diff --git a/pkg/naming/metric_namer.go b/pkg/naming/metric_namer.go
index 32e96e36..b92c7610 100644
--- a/pkg/naming/metric_namer.go
+++ b/pkg/naming/metric_namer.go
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ func NamersFromConfig(cfg []config.DiscoveryRule, mapper apimeta.RESTMapper) ([]
 			namespaced = *rule.Resources.Namespaced
 		}
 
-		metricsQuery, err := NewMetricsQuery(rule.MetricsQuery, resConv, namespaced)
+		metricsQuery, err := NewExternalMetricsQuery(rule.MetricsQuery, resConv, namespaced)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to construct metrics query associated with series query %q: %v", rule.SeriesQuery, err)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/naming/metrics_query.go b/pkg/naming/metrics_query.go
index c7f5c156..0dbc13a5 100644
--- a/pkg/naming/metrics_query.go
+++ b/pkg/naming/metrics_query.go
@@ -50,7 +50,27 @@ type MetricsQuery interface {
 // - LabelMatchersByName: the raw map-form of the above matchers
 // - GroupBy: the group-by clause to use for the resources in the query (stringified)
 // - GroupBySlice: the raw slice form of the above group-by clause
-func NewMetricsQuery(queryTemplate string, resourceConverter ResourceConverter, namespaced bool) (MetricsQuery, error) {
+func NewMetricsQuery(queryTemplate string, resourceConverter ResourceConverter) (MetricsQuery, error) {
+	templ, err := template.New("metrics-query").Delims("<<", ">>").Parse(queryTemplate)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to parse metrics query template %q: %v", queryTemplate, err)
+	}
+
+	return &metricsQuery{
+		resConverter: resourceConverter,
+		template:     templ,
+		namespaced:   true,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// NewExternalMetricsQuery constructs a new MetricsQuery by compiling the given Go template.
+// The delimiters on the template are `<<` and `>>`, and it may use the following fields:
+// - Series: the series in question
+// - LabelMatchers: a pre-stringified form of the label matchers for the resources in the query
+// - LabelMatchersByName: the raw map-form of the above matchers
+// - GroupBy: the group-by clause to use for the resources in the query (stringified)
+// - GroupBySlice: the raw slice form of the above group-by clause
+func NewExternalMetricsQuery(queryTemplate string, resourceConverter ResourceConverter, namespaced bool) (MetricsQuery, error) {
 	templ, err := template.New("metrics-query").Delims("<<", ">>").Parse(queryTemplate)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to parse metrics query template %q: %v", queryTemplate, err)
diff --git a/pkg/naming/metrics_query_test.go b/pkg/naming/metrics_query_test.go
index 36f0d110..ebd23ce7 100644
--- a/pkg/naming/metrics_query_test.go
+++ b/pkg/naming/metrics_query_test.go
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func checks(cs ...checkFunc) checkFunc {
 
 func TestBuildSelector(t *testing.T) {
 	mustNewQuery := func(queryTemplate string, namespaced bool) MetricsQuery {
-		mq, err := NewMetricsQuery(queryTemplate, &resourceConverterMock{namespaced}, true)
+		mq, err := NewMetricsQuery(queryTemplate, &resourceConverterMock{namespaced})
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ func TestBuildSelector(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestBuildExternalSelector(t *testing.T) {
 	mustNewQuery := func(queryTemplate string) MetricsQuery {
-		mq, err := NewMetricsQuery(queryTemplate, &resourceConverterMock{true}, true)
+		mq, err := NewExternalMetricsQuery(queryTemplate, &resourceConverterMock{true}, true)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ func TestBuildExternalSelector(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	mustNewNonNamespacedQuery := func(queryTemplate string) MetricsQuery {
-		mq, err := NewMetricsQuery(queryTemplate, &resourceConverterMock{true}, false)
+		mq, err := NewExternalMetricsQuery(queryTemplate, &resourceConverterMock{true}, false)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/resourceprovider/provider.go b/pkg/resourceprovider/provider.go
index 18376e69..371eee0b 100644
--- a/pkg/resourceprovider/provider.go
+++ b/pkg/resourceprovider/provider.go
@@ -54,11 +54,11 @@ func newResourceQuery(cfg config.ResourceRule, mapper apimeta.RESTMapper) (resou
 		return resourceQuery{}, fmt.Errorf("unable to construct label-resource converter: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	contQuery, err := naming.NewMetricsQuery(cfg.ContainerQuery, converter, true)
+	contQuery, err := naming.NewMetricsQuery(cfg.ContainerQuery, converter)
 	if err != nil {
 		return resourceQuery{}, fmt.Errorf("unable to construct container metrics query: %v", err)
 	}
-	nodeQuery, err := naming.NewMetricsQuery(cfg.NodeQuery, converter, true)
+	nodeQuery, err := naming.NewMetricsQuery(cfg.NodeQuery, converter)
 	if err != nil {
 		return resourceQuery{}, fmt.Errorf("unable to construct node metrics query: %v", err)
 	}