diff --git a/apisix/admin/standalone.lua b/apisix/admin/standalone.lua
index 46f9a8001bbf..c2ae52a4dd5f 100644
--- a/apisix/admin/standalone.lua
+++ b/apisix/admin/standalone.lua
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ local events       = require("apisix.events")
 local core         = require("apisix.core")
 local config_yaml  = require("apisix.core.config_yaml")
 local config_validate = require("apisix.admin.config_validate")
+local file         = require("apisix.cli.file")
 
 local ALL_RESOURCE_KEYS = config_validate.get_all_resource_keys()
 
@@ -128,6 +129,18 @@ local function update(ctx)
         return core.response.exit(204)
     end
 
+    -- resolve ${{VAR}} / $ENV:// references before validation, so that the
+    -- schema check and the stored config both see the resolved values. The
+    -- file-based standalone path resolves these in config_yaml.parse(); the
+    -- Admin API path decodes JSON straight into the config and would otherwise
+    -- validate and store the literal "${{...}}" string.
+    local resolved, resolve_err = file.resolve_conf_var(req_body)
+    if not resolved then
+        return core.response.exit(400, {
+            error_msg = "failed to resolve variables in config: " .. resolve_err
+        })
+    end
+
     local valid, error_msg = validate_configuration(req_body, false)
     if not valid then
         return core.response.exit(400, { error_msg = error_msg })
diff --git a/t/admin/standalone.spec.ts b/t/admin/standalone.spec.ts
index 5a71c4122a91..54af5d240d05 100644
--- a/t/admin/standalone.spec.ts
+++ b/t/admin/standalone.spec.ts
@@ -944,4 +944,96 @@ describe('Validate API - Standalone', () => {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('Variable resolution', () => {
+    it('resolves ${{VAR}} references in config pushed via the Admin API', async () => {
+      mockDigest += 1;
+      const config = {
+        routes: [
+          {
+            id: 'r_var',
+            uri: '/r_var',
+            upstream: {
+              nodes: { '127.0.0.1:1980': 1 },
+              type: 'roundrobin',
+            },
+            // The proxy-rewrite uri uses a ${{VAR:=default}} reference. The
+            // gateway must resolve it to the default ("/hello"); if it were
+            // left literal, the upstream would receive "${{...}}" instead of
+            // "/hello" and would not return the hello body.
+            plugins: {
+              'proxy-rewrite': { uri: '${{STANDALONE_ENV_TEST:=/hello}}' },
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      };
+      const putResp = await client.put(ENDPOINT, config, {
+        headers: { [HEADER_DIGEST]: mockDigest },
+      });
+      expect(putResp.status).toEqual(202);
+
+      const resp = await client.get('/r_var');
+      expect(resp.status).toEqual(200);
+      expect(resp.data).toEqual('hello world\n');
+    });
+
+    it('coerces a resolved ${{VAR}} to its native type before validation', async () => {
+      mockDigest += 1;
+      const config = {
+        routes: [
+          {
+            id: 'r_var_typed',
+            uri: '/r_var_typed',
+            upstream: {
+              nodes: { '127.0.0.1:1980': 1 },
+              type: 'roundrobin',
+              // retries is an integer field. The reference resolves to the
+              // default "2", which resolve_conf_var coerces to the number 2;
+              // a literal string "2" would fail integer schema validation
+              // with 400, so a 202 proves the value was coerced.
+              retries: '${{STANDALONE_ENV_RETRIES:=2}}',
+            },
+            plugins: {
+              'proxy-rewrite': { uri: '/hello' },
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      };
+      const putResp = await client.put(ENDPOINT, config, {
+        headers: { [HEADER_DIGEST]: mockDigest },
+      });
+      expect(putResp.status).toEqual(202);
+
+      const resp = await client.get('/r_var_typed');
+      expect(resp.status).toEqual(200);
+      expect(resp.data).toEqual('hello world\n');
+    });
+
+    it('rejects config with an unresolvable ${{VAR}} reference', async () => {
+      mockDigest += 1;
+      const config = {
+        routes: [
+          {
+            id: 'r_var_bad',
+            uri: '/r_var_bad',
+            upstream: {
+              nodes: { '127.0.0.1:1980': 1 },
+              type: 'roundrobin',
+            },
+            // No matching environment variable and no ":=default", so
+            // resolution fails and the push is rejected with 400 rather than
+            // storing a literal "${{...}}".
+            plugins: {
+              'proxy-rewrite': { uri: '${{STANDALONE_ENV_UNDEFINED}}' },
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      };
+      const resp = await client
+        .put(ENDPOINT, config, { headers: { [HEADER_DIGEST]: mockDigest } })
+        .catch((err) => err.response);
+      expect(resp.status).toEqual(400);
+      expect(resp.data.error_msg).toContain('failed to resolve variables in config');
+    });
+  });
 });