diff --git a/packages/editor-ui/src/components/ParameterInputWrapper.vue b/packages/editor-ui/src/components/ParameterInputWrapper.vue
index 957b21a9ac..a3c9c558a4 100644
--- a/packages/editor-ui/src/components/ParameterInputWrapper.vue
+++ b/packages/editor-ui/src/components/ParameterInputWrapper.vue
@@ -202,14 +202,18 @@ export default defineComponent({
 				? this.modelValue.value
 				: this.modelValue;
 
-			if (!this.activeNode || !this.isValueExpression || typeof value !== 'string') {
+			if (
+				!this.isForCredential &&
+				(!this.activeNode || !this.isValueExpression || typeof value !== 'string')
+			) {
 				return { ok: false, error: new Error() };
 			}
 
 			try {
-				let opts;
+				let opts = { isForCredential: this.isForCredential };
 				if (this.ndvStore.isInputParentOfActiveNode) {
 					opts = {
+						...opts,
 						targetItem: this.targetItem ?? undefined,
 						inputNodeName: this.ndvStore.ndvInputNodeName,
 						inputRunIndex: this.ndvStore.ndvInputRunIndex,
diff --git a/packages/editor-ui/src/composables/useWorkflowHelpers.ts b/packages/editor-ui/src/composables/useWorkflowHelpers.ts
index e6b452abbc..9a44f5bb87 100644
--- a/packages/editor-ui/src/composables/useWorkflowHelpers.ts
+++ b/packages/editor-ui/src/composables/useWorkflowHelpers.ts
@@ -82,16 +82,51 @@ export function resolveParameter(
 		inputRunIndex?: number;
 		inputBranchIndex?: number;
 		additionalKeys?: IWorkflowDataProxyAdditionalKeys;
+		isForCredential?: boolean;
 	} = {},
 ): IDataObject | null {
 	let itemIndex = opts?.targetItem?.itemIndex || 0;
 
+	const workflow = getCurrentWorkflow();
+
+	const additionalKeys: IWorkflowDataProxyAdditionalKeys = {
+		$execution: {
+			id: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
+			mode: 'test',
+			resumeUrl: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
+			resumeFormUrl: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
+		},
+		$vars: useEnvironmentsStore().variablesAsObject,
+
+		// deprecated
+		$executionId: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
+		$resumeWebhookUrl: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
+
+		...opts.additionalKeys,
+	};
+
+	if (opts.isForCredential) {
+		// node-less expression resolution
+		return workflow.expression.getParameterValue(
+			parameter,
+			null,
+			0,
+			itemIndex,
+			'',
+			[],
+			'manual',
+			additionalKeys,
+			undefined,
+			false,
+			undefined,
+			'',
+		) as IDataObject;
+	}
+
 	const inputName = NodeConnectionType.Main;
 	const activeNode = useNDVStore().activeNode;
 	let contextNode = activeNode;
 
-	const workflow = getCurrentWorkflow();
-
 	if (activeNode) {
 		contextNode = workflow.getParentMainInputNode(activeNode);
 	}
@@ -159,22 +194,6 @@ export function resolveParameter(
 		_connectionInputData = [];
 	}
 
-	const additionalKeys: IWorkflowDataProxyAdditionalKeys = {
-		$execution: {
-			id: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
-			mode: 'test',
-			resumeUrl: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
-			resumeFormUrl: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
-		},
-		$vars: useEnvironmentsStore().variablesAsObject,
-
-		// deprecated
-		$executionId: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
-		$resumeWebhookUrl: PLACEHOLDER_FILLED_AT_EXECUTION_TIME,
-
-		...opts.additionalKeys,
-	};
-
 	if (activeNode?.type === HTTP_REQUEST_NODE_TYPE) {
 		const EMPTY_RESPONSE = { statusCode: 200, headers: {}, body: {} };
 		const EMPTY_REQUEST = { headers: {}, body: {}, qs: {} };
@@ -793,6 +812,7 @@ export function useWorkflowHelpers(options: { router: ReturnType<typeof useRoute
 			inputBranchIndex?: number;
 			c?: number;
 			additionalKeys?: IWorkflowDataProxyAdditionalKeys;
+			isForCredential?: boolean;
 		} = {},
 		stringifyObject = true,
 	) {
diff --git a/packages/editor-ui/src/views/CredentialsView.vue b/packages/editor-ui/src/views/CredentialsView.vue
index bc6c1fc67a..11a4b2ba08 100644
--- a/packages/editor-ui/src/views/CredentialsView.vue
+++ b/packages/editor-ui/src/views/CredentialsView.vue
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ import { defineComponent } from 'vue';
 import ResourcesListLayout from '@/components/layouts/ResourcesListLayout.vue';
 import CredentialCard from '@/components/CredentialCard.vue';
 import type { ICredentialType } from 'n8n-workflow';
-import { CREDENTIAL_SELECT_MODAL_KEY } from '@/constants';
+import { CREDENTIAL_SELECT_MODAL_KEY, EnterpriseEditionFeature } from '@/constants';
 import { mapStores } from 'pinia';
 import { useUIStore } from '@/stores/ui.store';
 import { useUsersStore } from '@/stores/users.store';
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ import { useNodeTypesStore } from '@/stores/nodeTypes.store';
 import { useCredentialsStore } from '@/stores/credentials.store';
 import { useExternalSecretsStore } from '@/stores/externalSecrets.ee.store';
 import { useSourceControlStore } from '@/stores/sourceControl.store';
+import useEnvironmentsStore from '@/stores/environments.ee.store';
+import { useSettingsStore } from '@/stores/settings.store';
 
 type IResourcesListLayoutInstance = InstanceType<typeof ResourcesListLayout>;
 
@@ -123,11 +125,16 @@ export default defineComponent({
 			});
 		},
 		async initialize() {
+			const isVarsEnabled = useSettingsStore().isEnterpriseFeatureEnabled(
+				EnterpriseEditionFeature.Variables,
+			);
+
 			const loadPromises = [
 				this.credentialsStore.fetchAllCredentials(),
 				this.credentialsStore.fetchCredentialTypes(false),
 				this.externalSecretsStore.fetchAllSecrets(),
 				this.nodeTypesStore.loadNodeTypesIfNotLoaded(),
+				isVarsEnabled ? useEnvironmentsStore().fetchAllVariables() : Promise.resolve(), // for expression resolution
 			];
 
 			await Promise.all(loadPromises);
diff --git a/packages/workflow/src/WorkflowDataProxy.ts b/packages/workflow/src/WorkflowDataProxy.ts
index 5cc245f330..e8a1091783 100644
--- a/packages/workflow/src/WorkflowDataProxy.ts
+++ b/packages/workflow/src/WorkflowDataProxy.ts
@@ -164,7 +164,9 @@ export class WorkflowDataProxy {
 		const that = this;
 		const node = this.workflow.nodes[nodeName];
 
-		return new Proxy(node.parameters, {
+		// `node` is `undefined` only in expressions in credentials
+
+		return new Proxy(node?.parameters ?? {}, {
 			has: () => true,
 			ownKeys(target) {
 				return Reflect.ownKeys(target);