diff --git a/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx b/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx
index d87eb7c4..66586fbd 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx
+++ b/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react-native";
 import { View } from "react-native-css/components/View";
 import { registerCSS, testID } from "react-native-css/jest";
-import { vars } from "react-native-css/runtime";
+import { VariableContextProvider, vars } from "react-native-css/runtime";
 
 test("vars", () => {
   registerCSS(
@@ -36,3 +36,49 @@ test("vars", () => {
     color: "blue",
   });
 });
+
+test("an element's own vars() outranks an inherited value", () => {
+  // `--my-var` is defined twice so `inline-variables.ts` cannot fold it into
+  // the consuming declaration; a single definition performs no runtime var()
+  // read and would pass without exercising precedence at all.
+  registerCSS(
+    `.decoy { --my-var: seed; }
+     .other-decoy { --my-var: seed2; }
+     .my-class { color: var(--my-var); }`,
+  );
+
+  render(
+    <VariableContextProvider value={{ "--my-var": "red" }}>
+      <View
+        testID={testID}
+        className="my-class"
+        style={vars({ "--my-var": "blue" })}
+      />
+    </VariableContextProvider>,
+  );
+
+  // css-cascade-4 §7.2: inheritance is a defaulting step, reached only when the
+  // cascade yields no declared value for the element. The element declares
+  // `--my-var`, so the ancestor's `red` never applies to it.
+  expect(screen.getByTestId(testID).props.style).toStrictEqual({
+    color: "blue",
+  });
+});
+
+test("an inherited value still applies when the element declares nothing", () => {
+  registerCSS(
+    `.decoy { --my-var: seed; }
+     .other-decoy { --my-var: seed2; }
+     .my-class { color: var(--my-var); }`,
+  );
+
+  render(
+    <VariableContextProvider value={{ "--my-var": "red" }}>
+      <View testID={testID} className="my-class" />
+    </VariableContextProvider>,
+  );
+
+  expect(screen.getByTestId(testID).props.style).toStrictEqual({
+    color: "red",
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/native/styles/variables.ts b/src/native/styles/variables.ts
index af3d6ee2..d6361b97 100644
--- a/src/native/styles/variables.ts
+++ b/src/native/styles/variables.ts
@@ -46,11 +46,6 @@ export function varResolver(
     return;
   }
 
-  if (name in variables) {
-    renderGuards?.push(["v", name, variables[name]]);
-    return resolve(variables[name]);
-  }
-
   variableHistory.add(name);
 
   let value = resolve(inlineVariables?.[name] as StyleDescriptor);
@@ -61,13 +56,12 @@ export function varResolver(
     return value;
   }
 
-  value = resolve(variables[name]);
-  if (value !== undefined) {
-    renderGuards?.push(["v", name, value]);
-    options.inlineVariables ??= { [VAR_SYMBOL]: "inline" };
-    options.inlineVariables[name] = value;
-
-    return value;
+  if (name in variables) {
+    // The RAW inherited descriptor, not the resolved value: `testGuards`
+    // compares this against the next render's context, and a resolved value
+    // would never match.
+    renderGuards?.push(["v", name, variables[name]]);
+    return resolve(variables[name]);
   }
 
   value = resolve(get(universalVariables(name)));