diff --git a/apps/sim/background/schedule-execution.ts b/apps/sim/background/schedule-execution.ts
index d51e2f290ac..c4704585f5b 100644
--- a/apps/sim/background/schedule-execution.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/background/schedule-execution.ts
@@ -208,8 +208,11 @@ async function runWorkflowExecution({
 
     const mergedStates = mergeSubblockState(blocks)
 
+    // Use workflow creator's userId for personal env vars (not the billing actor)
+    // This ensures pre-checks match the execution behavior in execution-core.ts
+    const envVarUserId = workflowRecord.userId || actorUserId
     const { personalEncrypted, workspaceEncrypted } = await getPersonalAndWorkspaceEnv(
-      actorUserId,
+      envVarUserId,
       workflowRecord.workspaceId || undefined
     )
 
diff --git a/apps/sim/lib/workflows/executor/execution-core.ts b/apps/sim/lib/workflows/executor/execution-core.ts
index 1096aa16237..1c5aa7c8160 100644
--- a/apps/sim/lib/workflows/executor/execution-core.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/lib/workflows/executor/execution-core.ts
@@ -152,8 +152,13 @@ export async function executeWorkflowCore(
     // Merge block states
     const mergedStates = mergeSubblockState(blocks)
 
+    // Use workflow creator's userId for personal env vars (not the billing actor)
+    // This ensures that {{variable}} references in the workflow resolve to the
+    // creator's personal environment variables, not the workspace billing account's.
+    // For shared workspace workflows, workspace-scoped env vars are recommended.
+    const envVarUserId = workflow.userId || userId
     const { personalEncrypted, workspaceEncrypted, personalDecrypted, workspaceDecrypted } =
-      await getPersonalAndWorkspaceEnv(userId, providedWorkspaceId)
+      await getPersonalAndWorkspaceEnv(envVarUserId, providedWorkspaceId)
 
     // Use encrypted values for logging (don't log decrypted secrets)
     const variables = EnvVarsSchema.parse({ ...personalEncrypted, ...workspaceEncrypted })