diff --git a/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWTransclusionModel.js b/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWTransclusionModel.js
index b5f0288635..13bdf9d61b 100644
--- a/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWTransclusionModel.js
+++ b/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWTransclusionModel.js
@@ -311,6 +311,9 @@
 			action: 'templatedata',
 			titles: titles,
 			lang: mw.config.get( 'wgUserLanguage' ),
+			format: 'json',
+			formatversion: '2',
+			doNotIgnoreMissingTitles: '1',
 			redirects: '1'
 		} ).done( this.fetchRequestDone.bind( this, titles, specs ) );
 		xhr.always( this.fetchRequestAlways.bind( this, queue, xhr ) );
@@ -318,12 +321,25 @@
 	};
 
 	ve.dm.MWTransclusionModel.prototype.fetchRequestDone = function ( titles, specs, data ) {
-		var i, len, id, title, aliasMap = [];
+		var i, len, id, title, missingTitle, aliasMap = [];
 
 		if ( data && data.pages ) {
 			// Keep spec data on hand for future use
 			for ( id in data.pages ) {
-				specs[ data.pages[ id ].title ] = data.pages[ id ];
+				title = data.pages[ id ].title;
+
+				if ( data.pages[ id ].missing ) {
+					// Remmeber templates that don't exist in the link cache
+					// { title: { missing: true|false }
+					missingTitle = {};
+					missingTitle[ title ] = { missing: true };
+					ve.init.platform.linkCache.setMissing( missingTitle );
+				} else if ( data.pages[ id ].notemplatedata ) {
+					// Prevent asking again for templates that have no specs
+					specs[ title ] = null;
+				} else {
+					specs[ title ] = data.pages[ id ];
+				}
 			}
 			// Follow redirects
 			if ( data.redirects ) {
@@ -342,14 +358,6 @@
 				}
 			}
 
-			// Prevent asking again for templates that have no specs
-			for ( i = 0, len = titles.length; i < len; i++ ) {
-				title = titles[ i ];
-				if ( !specs[ title ] ) {
-					specs[ title ] = null;
-				}
-			}
-
 			ve.extendObject( specCache, specs );
 		}
 	};
diff --git a/modules/ve-mw/ui/widgets/ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget.js b/modules/ve-mw/ui/widgets/ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget.js
index b4aa333357..2195eaebdf 100644
--- a/modules/ve-mw/ui/widgets/ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget.js
+++ b/modules/ve-mw/ui/widgets/ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget.js
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget = function VeUiMWTemplateTitleInputWidget( conf
 
 /* Inheritance */
 
+// FIXME: This should extend mw.widgets.TitleSearchWidget instead
 OO.inheritClass( ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget, mw.widgets.TitleInputWidget );
 
 /* Methods */
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget.prototype.getLookupRequest = function () {
 	if ( this.showTemplateDescriptions ) {
 		return promise
 			.then( function ( response ) {
-				var xhr, pageId, index, params, redirIndex,
+				var xhr, pageId, index, redirIndex,
 					redirects = ( response.query && response.query.redirects ) || {},
 					origPages = ( response.query && response.query.pages ) || {},
 					newPages = [],
@@ -84,27 +85,36 @@ ve.ui.MWTemplateTitleInputWidget.prototype.getLookupRequest = function () {
 				originalResponse = response; // lie!
 
 				// Also get descriptions
+				// FIXME: This should go through MWTransclusionModel rather than duplicate.
 				if ( titles.length > 0 ) {
-					params = {
+					xhr = widget.getApi().get( {
 						action: 'templatedata',
+						format: 'json',
+						formatversion: '2',
 						titles: titles,
+						redirects: !!widget.showRedirects,
+						doNotIgnoreMissingTitles: '1',
 						lang: mw.config.get( 'wgUserLanguage' )
-					};
-					if ( widget.showRedirects ) {
-						params.redirects = '1';
-					}
-					xhr = widget.getApi().get( params );
+					} );
 					return xhr.promise( { abort: xhr.abort } );
 				}
 			} )
 			.then( function ( templateDataResponse ) {
-				var index, page,
+				var index, page, missingTitle,
 					pages = ( templateDataResponse && templateDataResponse.pages ) || {};
 				// Look for descriptions and cache them
 				for ( index in pages ) {
 					page = pages[ index ];
-					// Cache descriptions
-					widget.descriptions[ page.title ] = page.description;
+					if ( page.missing ) {
+						// Remmeber templates that don't exist in the link cache
+						// { title: { missing: true|false }
+						missingTitle = {};
+						missingTitle[ page.title ] = { missing: true };
+						ve.init.platform.linkCache.setMissing( missingTitle );
+					} else if ( !page.notemplatedata ) {
+						// Cache descriptions
+						widget.descriptions[ page.title ] = page.description;
+					}
 				}
 				// Return the original response
 				return originalResponse;