diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/jsonpath_exec.c b/src/backend/utils/adt/jsonpath_exec.c
index 8c8422e1e4..13fe196edc 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/jsonpath_exec.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/jsonpath_exec.c
@@ -960,9 +960,13 @@ executeItemOptUnwrapTarget(JsonPathExecContext *cxt, JsonPathItem *jsp,
 				JsonbValue *v;
 				bool		hasNext = jspGetNext(jsp, &elem);
 
-				if (!hasNext && !found)
+				if (!hasNext && !found && jsp->type != jpiVariable)
 				{
-					res = jperOk;	/* skip evaluation */
+					/*
+					 * Skip evaluation, but not for variables.  We must
+					 * trigger an error for the missing variable.
+					 */
+					res = jperOk;
 					break;
 				}
 
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/jsonb_jsonpath.out b/src/test/regress/expected/jsonb_jsonpath.out
index 508ddd797e..328a6b3919 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/jsonb_jsonpath.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/jsonb_jsonpath.out
@@ -2212,6 +2212,14 @@ SELECT jsonb_path_query('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*] ? (@.a > 10)');
 ------------------
 (0 rows)
 
+SELECT jsonb_path_query('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+ERROR:  could not find jsonpath variable "undefined_var"
+SELECT jsonb_path_query('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
+ jsonb_path_query 
+------------------
+ false
+(1 row)
+
 SELECT jsonb_path_query_array('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {}]', 'strict $[*].a');
 ERROR:  JSON object does not contain key "a"
 SELECT jsonb_path_query_array('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*].a');
@@ -2282,6 +2290,14 @@ SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {"a": 3}, {"a": 5}]', '$[*].
  
 (1 row)
 
+SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+ERROR:  could not find jsonpath variable "undefined_var"
+SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
+ jsonb_path_query_first 
+------------------------
+ false
+(1 row)
+
 SELECT jsonb '[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]' @? '$[*].a ? (@ > 1)';
  ?column? 
 ----------
@@ -2312,6 +2328,14 @@ SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {"a": 3}, {"a": 5}]', '$[*] ? (@.
  f
 (1 row)
 
+SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+ERROR:  could not find jsonpath variable "undefined_var"
+SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
+ jsonb_path_exists 
+-------------------
+ t
+(1 row)
+
 SELECT jsonb_path_match('true', '$', silent => false);
  jsonb_path_match 
 ------------------
@@ -2374,6 +2398,14 @@ SELECT jsonb_path_match('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*].a > 1');
  t
 (1 row)
 
+SELECT jsonb_path_match('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+ERROR:  could not find jsonpath variable "undefined_var"
+SELECT jsonb_path_match('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
+ jsonb_path_match 
+------------------
+ f
+(1 row)
+
 -- test string comparison (Unicode codepoint collation)
 WITH str(j, num) AS
 (
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/jsonb_jsonpath.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/jsonb_jsonpath.sql
index 60f73cb059..bd025077d5 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/jsonb_jsonpath.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/jsonb_jsonpath.sql
@@ -532,6 +532,8 @@ set time zone default;
 
 SELECT jsonb_path_query('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*]');
 SELECT jsonb_path_query('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*] ? (@.a > 10)');
+SELECT jsonb_path_query('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+SELECT jsonb_path_query('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
 
 SELECT jsonb_path_query_array('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {}]', 'strict $[*].a');
 SELECT jsonb_path_query_array('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*].a');
@@ -547,12 +549,16 @@ SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*].a ? (@ == 1)');
 SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*].a ? (@ > 10)');
 SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {"a": 3}, {"a": 5}]', '$[*].a ? (@ > $min && @ < $max)', vars => '{"min": 1, "max": 4}');
 SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {"a": 3}, {"a": 5}]', '$[*].a ? (@ > $min && @ < $max)', vars => '{"min": 3, "max": 4}');
+SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+SELECT jsonb_path_query_first('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
 
 SELECT jsonb '[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]' @? '$[*].a ? (@ > 1)';
 SELECT jsonb '[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]' @? '$[*] ? (@.a > 2)';
 SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*].a ? (@ > 1)');
 SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {"a": 3}, {"a": 5}]', '$[*] ? (@.a > $min && @.a < $max)', vars => '{"min": 1, "max": 4}');
 SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}, {"a": 3}, {"a": 5}]', '$[*] ? (@.a > $min && @.a < $max)', vars => '{"min": 3, "max": 4}');
+SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+SELECT jsonb_path_exists('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
 
 SELECT jsonb_path_match('true', '$', silent => false);
 SELECT jsonb_path_match('false', '$', silent => false);
@@ -569,6 +575,8 @@ SELECT jsonb_path_match('[true, true]', '$[*]', silent => false);
 SELECT jsonb '[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]' @@ '$[*].a > 1';
 SELECT jsonb '[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]' @@ '$[*].a > 2';
 SELECT jsonb_path_match('[{"a": 1}, {"a": 2}]', '$[*].a > 1');
+SELECT jsonb_path_match('[{"a": 1}]', '$undefined_var');
+SELECT jsonb_path_match('[{"a": 1}]', 'false');
 
 -- test string comparison (Unicode codepoint collation)
 WITH str(j, num) AS