diff --git a/src/components/CreateScenarioButton/CreateScenarioButton.spec.js b/src/components/CreateScenarioButton/CreateScenarioButton.spec.js
index 858cbf296..cee669a96 100644
--- a/src/components/CreateScenarioButton/CreateScenarioButton.spec.js
+++ b/src/components/CreateScenarioButton/CreateScenarioButton.spec.js
@@ -118,25 +118,21 @@ describe('CreateScenarioButton', () => {
   });
 
   describe('Filter dataset List', () => {
-    const applyDatasetFilterToState = (state, datasetFilter) => {
-      state.workspace.current.data.linkedDatasetIdList = datasetFilter;
+    const setUpWithDatasetFilter = (linkedDatasetIdList) => {
+      const state = getStateWithWorkspaceRole(ROLES.WORKSPACE.ADMIN);
+      state.workspace.current.data.linkedDatasetIdList = linkedDatasetIdList;
+      setUp(state);
     };
 
-    const setUpWithDatasetFilter = (datasetFilter) => {
-      const initialState = getStateWithWorkspaceRole(ROLES.WORKSPACE.ADMIN);
-      applyDatasetFilterToState(initialState, datasetFilter);
-      setUp(initialState);
-    };
-
-    test('when filter is missing, datasets are filtered', () => {
+    test('when filter is missing, all datasets are shown', () => {
       setUpWithDatasetFilter(undefined);
-      expect(mockCreateScenarioUIProps.datasets).toEqual([]);
+      expect(mockCreateScenarioUIProps.datasets).toEqual(DEFAULT_REDUX_STATE.dataset.list.data);
     });
 
-    test('when filter is not an array, datasets are filtered', () => {
+    test('when filter is not an array, it is ignored and all datasets are shown', () => {
       setUpWithDatasetFilter('notAnArrayFilter');
       expect(spyConsoleWarn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-      expect(mockCreateScenarioUIProps.datasets).toEqual([]);
+      expect(mockCreateScenarioUIProps.datasets).toEqual(DEFAULT_REDUX_STATE.dataset.list.data);
     });
 
     test('must return an empty list of datasets if the filter is an empty list', () => {
@@ -145,12 +141,10 @@ describe('CreateScenarioButton', () => {
       expect(mockCreateScenarioUIProps.datasets).toEqual([]);
     });
 
-    test('when dataset filter contains no dataset id on list it should be ignored', () => {
+    test('when dataset filter contains no dataset id on list, the resulting list should be empty', () => {
       const datasetFilter = ['fakeDatasetId1', 'fakeDatasetId2'];
       setUpWithDatasetFilter(datasetFilter);
-
-      expect(spyConsoleWarn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-      expect(mockCreateScenarioUIProps.datasets).toEqual(DEFAULT_REDUX_STATE.dataset.list.data);
+      expect(mockCreateScenarioUIProps.datasets).toEqual([]);
     });
 
     test('when filter is present only datasets with id filtered should be present', () => {
diff --git a/src/hooks/WorkspaceDatasetsHooks.js b/src/hooks/WorkspaceDatasetsHooks.js
index d9b0794a4..791770dbe 100644
--- a/src/hooks/WorkspaceDatasetsHooks.js
+++ b/src/hooks/WorkspaceDatasetsHooks.js
@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@ export const useWorkspaceDatasets = () => {
   const workspaceDatasetsFilter = useWorkspaceDatasetsFilter();
 
   return useMemo(() => {
-    const getMainDatasets = () => datasets.filter((dataset) => dataset.main === true);
-    if (!workspaceDatasetsFilter) return getMainDatasets();
+    if (!workspaceDatasetsFilter) return datasets;
 
     const workspaceDatasets = [];
     workspaceDatasetsFilter.forEach((filterItem) => {
@@ -22,11 +21,6 @@ export const useWorkspaceDatasets = () => {
       }
     });
 
-    if (workspaceDatasetsFilter.length > 0 && workspaceDatasets.length === 0) {
-      console.warn('Ignoring datasets filter because no matching datasets have been found');
-      return getMainDatasets();
-    }
-
     return workspaceDatasets;
   }, [datasets, workspaceDatasetsFilter]);
 };
diff --git a/src/state/hooks/WorkspaceHooks.js b/src/state/hooks/WorkspaceHooks.js
index 830e4cf03..af3dd59a6 100644
--- a/src/state/hooks/WorkspaceHooks.js
+++ b/src/state/hooks/WorkspaceHooks.js
@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ export const useWorkspaceDatasetsFilter = () => {
   const workspaceData = useWorkspaceData();
 
   return useMemo(() => {
-    let filter = workspaceData?.linkedDatasetIdList ?? [];
-    if (!Array.isArray(filter)) {
+    let filter = workspaceData?.linkedDatasetIdList;
+    if (filter != null && !Array.isArray(filter)) {
       console.warn('Ignoring datasets filter "linkedDatasetIdList" because it is not an array');
-      return [];
+      filter = undefined;
     }
 
-    const deprecatedFilter = workspaceData?.webApp?.options?.datasetFilter;
+    let deprecatedFilter = workspaceData?.webApp?.options?.datasetFilter;
     if (deprecatedFilter != null) {
       console.warn(
         `Deprecated option used in configuration of workspace ${workspaceData?.id}` +
@@ -30,12 +30,14 @@ export const useWorkspaceDatasetsFilter = () => {
           '.\nWorkspace key "webApp.options.datasetFilter" is deprecated. Please use the Cosmo Tech API to link ' +
           'these datasets to your workspace instead.'
       );
-      if (!Array.isArray(deprecatedFilter))
+      if (!Array.isArray(deprecatedFilter)) {
         console.warn('Ignoring deprecated option "datasetFilter" because it is not an array');
-      else filter = filter.concat(deprecatedFilter);
+        deprecatedFilter = undefined;
+      }
     }
 
-    return filter;
+    if (filter == null && deprecatedFilter == null) return undefined;
+    return (filter ?? []).concat(deprecatedFilter ?? []);
   }, [
     workspaceData?.id,
     workspaceData?.name,