diff --git a/app/services/badge_granter.rb b/app/services/badge_granter.rb
index b34b6543beb..670ada829eb 100644
--- a/app/services/badge_granter.rb
+++ b/app/services/badge_granter.rb
@@ -192,7 +192,8 @@ class BadgeGranter
      end
 
     query_plan = nil
-    query_plan = ActiveRecord::Base.exec_sql("EXPLAIN #{sql}", params) if opts[:explain]
+    # HACK: active record is weird, force it to go down the sanitization path that cares not for % stuff
+    query_plan = ActiveRecord::Base.exec_sql("EXPLAIN #{sql} /*:backfill*/", params) if opts[:explain]
 
     sample = SqlBuilder.map_exec(OpenStruct, grants_sql, params).map(&:to_h)
 
diff --git a/spec/services/badge_granter_spec.rb b/spec/services/badge_granter_spec.rb
index 37e5caec18f..8eec7f2b16b 100644
--- a/spec/services/badge_granter_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/badge_granter_spec.rb
@@ -38,8 +38,10 @@ describe BadgeGranter do
   describe 'preview' do
     it 'can correctly preview' do
       Fabricate(:user, email: 'sam@gmail.com')
-      result = BadgeGranter.preview('select id user_id, null post_id, created_at granted_at from users where email like \'%gmail.com\'')
+      result = BadgeGranter.preview('select id user_id, null post_id, created_at granted_at from users
+                                     where email like \'%gmail.com\'', explain: true)
       expect(result[:grant_count]).to eq(1)
+      expect(result[:query_plan]).to be_present
     end
   end