diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking.go
index cd7327bf4c9..d4a1bf82556 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking.go
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ func (c *TypeChecker) compiler(ctx *TypeCheckingContext, typeOverwrite typeOverw
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	compiler := &plugincel.CompositedCompiler{
-		Compiler:       &typeCheckingCompiler{typeOverwrite: typeOverwrite},
+		Compiler:       &typeCheckingCompiler{typeOverwrite: typeOverwrite, compositionEnv: env},
 		CompositionEnv: env,
 	}
 	return compiler, nil
@@ -449,7 +449,8 @@ func createVariableOpts(declType *apiservercel.DeclType, variables ...string) []
 }
 
 type typeCheckingCompiler struct {
-	typeOverwrite typeOverwrite
+	compositionEnv *plugincel.CompositionEnv
+	typeOverwrite  typeOverwrite
 }
 
 // CompileCELExpression compiles the given expression.
@@ -468,20 +469,18 @@ func (c *typeCheckingCompiler) CompileCELExpression(expressionAccessor plugincel
 			ExpressionAccessor: expressionAccessor,
 		}
 	}
-	envSet, err := buildEnvSet(options.HasParams, options.HasAuthorizer, c.typeOverwrite)
-	if err != nil {
-		return resultError(fmt.Sprintf("fail to build env set: %v", err), apiservercel.ErrorTypeInternal)
-	}
-	env, err := envSet.Env(mode)
+	env, err := c.compositionEnv.Env(mode)
 	if err != nil {
 		return resultError(fmt.Sprintf("fail to build env: %v", err), apiservercel.ErrorTypeInternal)
 	}
-	_, issues := env.Compile(expressionAccessor.GetExpression())
+	ast, issues := env.Compile(expressionAccessor.GetExpression())
 	if issues != nil {
 		return resultError(issues.String(), apiservercel.ErrorTypeInvalid)
 	}
-	// type checker does not require the program, an empty result indicates successful compilation.
-	return plugincel.CompilationResult{}
+	// type checker does not require the program, however the type must still be set.
+	return plugincel.CompilationResult{
+		OutputType: ast.OutputType(),
+	}
 }
 
 var _ plugincel.Compiler = (*typeCheckingCompiler)(nil)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking_test.go
index e4b9a5d153d..c5e63b27116 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission/plugin/validatingadmissionpolicy/typechecking_test.go
@@ -413,6 +413,95 @@ func TestTypeCheck(t *testing.T) {
 				toContain("found no matching overload for 'allowed' applied to 'kubernetes.authorization.Authorizer"),
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "variables valid",
+			policy: &v1beta1.ValidatingAdmissionPolicy{Spec: v1beta1.ValidatingAdmissionPolicySpec{
+				Variables: []v1beta1.Variable{
+					{
+						Name:       "works",
+						Expression: "true",
+					},
+				},
+				Validations: []v1beta1.Validation{
+					{
+						Expression: "variables.works",
+					},
+				},
+				MatchConstraints: deploymentPolicy.Spec.MatchConstraints,
+			},
+			},
+			schemaToReturn: &spec.Schema{
+				SchemaProps: spec.SchemaProps{
+					Type: []string{"object"},
+					Properties: map[string]spec.Schema{
+						"foo": *spec.Int64Property(),
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			assertions: []assertionFunc{toHaveLengthOf(0)},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "variables missing field",
+			policy: &v1beta1.ValidatingAdmissionPolicy{Spec: v1beta1.ValidatingAdmissionPolicySpec{
+				Variables: []v1beta1.Variable{
+					{
+						Name:       "works",
+						Expression: "true",
+					},
+				},
+				Validations: []v1beta1.Validation{
+					{
+						Expression: "variables.nonExisting",
+					},
+				},
+				MatchConstraints: deploymentPolicy.Spec.MatchConstraints,
+			},
+			},
+			schemaToReturn: &spec.Schema{
+				SchemaProps: spec.SchemaProps{
+					Type: []string{"object"},
+					Properties: map[string]spec.Schema{
+						"foo": *spec.Int64Property(),
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			assertions: []assertionFunc{
+				toHaveLengthOf(1),
+				toHaveFieldRef("spec.validations[0].expression"),
+				toContain("undefined field 'nonExisting'"),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "variables field wrong type",
+			policy: &v1beta1.ValidatingAdmissionPolicy{Spec: v1beta1.ValidatingAdmissionPolicySpec{
+				Variables: []v1beta1.Variable{
+					{
+						Name:       "name",
+						Expression: "'something'",
+					},
+				},
+				Validations: []v1beta1.Validation{
+					{
+						Expression: "variables.name == object.foo", // foo is int64
+					},
+				},
+				MatchConstraints: deploymentPolicy.Spec.MatchConstraints,
+			},
+			},
+			schemaToReturn: &spec.Schema{
+				SchemaProps: spec.SchemaProps{
+					Type: []string{"object"},
+					Properties: map[string]spec.Schema{
+						"foo": *spec.Int64Property(),
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			assertions: []assertionFunc{
+				toHaveLengthOf(1),
+				toHaveFieldRef("spec.validations[0].expression"),
+				toContain("found no matching overload for '_==_' applied to '(string, int)"),
+			},
+		},
 	} {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			typeChecker := buildTypeChecker(tc.schemaToReturn)