diff --git a/cypress/fixtures/flows/dashboard-tables.json b/cypress/fixtures/flows/dashboard-tables.json
index 0bd3c3ea5..8e4ea40d9 100644
--- a/cypress/fixtures/flows/dashboard-tables.json
+++ b/cypress/fixtures/flows/dashboard-tables.json
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
         "group": "dashboard-ui-group",
         "name": "Default",
         "label": "text",
+        "action": "replace",
         "order": 0,
         "width": 0,
         "height": 0,
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@
         "group": "dashboard-ui-group",
         "name": "Max Rows: 2",
         "label": "text",
+        "action": "replace",
         "order": 0,
         "width": 0,
         "height": 0,
@@ -100,6 +102,7 @@
         "group": "dashboard-ui-group",
         "name": "Single Row Selection",
         "label": "text",
+        "action": "replace",
         "order": 0,
         "width": 0,
         "height": 0,
@@ -123,6 +126,7 @@
         "group": "dashboard-ui-group",
         "name": "Single Row Selection",
         "label": "text",
+        "action": "replace",
         "order": 0,
         "width": 0,
         "height": 0,
@@ -146,6 +150,7 @@
         "group": "dashboard-ui-group",
         "name": "dashboard-ui-table-table-buttons-string-value",
         "label": "dashboard-ui-table-table-buttons-string-value",
+        "action": "replace",
         "order": 0,
         "width": 0,
         "height": 0,
@@ -195,6 +200,7 @@
         "group": "dashboard-ui-group",
         "name": "dashboard-ui-table-buttons-text-from-payload",
         "label": "text",
+        "action": "replace",
         "order": 0,
         "width": 0,
         "height": 0,
diff --git a/nodes/widgets/ui_table.js b/nodes/widgets/ui_table.js
index aa25226c9..fe6876075 100644
--- a/nodes/widgets/ui_table.js
+++ b/nodes/widgets/ui_table.js
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ module.exports = function (RED) {
             })
         }
 
+        if (!config.action || typeof config.action === 'undefined') {
+            config.action = 'append'
+        }
+
         // inform the dashboard UI that we are adding this node
         group.register(node, config, {
             onAction: true,