diff --git a/k8s/evals.go b/k8s/evals.go
index 75ddc00..05ae0be 100644
--- a/k8s/evals.go
+++ b/k8s/evals.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 package k8s
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 
 	"github.com/google/cel-go/cel"
@@ -24,6 +25,32 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/structpb"
 )
 
+type evalResponseError struct {
+	error
+	cause error
+}
+
+func newEvalResponseErr(operation, expression string, err error) *evalResponse {
+	switch celErr := err.(type) {
+	case *types.Err:
+		underlying := celErr.Unwrap()
+		switch evalErr := underlying.(type) {
+		case *evalResponseError:
+			return &evalResponse{
+				val: types.WrapErr(&evalResponseError{fmt.Errorf("unexpected error %s expression '%s', caused by nested exception: '%s'", operation, expression, evalErr.cause), evalErr.cause}),
+			}
+		default:
+			return &evalResponse{
+				val: types.WrapErr(&evalResponseError{fmt.Errorf("unexpected error %s expression %s: %s", operation, expression, underlying), underlying}),
+			}
+		}
+	default:
+		return &evalResponse{
+			val: types.WrapErr(&evalResponseError{fmt.Errorf("unexpected error %s expression %s: %s", operation, expression, err), err}),
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 type evalResponse struct {
 	name       string
 	val        ref.Val
@@ -34,12 +61,6 @@ type evalResponse struct {
 
 type evalResponses []*evalResponse
 
-func newEvalResponseErr(operation, expression string, err error) *evalResponse {
-	return &evalResponse{
-		val: types.NewErr("Unexpected error %s expression %s: %v", operation, expression, err),
-	}
-}
-
 func newEvalResponse(name string, exprEval ref.Val, details *cel.EvalDetails, message string, messageVal ref.Val) *evalResponse {
 	return &evalResponse{
 		name:       name,
diff --git a/k8s/testdata/vap/broken1 policy.yaml b/k8s/testdata/vap/broken1 policy.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cfbcb82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/k8s/testdata/vap/broken1 policy.yaml	
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+apiVersion: admissionregistration.k8s.io/v1alpha1
+kind: ValidatingAdmissionPolicy
+metadata:
+  name: "test-variable-access"
+spec:
+  failurePolicy: Fail
+  matchConstraints:
+    resourceRules:
+    - apiGroups:   ["apps"]
+      apiVersions: ["v1"]
+      operations:  ["CREATE", "UPDATE"]
+      resources:   ["deployments"]
+  variables:
+    - name: foo
+      expression: "'foo' in object.spec.template.metadata.labels ? object.spec.template.metadata.labels['foo'] : 'default'"
+    - name: containers
+      # deliberately misspelling 'spec' as 'spc'
+      expression: "object.spec.template.spc.containers"
+  validations:
+    - expression: variables.foo == 'default' && variables.containers.all(c, c.image.startsWith("test"))
+  auditAnnotations:
+    - key: "foo-label"
+      valueExpression: "'Label for foo is set to ' + variables.foo"
diff --git a/k8s/testdata/vap/broken1 updated.yaml b/k8s/testdata/vap/broken1 updated.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..31f17e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/k8s/testdata/vap/broken1 updated.yaml	
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  annotations:
+    deployment.kubernetes.io/revision: "1"
+  creationTimestamp: "2023-10-02T15:26:06Z"
+  generation: 1
+  labels:
+    app: kubernetes-bootcamp
+  name: kubernetes-bootcamp
+  namespace: default
+  resourceVersion: "246826"
+  uid: dcdda63b-1611-467d-8927-43e3c73bc963
+spec:
+  progressDeadlineSeconds: 600
+  replicas: 1
+  revisionHistoryLimit: 10
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app: kubernetes-bootcamp
+  strategy:
+    rollingUpdate:
+      maxSurge: 25%
+      maxUnavailable: 25%
+    type: RollingUpdate
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      creationTimestamp: null
+      labels:
+        app: kubernetes-bootcamp
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: gcr.io/google-samples/kubernetes-bootcamp:v1
+        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
+        name: kubernetes-bootcamp
+        resources: {}
+        terminationMessagePath: /dev/termination-log
+        terminationMessagePolicy: File
+      dnsPolicy: ClusterFirst
+      restartPolicy: Always
+      schedulerName: default-scheduler
+      securityContext: {}
+      terminationGracePeriodSeconds: 30
+status:
+  conditions:
+  - lastTransitionTime: "2023-10-02T15:26:08Z"
+    lastUpdateTime: "2023-10-02T15:26:08Z"
+    message: Deployment does not have minimum availability.
+    reason: MinimumReplicasUnavailable
+    status: "False"
+    type: Available
+  - lastTransitionTime: "2023-10-02T15:26:07Z"
+    lastUpdateTime: "2023-10-02T15:26:10Z"
+    message: ReplicaSet "kubernetes-bootcamp-855d5cc575" is progressing.
+    reason: ReplicaSetUpdated
+    status: "True"
+    type: Progressing
+  observedGeneration: 1
+  replicas: 1
+  unavailableReplicas: 1
+  updatedReplicas: 1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/k8s/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go b/k8s/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go
index a620eca..e2edf7b 100644
--- a/k8s/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go
+++ b/k8s/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go
@@ -300,6 +300,30 @@ func TestValidationEval(t *testing.T) {
 			}},
 			Cost: uint64ptr(19),
 		},
+	}, {
+		name:    "test a broken expression within variables, expression should fail with no audit annotation",
+		policy:  "broken1 policy.yaml",
+		orig:    "",
+		updated: "broken1 updated.yaml",
+		expected: k8s.EvalResponse{
+			ValidationVariables: []*k8s.EvalVariable{{
+				Name:  "foo",
+				Value: "default",
+				Cost:  uint64ptr(6),
+			}, {
+				Name:  "containers",
+				Error: strptr("unexpected error evaluating expression containers: no such key: spc"),
+			}},
+			Validations: []*k8s.EvalResult{{
+				Error: strptr("unexpected error evaluating expression 'variables.foo == 'default' && variables.containers.all(c, c.image.startsWith(\"test\"))', caused by nested exception: 'no such key: spc'"),
+			}},
+			AuditAnnotations: []*k8s.EvalResult{{
+				Name:    strptr("foo-label"),
+				Message: "Label for foo is set to default",
+				Cost:    uint64ptr(2),
+			}},
+			Cost: uint64ptr(8),
+		},
 	}}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {