diff --git a/internal/encoding/graphite/config.go b/internal/encoding/graphite/config.go
index 283448e86..7a5c759e7 100644
--- a/internal/encoding/graphite/config.go
+++ b/internal/encoding/graphite/config.go
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@ package graphite
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
-
-	"github.com/influxdata/influxdb/models"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -16,30 +14,15 @@ const (
 // Config represents the configuration for Graphite endpoints.
 type Config struct {
 	Separator string
-	Tags      []string
 	Templates []string
 }
 
-// DefaultTags returns the config's tags.
-func (c *Config) DefaultTags() models.Tags {
-	tags := models.Tags{}
-	for _, t := range c.Tags {
-		parts := strings.Split(t, "=")
-		tags[parts[0]] = parts[1]
-	}
-	return tags
-}
-
 // Validate validates the config's templates and tags.
 func (c *Config) Validate() error {
 	if err := c.validateTemplates(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := c.validateTags(); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -110,15 +93,6 @@ func (c *Config) validateTemplates() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (c *Config) validateTags() error {
-	for _, t := range c.Tags {
-		if err := c.validateTag(t); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
 func (c *Config) validateTemplate(template string) error {
 	hasMeasurement := false
 	for _, p := range strings.Split(template, ".") {
diff --git a/internal/encoding/graphite/parser.go b/internal/encoding/graphite/parser.go
index 23670e2e7..a86397b80 100644
--- a/internal/encoding/graphite/parser.go
+++ b/internal/encoding/graphite/parser.go
@@ -35,14 +35,12 @@ func init() {
 // Parser encapsulates a Graphite Parser.
 type Parser struct {
 	matcher *matcher
-	tags    models.Tags
 }
 
 // Options are configurable values that can be provided to a Parser
 type Options struct {
-	Separator   string
-	Templates   []string
-	DefaultTags models.Tags
+	Separator string
+	Templates []string
 }
 
 // NewParserWithOptions returns a graphite parser using the given options
@@ -84,16 +82,15 @@ func NewParserWithOptions(options Options) (*Parser, error) {
 		}
 		matcher.Add(filter, tmpl)
 	}
-	return &Parser{matcher: matcher, tags: options.DefaultTags}, nil
+	return &Parser{matcher: matcher}, nil
 }
 
 // NewParser returns a GraphiteParser instance.
-func NewParser(templates []string, defaultTags models.Tags) (*Parser, error) {
+func NewParser(templates []string) (*Parser, error) {
 	return NewParserWithOptions(
 		Options{
-			Templates:   templates,
-			DefaultTags: defaultTags,
-			Separator:   DefaultSeparator,
+			Templates: templates,
+			Separator: DefaultSeparator,
 		})
 }
 
@@ -182,12 +179,6 @@ func (p *Parser) Parse(line string) (telegraf.Metric, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Set the default tags on the point if they are not already set
-	for k, v := range p.tags {
-		if _, ok := tags[k]; !ok {
-			tags[k] = v
-		}
-	}
 	return telegraf.NewMetric(measurement, tags, fieldValues, timestamp)
 }
 
@@ -202,12 +193,7 @@ func (p *Parser) ApplyTemplate(line string) (string, map[string]string, string,
 	// decode the name and tags
 	template := p.matcher.Match(fields[0])
 	name, tags, field, err := template.Apply(fields[0])
-	// Set the default tags on the point if they are not already set
-	for k, v := range p.tags {
-		if _, ok := tags[k]; !ok {
-			tags[k] = v
-		}
-	}
+
 	return name, tags, field, err
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md b/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md
index 8f67a480a..a58b3dde6 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md
@@ -44,19 +44,15 @@ and strings will be ignored.
   ### If matching multiple measurement files, this string will be used to join the matched values.
   #separator = "."
 
-  ### Default tags that will be added to all metrics.  These can be overridden at the template level
-  ### or by tags extracted from metric
-  #tags = ["region=north-east", "zone=1c"]
-
   ### Each template line requires a template pattern.  It can have an optional
   ### filter before the template and separated by spaces.  It can also have optional extra
   ### tags following the template.  Multiple tags should be separated by commas and no spaces
   ### similar to the line protocol format.  The can be only one default template.
   ### Templates support below format:
-  ### filter + template
-  ### filter + template + extra tag
-  ### filter + template with field key
-  ### default template. Ignore the first graphite component "servers"
+  ### 1. filter + template
+  ### 2. filter + template + extra tag
+  ### 3. filter + template with field key
+  ### 4. default template
   #templates = [
   #  "*.app env.service.resource.measurement",
   #  "stats.* .host.measurement* region=us-west,agent=sensu",
@@ -149,19 +145,15 @@ We can also change the data_format to "graphite" to use the metrics collecting s
   ### If matching multiple measurement files, this string will be used to join the matched values.
   separator = "."
 
