diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1f94c3b7..1acb6a9b 100755
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 ## tip
 
+* FEATURE: add support metrics with special characters in query builder. See [this issue](https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/grafana-datasource/issues/131)
+
 * BUGFIX: fix the default link to vmui. See [this issue](https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/grafana-datasource/issues/132)
 * BUGFIX: fix the parsing logic in `renderLegendFormat` to correctly replace legend label names. See [this issue](https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/grafana-datasource/issues/133)
 * BUGFIX: fix query editor which produce a lot of requests for alerting rule evaluation. See [this issue](https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/grafana-datasource/issues/134)
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 22e888ab..480b6499 100755
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
     "server": "docker-compose up --build",
     "tar": "tar -czf $npm_package_name-v$npm_package_version.tar.gz $npm_package_name && sha1sum ./$npm_package_name-v$npm_package_version.tar.gz >$npm_package_name-v$npm_package_version.tar.gz.sha1",
     "zip": "zip $npm_package_name-v$npm_package_version.zip $npm_package_name -r && sha1sum ./$npm_package_name-v$npm_package_version.zip >$npm_package_name-v$npm_package_version.zip.sha1",
-    "preinstall": "cd packages/lezer-metricsql && yarn install"
+    "preinstall": "cd packages/lezer-metricsql && yarn install && cd ../.. && yarn upgrade lezer-metricsql"
   },
   "author": "VictoriaMetrics",
   "license": "AGPL-3.0-only",
diff --git a/packages/lezer-metricsql/package.json b/packages/lezer-metricsql/package.json
index 3c93af80..a3d54cdf 100644
--- a/packages/lezer-metricsql/package.json
+++ b/packages/lezer-metricsql/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "lezer-metricsql",
-  "version": "0.1.1",
+  "version": "0.1.2",
   "main": "index.cjs",
   "type": "module",
   "exports": {
diff --git a/packages/lezer-metricsql/src/metricsql.grammar b/packages/lezer-metricsql/src/metricsql.grammar
index ced82c4c..9ef89eab 100644
--- a/packages/lezer-metricsql/src/metricsql.grammar
+++ b/packages/lezer-metricsql/src/metricsql.grammar
@@ -395,7 +395,9 @@ NumberLiteral  {
     ( ( std.digit+ "y" )? ( std.digit+ "w" )? ( std.digit+ "d" )? ( std.digit+ "h" )? ( std.digit+ "m" )? ( std.digit+ "s" ) ( std.digit+ "ms" )? ) |
     ( ( std.digit+ "y" )? ( std.digit+ "w" )? ( std.digit+ "d" )? ( std.digit+ "h" )? ( std.digit+ "m" )? ( std.digit+ "s" )? ( std.digit+ "ms" ) )
   }
-  Identifier { (std.asciiLetter | "_" | ":" | ".") (std.asciiLetter | std.digit | "_" | ":" | ".")*}
+  EscapedChar {("\\" AnyEscapesChar) ("\\" AnyEscapesChar)*}
+  AnyEscapesChar { "-" | "+" | "*" | "/" | "%" | "^" | "=" }
+  Identifier {(std.asciiLetter | "_" | ":" | "." | EscapedChar) (std.asciiLetter | std.digit | "_" | ":" | "." | "-" | EscapedChar)*}
   LabelName { (std.asciiLetter | "_") (std.asciiLetter | std.digit | "_")* }
 
   // Operator
diff --git a/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/completions.ts b/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/completions.ts
index 37116251..0a8ff844 100755
--- a/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/completions.ts
+++ b/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/completions.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,15 @@ import type { Situation, Label } from './situation';
 import { NeverCaseError } from './util';
 // FIXME: we should not load this from the "outside", but we cannot do that while we have the "old" query-field too
 
