diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/modget/get.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/modget/get.go
index 9e2fb8e408..171c070ab3 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/modget/get.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/modget/get.go
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ func getQuery(ctx context.Context, path, vers string, prevM module.Version, forc
 	// If it turns out to only exist as a module, we can detect the resulting
 	// PackageNotInModuleError and avoid a second round-trip through (potentially)
 	// all of the configured proxies.
-	results, err := modload.QueryPattern(ctx, path, vers, allowed)
+	results, err := modload.QueryPattern(ctx, path, vers, modload.Selected, allowed)
 	if err != nil {
 		// If the path doesn't contain a wildcard, check whether it was actually a
 		// module path instead. If so, return that.
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/buildlist.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/buildlist.go
index 059b020420..95a68637c6 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/buildlist.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/buildlist.go
@@ -52,6 +52,21 @@ func LoadedModules() []module.Version {
 	return buildList
 }
 
+// Selected returns the selected version of the module with the given path, or
+// the empty string if the given module has no selected version
+// (either because it is not required or because it is the Target module).
+func Selected(path string) (version string) {
+	if path == Target.Path {
+		return ""
+	}
+	for _, m := range buildList {
+		if m.Path == path {
+			return m.Version
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 // SetBuildList sets the module build list.
 // The caller is responsible for ensuring that the list is valid.
 // SetBuildList does not retain a reference to the original list.
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/import.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/import.go
index 1c572d5d6d..6d0d8de944 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/import.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/import.go
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ func queryImport(ctx context.Context, path string) (module.Version, error) {
 	// and return m, dir, ImpportMissingError.
 	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "go: finding module for package %s\n", path)
 
-	candidates, err := QueryPattern(ctx, path, "latest", CheckAllowed)
+	candidates, err := QueryPattern(ctx, path, "latest", Selected, CheckAllowed)
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
 			// Return "cannot find module providing package […]" instead of whatever
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/modfile.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/modfile.go
index d15da892e6..006db4f169 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/modfile.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/modfile.go
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func checkRetractions(ctx context.Context, m module.Version) error {
 		// Ignore exclusions from the main module's go.mod.
 		// We may need to account for the current version: for example,
 		// v2.0.0+incompatible is not "latest" if v1.0.0 is current.
-		rev, err := Query(ctx, path, "latest", findCurrentVersion(path), nil)
+		rev, err := Query(ctx, path, "latest", Selected(path), nil)
 		if err != nil {
 			return &entry{nil, err}
 		}
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/query.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/query.go
index 6a3fd103fc..d16a247f72 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/query.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/query.go
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ type QueryResult struct {
 // If any matching package is in the main module, QueryPattern considers only
 // the main module and only the version "latest", without checking for other
 // possible modules.
-func QueryPattern(ctx context.Context, pattern, query string, allowed AllowedFunc) ([]QueryResult, error) {
+func QueryPattern(ctx context.Context, pattern, query string, current func(string) string, allowed AllowedFunc) ([]QueryResult, error) {
 	ctx, span := trace.StartSpan(ctx, "modload.QueryPattern "+pattern+" "+query)
 	defer span.Done()
 
@@ -591,9 +591,9 @@ func QueryPattern(ctx context.Context, pattern, query string, allowed AllowedFun
 			ctx, span := trace.StartSpan(ctx, "modload.QueryPattern.queryModule ["+proxy+"] "+path)
 			defer span.Done()
 
-			current := findCurrentVersion(path)
+			pathCurrent := current(path)
 			r.Mod.Path = path
-			r.Rev, err = queryProxy(ctx, proxy, path, query, current, allowed)
+			r.Rev, err = queryProxy(ctx, proxy, path, query, pathCurrent, allowed)
 			if err != nil {
 				return r, err
 			}
@@ -649,15 +649,6 @@ func modulePrefixesExcludingTarget(path string) []string {
 	return prefixes
 }
 
-func findCurrentVersion(path string) string {
-	for _, m := range buildList {
-		if m.Path == path {
-			return m.Version
-		}
-	}
-	return ""
-}
-
 type prefixResult struct {
 	QueryResult
 	err error
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go
index 21342ac8ba..3531612dc6 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go
@@ -741,7 +741,7 @@ func installOutsideModule(ctx context.Context, args []string) {
 		// Don't check for retractions if a specific revision is requested.
 		allowed = nil
 	}
-	qrs, err := modload.QueryPattern(ctx, patterns[0], version, allowed)
+	qrs, err := modload.QueryPattern(ctx, patterns[0], version, modload.Selected, allowed)
 	if err != nil {
 		base.Fatalf("go install %s: %v", args[0], err)
 	}