-  ### Default tags that will be added to all metrics.  These can be overridden at the template level
-  ### or by tags extracted from metric
-  tags = ["region=north-east", "zone=1c"]
-
   ### Each template line requires a template pattern.  It can have an optional
   ### filter before the template and separated by spaces.  It can also have optional extra
   ### tags following the template.  Multiple tags should be separated by commas and no spaces
   ### similar to the line protocol format.  The can be only one default template.
   ### Templates support below format:
-  ### filter + template
-  ### filter + template + extra tag
-  ### filter + template with field key
-  ### default template. Ignore the first graphite component "servers"
+  ### 1. filter + template
+  ### 2. filter + template + extra tag
+  ### 3. filter + template with field key
+  ### 4. default template
   templates = [
     "*.app env.service.resource.measurement",
     "stats.* .host.measurement* region=us-west,agent=sensu",
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/exec/config.go b/plugins/inputs/exec/config.go
index d2239b0c8..c4ad5d47f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/exec/config.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/exec/config.go
@@ -4,12 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/internal/encoding/graphite"
 )
 
-const (
-	// DefaultSeparator is the default join character to use when joining multiple
-	// measurment parts in a template.
-	DefaultSeparator = "."
-)
-
 // Config represents the configuration for Graphite endpoints.
 type Config struct {
 	Commands []string
@@ -17,21 +11,15 @@ type Config struct {
 }
 
 // New Config instance.
-func NewConfig(commands, tags, templates []string, separator string) *Config {
+func NewConfig(commands, templates []string, separator string) *Config {
 	c := &Config{}
+	if separator == "" {
+		separator = graphite.DefaultSeparator
+	}
+
 	c.Commands = commands
-	c.Tags = tags
 	c.Templates = templates
 	c.Separator = separator
+
 	return c
 }
-
-// WithDefaults takes the given config and returns a new config with any required
-// default values set.
-func (c *Config) WithDefaults() *Config {
-	d := *c
-	if d.Separator == "" {
-		d.Separator = DefaultSeparator
-	}
-	return &d
-}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go b/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go
index 6f17da932..efccc7033 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go
@@ -32,19 +32,15 @@ const sampleConfig = `
   ### If matching multiple measurement files, this string will be used to join the matched values.
   separator = "."
 
-  ### Default tags that will be added to all metrics.  These can be overridden at the template level
-  ### or by tags extracted from metric
-  tags = ["region=north-east", "zone=1c"]
-
   ### Each template line requires a template pattern.  It can have an optional
   ### filter before the template and separated by spaces.  It can also have optional extra
   ### tags following the template.  Multiple tags should be separated by commas and no spaces
   ### similar to the line protocol format.  The can be only one default template.
   ### Templates support below format:
-  ### filter + template
-  ### filter + template + extra tag
-  ### filter + template with field key
-  ### default template. Ignore the first graphite component "servers"
+  ### 1. filter + template
+  ### 2. filter + template + extra tag
+  ### 3. filter + template with field key
+  ### 4. default template
   templates = [
     "*.app env.service.resource.measurement",
     "stats.* .host.measurement* region=us-west,agent=sensu",
@@ -59,7 +55,6 @@ type Exec struct {
 	DataFormat string
 
 	Separator string
-	Tags      []string
 	Templates []string
 
 	encodingParser *encoding.Parser
@@ -125,8 +120,7 @@ func (e *Exec) initConfig() error {
 		e.Commands = []string{e.Command}
 	}
 
-	c := NewConfig(e.Commands, e.Tags, e.Templates, e.Separator)
-	c.WithDefaults()
+	c := NewConfig(e.Commands, e.Templates, e.Separator)
 	if err := c.Validate(); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("exec configuration is error: %s ", err.Error())
 
@@ -134,9 +128,8 @@ func (e *Exec) initConfig() error {
 	e.config = c
 
 	graphiteParser, err := graphite.NewParserWithOptions(graphite.Options{
-		Templates:   e.config.Templates,
-		DefaultTags: e.config.DefaultTags(),
-		Separator:   e.config.Separator})
+		Templates: e.config.Templates,
+		Separator: e.config.Separator})
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("exec input parser config is error: %s ", err.Error())
@@ -152,7 +145,7 @@ func (e *Exec) SampleConfig() string {
 }
 
 func (e *Exec) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from one or more commands that output graphite line protocol to stdout"
+	return "Read metrics from one or more commands that can output JSON, influx or graphite line protocol to stdout"
 }
 
 func (e *Exec) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {