diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/project.el b/lisp/progmodes/project.el
index c812f28c1b..f606a25575 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/project.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/project.el
@@ -1072,9 +1072,10 @@ project-query-replace-regexp
 If you exit the `query-replace', you can later continue the
 `query-replace' loop using the command \\[fileloop-continue]."
   (interactive
-   (pcase-let ((`(,from ,to)
-                (query-replace-read-args "Query replace (regexp)" t t)))
-     (list from to)))
+   (let ((query-replace-read-from-regexp-default 'find-tag-default-as-regexp))
+     (pcase-let ((`(,from ,to)
+                  (query-replace-read-args "Query replace (regexp)" t t)))
+       (list from to))))
   (fileloop-initialize-replace
    from to (project-files (project-current t)) 'default)
   (fileloop-continue))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/xref.el b/lisp/progmodes/xref.el
index 37e2159782..4efa652084 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/xref.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/xref.el
@@ -1481,8 +1481,9 @@ xref-find-references
 (defun xref-find-references-and-replace (from to)
   "Replace all references to identifier FROM with TO."
   (interactive
-   (let ((common
-          (query-replace-read-args "Query replace identifier" nil)))
+   (let* ((query-replace-read-from-default 'find-tag-default)
+          (common
+           (query-replace-read-args "Query replace identifier" nil)))
      (list (nth 0 common) (nth 1 common))))
   (require 'xref)
   (with-current-buffer