-export type CompletionType = 'HISTORY' | 'FUNCTION' | 'METRIC_NAME' | 'WITH_TEMPLATE' | 'DURATION' | 'LABEL_NAME' | 'LABEL_VALUE';
+export enum CompletionType {
+  history = 'HISTORY',
+  function = 'FUNCTION',
+  metricName = 'METRIC_NAME',
+  withTemplate = 'WITH_TEMPLATE',
+  duration = 'DURATION',
+  labelName = 'LABEL_NAME',
+  labelValue = 'LABEL_VALUE',
+}
 
 type Completion = {
   type: CompletionType;
@@ -60,7 +68,7 @@ export type DataProvider = {
 async function getAllMetricNamesCompletions(dataProvider: DataProvider): Promise<Completion[]> {
   const metrics = await dataProvider.getAllMetricNames();
   return metrics.map((metric) => ({
-    type: 'METRIC_NAME',
+    type: CompletionType.metricName,
     label: metric.name,
     insertText: metric.name,
     detail: `${metric.name} : ${metric.type}`,
@@ -71,7 +79,7 @@ async function getAllMetricNamesCompletions(dataProvider: DataProvider): Promise
 async function getAllWithTemplatesCompletions(dataProvider: DataProvider): Promise<Completion[]> {
   const metrics = await dataProvider.getAllWithTemplates();
   return metrics.map((metric) => ({
-    type: 'WITH_TEMPLATE',
+    type: CompletionType.withTemplate,
     label: metric.name,
     insertText: metric.name,
     detail: metric.value,
@@ -80,7 +88,7 @@ async function getAllWithTemplatesCompletions(dataProvider: DataProvider): Promi
 }
 
 const FUNCTION_COMPLETIONS: Completion[] = FUNCTIONS.map((f) => ({
-  type: 'FUNCTION',
+  type: CompletionType.function,
   label: f.label,
   insertText: f.insertText ?? '', // i don't know what to do when this is nullish. it should not be.
   detail: f.detail,
@@ -104,7 +112,7 @@ const DURATION_COMPLETIONS: Completion[] = [
   '1h',
   '1d',
 ].map((text) => ({
-  type: 'DURATION',
+  type: CompletionType.duration,
   label: text,
   insertText: text,
 }));
@@ -115,7 +123,7 @@ async function getAllHistoryCompletions(dataProvider: DataProvider): Promise<Com
   const allHistory = await dataProvider.getHistory();
   // FIXME: find a better history-limit
   return allHistory.slice(0, 10).map((expr) => ({
-    type: 'HISTORY',
+    type: CompletionType.history,
     label: expr,
     insertText: expr,
   }));
@@ -162,7 +170,7 @@ async function getLabelNamesForCompletions(
 ): Promise<Completion[]> {
   const labelNames = await getLabelNames(metric, otherLabels, dataProvider);
   const labelNamesCompletion: Completion[] = labelNames.map((text) => ({
-    type: 'LABEL_NAME',
+    type: CompletionType.labelName,
     label: text,
     insertText: `${text}${suffix}`,
     triggerOnInsert,
@@ -215,7 +223,7 @@ async function getLabelValuesForMetricCompletions(
 ): Promise<Completion[]> {
   const values = await getLabelValues(metric, labelName, otherLabels, dataProvider);
   return values.map((text) => ({
-    type: 'LABEL_VALUE',
+    type: CompletionType.labelValue,
     label: text,
     insertText: betweenQuotes ? text : `"${text}"`, // FIXME: escaping strange characters?
   }));
diff --git a/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/index.ts b/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/index.ts
index b135ec20..800c9763 100755
--- a/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/index.ts
+++ b/src/components/monaco-query-field/monaco-completion-provider/index.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ import { IMarkdownString } from "monaco-editor";
 
 import type { Monaco, monacoTypes } from '@grafana/ui';
 
-import { getCompletions, DataProvider, CompletionType } from './completions';
+import { escapeMetricNameSpecialCharacters } from "../../../language_utils";
+
+import { CompletionType, DataProvider, getCompletions } from './completions';
 import { getSituation } from './situation';
 import { NeverCaseError } from './util';
 
