diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.scss b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.scss
index f59c27dccc742..6a4fbd97b3bdd 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.scss
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.scss
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 .mlScatterplotMatrix {
+  overflow-x: auto;
+
   .vega-bind span {
     font-size: $euiFontSizeXS;
     padding: 0 $euiSizeXS;
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.tsx
index ad9f63b10ebdd..b1ee9afb17788 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import { i18n } from '@kbn/i18n';
 
 import type { SearchResponse7 } from '../../../../common/types/es_client';
 
-import { ml } from '../../services/ml_api_service';
+import { useMlApiContext } from '../../contexts/kibana';
 
 import { getProcessedFields } from '../data_grid';
 import { useCurrentEuiTheme } from '../color_range_legend';
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ export const ScatterplotMatrix: FC<ScatterplotMatrixProps> = ({
   color,
   legendType,
 }) => {
+  const { esSearch } = useMlApiContext();
+
   // dynamicSize is optionally used for outlier charts where the scatterplot marks
   // are sized according to outlier_score
   const [dynamicSize, setDynamicSize] = useState<boolean>(false);
@@ -147,7 +149,7 @@ export const ScatterplotMatrix: FC<ScatterplotMatrixProps> = ({
             }
           : { match_all: {} };
 
-        const resp: SearchResponse7 = await ml.esSearch({
+        const resp: SearchResponse7 = await esSearch({
           index,
           body: {
             fields: queryFields,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..dd467161ff489
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License;
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
+ */
+
+// @ts-ignore
+import { compile } from 'vega-lite/build-es5/vega-lite';
+
+import euiThemeLight from '@elastic/eui/dist/eui_theme_light.json';
+
+import {
+  getColorSpec,
+  getScatterplotMatrixVegaLiteSpec,
+  COLOR_OUTLIER,
+  COLOR_RANGE_NOMINAL,
+  DEFAULT_COLOR,
+  LEGEND_TYPES,
+} from './scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec';
+
+describe('getColorSpec()', () => {
+  it('should return the default color for non-outlier specs', () => {
+    const colorSpec = getColorSpec(euiThemeLight, false);
+
+    expect(colorSpec).toEqual({ value: DEFAULT_COLOR });
+  });
+
+  it('should return a conditional spec for outliers', () => {
+    const colorSpec = getColorSpec(euiThemeLight, true);
+
+    expect(colorSpec).toEqual({
+      condition: {
+        test: "(datum['outlier_score'] >= mlOutlierScoreThreshold.cutoff)",
+        value: COLOR_OUTLIER,
+      },
+      value: euiThemeLight.euiColorMediumShade,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should return a field based spec for non-outlier specs with legendType supplied', () => {
+    const colorName = 'the-color-field';
+
+    const colorSpec = getColorSpec(euiThemeLight, false, colorName, LEGEND_TYPES.NOMINAL);
+
+    expect(colorSpec).toEqual({
+      field: colorName,
+      scale: {
+        range: COLOR_RANGE_NOMINAL,
+      },
+      type: 'nominal',
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+describe('getScatterplotMatrixVegaLiteSpec()', () => {
+  it('should return the default spec for non-outliers without a legend', () => {
+    const data = [{ x: 1, y: 1 }];
+
+    const vegaLiteSpec = getScatterplotMatrixVegaLiteSpec(data, ['x', 'y'], euiThemeLight);
+
+    // A valid Vega Lite spec shouldn't throw an error when compiled.
+    expect(() => compile(vegaLiteSpec)).not.toThrow();
+
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.repeat).toEqual({
+      column: ['x', 'y'],
+      row: ['y', 'x'],
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.transform).toEqual([
+      { as: 'x', calculate: "datum['x']" },
+      { as: 'y', calculate: "datum['y']" },
+    ]);
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.data.values).toEqual(data);
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.mark).toEqual({
+      opacity: 0.75,
+      size: 8,
+      type: 'circle',
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.encoding.color).toEqual({ value: DEFAULT_COLOR });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.encoding.tooltip).toEqual([
+      { field: 'x', type: 'quantitative' },
+      { field: 'y', type: 'quantitative' },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('should return the spec for outliers', () => {
+    const data = [{ x: 1, y: 1 }];
+
+    const vegaLiteSpec = getScatterplotMatrixVegaLiteSpec(data, ['x', 'y'], euiThemeLight, 'ml');
+
+    // A valid Vega Lite spec shouldn't throw an error when compiled.
+    expect(() => compile(vegaLiteSpec)).not.toThrow();
+
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.repeat).toEqual({
+      column: ['x', 'y'],
+      row: ['y', 'x'],
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.transform).toEqual([
+      { as: 'x', calculate: "datum['x']" },
+      { as: 'y', calculate: "datum['y']" },
+      {
+        as: 'outlier_score',
+        calculate: "datum['ml.outlier_score']",
+      },
+    ]);
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.data.values).toEqual(data);
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.mark).toEqual({
+      opacity: 0.75,
+      size: 8,
+      type: 'circle',
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.encoding.color).toEqual({
+      condition: {
+        test: "(datum['outlier_score'] >= mlOutlierScoreThreshold.cutoff)",
+        value: COLOR_OUTLIER,
+      },
+      value: euiThemeLight.euiColorMediumShade,
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.encoding.tooltip).toEqual([
+      { field: 'x', type: 'quantitative' },
+      { field: 'y', type: 'quantitative' },
+      {
+        field: 'outlier_score',
+        format: '.3f',
+        type: 'quantitative',
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('should return the spec for classification', () => {
+    const data = [{ x: 1, y: 1 }];
+
+    const vegaLiteSpec = getScatterplotMatrixVegaLiteSpec(
+      data,
+      ['x', 'y'],
+      euiThemeLight,
+      undefined,
+      'the-color-field',
+      LEGEND_TYPES.NOMINAL
+    );
+
+    // A valid Vega Lite spec shouldn't throw an error when compiled.
+    expect(() => compile(vegaLiteSpec)).not.toThrow();
+
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.repeat).toEqual({
+      column: ['x', 'y'],
+      row: ['y', 'x'],
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.transform).toEqual([
+      { as: 'x', calculate: "datum['x']" },
+      { as: 'y', calculate: "datum['y']" },
+    ]);
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.data.values).toEqual(data);
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.mark).toEqual({
+      opacity: 0.75,
+      size: 8,
+      type: 'circle',
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.encoding.color).toEqual({
+      field: 'the-color-field',
+      scale: {
+        range: COLOR_RANGE_NOMINAL,
+      },
+      type: 'nominal',
+    });
+    expect(vegaLiteSpec.spec.encoding.tooltip).toEqual([
+      { field: 'x', type: 'quantitative' },
+      { field: 'y', type: 'quantitative' },
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec.ts
index ee93074d9e034..9e0834dd8b922 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/components/scatterplot_matrix/scatterplot_matrix_vega_lite_spec.ts
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@ export const OUTLIER_SCORE_FIELD = 'outlier_score';
 
