diff --git a/src/editors/describedby.js b/src/editors/describedby.js
index 39ac25c2c..0f46547a5 100644
--- a/src/editors/describedby.js
+++ b/src/editors/describedby.js
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ export class DescribedByEditor extends AbstractEditor {
     const holder = this.theme.getChildEditorHolder()
     this.editor_holder.appendChild(holder)
 
-    const schema = extend({}, this.schema, this.jsoneditor.refs[ref])
+    const schema = extend({}, this.schema, { $ref: ref })
 
     const editorClass = this.jsoneditor.getEditorClass(schema, this.jsoneditor)
 
diff --git a/src/validator.js b/src/validator.js
index c334aaac4..4c2caade6 100644
--- a/src/validator.js
+++ b/src/validator.js
@@ -720,12 +720,12 @@ export class Validator {
 
   _expandSchemaLink (schema, m) {
     const href = schema.links[m].href
-    const data = this.jsoneditor.root.getValue()
+    const data = this.getWatchedFieldValues()
     const template = this.jsoneditor.compileTemplate(href, this.jsoneditor.template)
     const ref = document.location.origin + document.location.pathname + template(data)
 
     schema.links = schema.links.slice(0, m).concat(schema.links.slice(m + 1))
-    return extend({}, schema, this.jsoneditor.refs[ref])
+    return extend({}, schema, { $ref: ref })
   }
 
   _validateV3Required (schema, value, path) {