@@ -47,19 +49,19 @@ export function getSuggestOptions(): monacoTypes.editor.ISuggestOptions {
 
 function getMonacoCompletionItemKind(type: CompletionType, monaco: Monaco): monacoTypes.languages.CompletionItemKind {
   switch (type) {
-    case 'DURATION':
+    case CompletionType.duration:
       return monaco.languages.CompletionItemKind.Unit;
-    case 'FUNCTION':
+    case CompletionType.function:
       return monaco.languages.CompletionItemKind.Variable;
-    case 'HISTORY':
+    case CompletionType.history:
       return monaco.languages.CompletionItemKind.Snippet;
-    case 'LABEL_NAME':
+    case CompletionType.labelName:
       return monaco.languages.CompletionItemKind.Enum;
-    case 'LABEL_VALUE':
+    case CompletionType.labelValue:
       return monaco.languages.CompletionItemKind.EnumMember;
-    case 'METRIC_NAME':
+    case CompletionType.metricName:
       return monaco.languages.CompletionItemKind.Constructor;
-    case 'WITH_TEMPLATE':
+    case CompletionType.withTemplate:
       return monaco.languages.CompletionItemKind.Constant;
     default:
       throw new NeverCaseError();
@@ -100,7 +102,7 @@ export function getCompletionProvider(
       const suggestions: monacoTypes.languages.CompletionItem[] = items.map((item, index) => ({
         kind: getMonacoCompletionItemKind(item.type, monaco),
         label: item.label,
-        insertText: item.insertText,
+        insertText: item.type === CompletionType.metricName ? escapeMetricNameSpecialCharacters(item.insertText) : item.insertText,
         detail: item.detail,
         documentation: { value: item.documentation } as IMarkdownString,
         sortText: index.toString().padStart(maxIndexDigits, '0'), // to force the order we have
diff --git a/src/language_utils.ts b/src/language_utils.ts
index bae42ee6..59234808 100755
--- a/src/language_utils.ts
+++ b/src/language_utils.ts
@@ -282,6 +282,11 @@ export function escapeLabelValueInRegexSelector(labelValue: string): string {
   return escapeLabelValueInExactSelector(escapePrometheusRegexp(labelValue));
 }
 
+export function escapeMetricNameSpecialCharacters(metricName: string) {
+  const specialChars = /[-+*\/%^=]/g;
+  return metricName.replace(specialChars, (match) => '\\' + match);
+}
+
 export enum AbstractLabelOperator {
   Equal = "Equal",
   NotEqual = "NotEqual",
diff --git a/src/querybuilder/components/MetricSelect.tsx b/src/querybuilder/components/MetricSelect.tsx
index ac85e17f..60f3c060 100755
--- a/src/querybuilder/components/MetricSelect.tsx
+++ b/src/querybuilder/components/MetricSelect.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import { SelectableValue, toOption, GrafanaTheme2 } from '@grafana/data';
 import { Select, FormatOptionLabelMeta, useStyles2 } from '@grafana/ui';
 
 import { EditorField, EditorFieldGroup } from '../../components/QueryEditor';
+import { escapeMetricNameSpecialCharacters } from "../../language_utils";
 import { PromVisualQuery } from '../types';
 
 // We are matching words split with space
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ export function MetricSelect({ query, onChange, onGetMetrics }: Props) {
           options={state.metrics}
           onChange={({ value }) => {
             if (value) {
-              onChange({ ...query, metric: value });
+              onChange({ ...query, metric: escapeMetricNameSpecialCharacters(value) });
             }
           }}
         />
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 33a39e77..67727eed 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -6831,7 +6831,7 @@ levn@^0.4.1:
     type-check "~0.4.0"
 
 "lezer-metricsql@file:packages/lezer-metricsql":
-  version "0.1.0"
+  version "0.1.2"
 
 lines-and-columns@^1.1.6:
   version "1.2.4"