 const SCATTERPLOT_SIZE = 125;
 
-const DEFAULT_COLOR = euiPaletteColorBlind()[0];
-const COLOR_OUTLIER = euiPaletteNegative(2)[1];
-const COLOR_RANGE_NOMINAL = euiPaletteColorBlind({ rotations: 2 });
-const COLOR_RANGE_QUANTITATIVE = euiPalettePositive(5);
+export const DEFAULT_COLOR = euiPaletteColorBlind()[0];
+export const COLOR_OUTLIER = euiPaletteNegative(2)[1];
+export const COLOR_RANGE_NOMINAL = euiPaletteColorBlind({ rotations: 2 });
+export const COLOR_RANGE_QUANTITATIVE = euiPalettePositive(5);
 
-const getColorSpec = (
+export const getColorSpec = (
   euiTheme: typeof euiThemeLight,
   outliers = true,
   color?: string,
@@ -72,10 +72,13 @@ export const getScatterplotMatrixVegaLiteSpec = (
     calculate: `datum['${column}']`,
     as: column,
   }));
-  transform.push({
-    calculate: `datum['${resultsField}.${OUTLIER_SCORE_FIELD}']`,
-    as: OUTLIER_SCORE_FIELD,
-  });
+
+  if (resultsField !== undefined) {
+    transform.push({
+      calculate: `datum['${resultsField}.${OUTLIER_SCORE_FIELD}']`,
+      as: OUTLIER_SCORE_FIELD,
+    });
+  }
 
   return {
     $schema: 'https://vega.github.io/schema/vega-lite/v4.17.0.json',