diff --git a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSlice.java b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSlice.java
index 8cc6cf4ca83..dd59dfebd80 100644
--- a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSlice.java
+++ b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSlice.java
@@ -20,10 +20,12 @@
 package org.apache.druid.msq.input.table;
 
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonCreator;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonInclude;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonTypeName;
 import org.apache.druid.msq.input.InputSlice;
 
+import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Objects;
 
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ public class SegmentsInputSlice implements InputSlice
   public SegmentsInputSlice(
       @JsonProperty("dataSource") String dataSource,
       @JsonProperty("segments") List<RichSegmentDescriptor> descriptors,
-      @JsonProperty("servedSegments") List<DataServerRequestDescriptor> servedSegments
+      @JsonProperty("servedSegments") @Nullable List<DataServerRequestDescriptor> servedSegments
   )
   {
     this.dataSource = dataSource;
@@ -70,7 +72,9 @@ public class SegmentsInputSlice implements InputSlice
     return descriptors;
   }
 
+  @Nullable
   @JsonProperty("servedSegments")
+  @JsonInclude(JsonInclude.Include.NON_NULL)
   public List<DataServerRequestDescriptor> getServedSegments()
   {
     return servedSegments;
diff --git a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceReader.java b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceReader.java
index 648bd95c6c3..dcc562ebbf8 100644
--- a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceReader.java
+++ b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceReader.java
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ public class SegmentsInputSliceReader implements InputSliceReader
   public int numReadableInputs(InputSlice slice)
   {
     final SegmentsInputSlice segmentsInputSlice = (SegmentsInputSlice) slice;
-    return segmentsInputSlice.getDescriptors().size() + segmentsInputSlice.getServedSegments().size();
+    final int servedSegmentsSize = segmentsInputSlice.getServedSegments() == null ? 0 : segmentsInputSlice.getServedSegments().size();
+    return segmentsInputSlice.getDescriptors().size() + servedSegmentsSize;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -78,15 +79,19 @@ public class SegmentsInputSliceReader implements InputSliceReader
                 counters.channel(CounterNames.inputChannel(inputNumber)).setTotalFiles(slice.fileCount())
             ), ReadableInput::segment);
 
-    Iterator<ReadableInput> dataServerIterator =
-        Iterators.transform(
-            dataServerIterator(
-                segmentsInputSlice.getDataSource(),
-                segmentsInputSlice.getServedSegments(),
-                counters.channel(CounterNames.inputChannel(inputNumber)).setTotalFiles(slice.fileCount())
-            ), ReadableInput::dataServerQuery);
+    if (segmentsInputSlice.getServedSegments() == null) {
+      return ReadableInputs.segments(() -> segmentIterator);
+    } else {
+      Iterator<ReadableInput> dataServerIterator =
+          Iterators.transform(
+              dataServerIterator(
+                  segmentsInputSlice.getDataSource(),
+                  segmentsInputSlice.getServedSegments(),
+                  counters.channel(CounterNames.inputChannel(inputNumber)).setTotalFiles(slice.fileCount())
+              ), ReadableInput::dataServerQuery);
 
-    return ReadableInputs.segments(() -> Iterators.concat(dataServerIterator, segmentIterator));
+      return ReadableInputs.segments(() -> Iterators.concat(dataServerIterator, segmentIterator));
+    }
   }
 
   private Iterator<SegmentWithDescriptor> dataSegmentIterator(
diff --git a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceTest.java b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceTest.java
index 4f89f3cf378..da0b5dd9a66 100644
--- a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceTest.java
+++ b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/msq/input/table/SegmentsInputSliceTest.java
@@ -78,6 +78,43 @@ public class SegmentsInputSliceTest
     );
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testSerde2() throws Exception
+  {
+    final ObjectMapper mapper = TestHelper.makeJsonMapper()
+                                          .registerModules(new MSQIndexingModule().getJacksonModules());
+
+    final String sliceString = "{\n"
+                               + "    \"type\": \"segments\","
+                               + "    \"dataSource\": \"myds\",\n"
+                               + "    \"segments\": [\n"
+                               + "        {\n"
+                               + "            \"itvl\": \"2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z/2000-02-01T00:00:00.000Z\",\n"
+                               + "            \"ver\": \"1\",\n"
+                               + "            \"part\": 0\n"
+                               + "        }\n"
+                               + "    ]\n"
+                               + "}";
+
+    final SegmentsInputSlice expectedSlice = new SegmentsInputSlice(
+        "myds",
+        ImmutableList.of(
+            new RichSegmentDescriptor(
+                Intervals.of("2000/P1M"),
+                Intervals.of("2000/P1M"),
+                "1",
+                0
+            )
+        ),
+        null
+    );
+
+    Assert.assertEquals(
+        expectedSlice,
+        mapper.readValue(sliceString, InputSlice.class)
+    );
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testEquals()
   {