$on('$destroy', function () {
-    const lastBucket = _.findLast($scope.vis.getAggConfig(), agg => agg.schema.group === 'buckets');
+    const lastBucket = _.findLast($scope.vis.getAggConfig(), agg => agg.type.type === 'buckets');
     if ($scope.aggForm && $scope.aggForm.agg) {
       $scope.aggForm.agg.$setValidity('bucket', true);
     }
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ const parentPipelineAggController = function ($scope) {
   };
 
   function checkBuckets() {
-    const lastBucket = _.findLast($scope.vis.getAggConfig(), agg => agg.schema.group === 'buckets');
+    const lastBucket = _.findLast($scope.vis.getAggConfig(), agg => agg.type.type === 'buckets');
     const bucketHasType = lastBucket && lastBucket.type;
     const bucketIsHistogram = bucketHasType && ['date_histogram', 'histogram'].includes(lastBucket.type.name);
     const canUseAggregation = lastBucket && bucketIsHistogram;
diff --git a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/top_hit.js b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/top_hit.js
index 9b44f4938b8f8..a20d88eafa520 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/top_hit.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/agg_types/metrics/top_hit.js
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ export const topHitMetricAgg = new MetricAggType({
       ],
       controller: function ($scope) {
         $scope.options = [];
-        $scope.$watchGroup([ 'agg.vis.type.name', 'agg.params.field.type' ], function ([ visName, fieldType ]) {
+        $scope.$watchGroup([ 'vis.type.name', 'agg.params.field.type' ], function ([ visName, fieldType ]) {
           if (fieldType && visName) {
             $scope.options = _.filter($scope.aggParam.options, option => {
               return option.isCompatibleVis(visName) && option.isCompatibleType(fieldType);
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vis/agg_config_result.js b/src/ui/public/vis/agg_config_result.js
index c8bf67cdcc535..75da837e6ee1c 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vis/agg_config_result.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vis/agg_config_result.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export default function AggConfigResult(aggConfig, parent, value, key, filters)
   this.filters = filters;
   this.$parent = parent;
 
-  if (aggConfig.schema.group === 'buckets') {
+  if (aggConfig.type.type === 'buckets') {
     this.type = 'bucket';
   } else {
     this.type = 'metric';
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vis/agg_configs.js b/src/ui/public/vis/agg_configs.js
index c6c688db666f1..de7e805158641 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vis/agg_configs.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vis/agg_configs.js
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ class AggConfigs extends IndexedArray {
 
         parseParentAggs(dslLvlCursor, dsl);
 
-        if (config.schema.group === 'buckets' && i < list.length - 1) {
+        if (config.type.type === 'buckets' && i < list.length - 1) {
         // buckets that are not the last item in the list accept sub-aggs
           subAggs = dsl.aggs || (dsl.aggs = {});
         }
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ class AggConfigs extends IndexedArray {
       return aggs ? requestValuesAggs.concat(aggs) : requestValuesAggs;
     }, []);
     //move metrics to the end
-    return _.sortBy(aggregations, agg => agg.schema.group === 'metrics' ? 1 : 0);
+    return _.sortBy(aggregations, agg => agg.type.type === 'metrics' ? 1 : 0);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/ui/public/visualize/loader/visualize_data_loader.js b/src/ui/public/visualize/loader/visualize_data_loader.js
index c93351ff9bd82..3cd5d5472aa70 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/visualize/loader/visualize_data_loader.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/visualize/loader/visualize_data_loader.js
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ export class VisualizeDataLoader {
       return this._visData;
     }
     catch (e) {
-      this.props.searchSource.cancelQueued();
+      props.searchSource.cancelQueued();
       this._vis.requestError = e;
       if (isTermSizeZeroError(e)) {
         return toastNotifications.addDanger(