diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md
index 214fbf3..14f7da3 100644
--- a/docs/index.md
+++ b/docs/index.md
@@ -9,3 +9,14 @@ This project provides a Nix flake module that allows you to generate your `.gitl
 - **Modularity:** Define and manage your CI configurations in a structured and modular way using Nix modules, making it easier to share and reuse CI logic across multiple projects.
 
 This documentation will guide you through setting up and using Nix GitLab CI for your projects.
+
+## Warnings
+
+To save you from frantically searching these docs if something doesn't work as expected, here are the most important warnings ;)
+
+!!! warning
+
+    Do not put Nix store paths into global/pipeline variables. They will simply be passed through,
+    resulting in bad portability (if two runners have different archs for example, one cannot find the path).
+    If you need any Nix store path in env variables, always do it on the job level, there
+    it will automatically be computed at runtime, thus will always work no matter which runner it runs on.
diff --git a/lib/VERSION b/lib/VERSION
index cb2b00e..fd2a018 100644
--- a/lib/VERSION
+++ b/lib/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-3.0.1
+3.1.0
diff --git a/lib/impl/jobPatched.nix b/lib/impl/jobPatched.nix
index c7134fb..367a374 100644
--- a/lib/impl/jobPatched.nix
+++ b/lib/impl/jobPatched.nix
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ in
     pipelineName,
     nixConfig,
   }:
-    (builtins.removeAttrs job ["variables" "cache"])
-    // (optionalAttrs nixConfig.enable (
-      (prependToBeforeScript ["source setup_nix_ci \"gitlab-ci:pipeline:${pipelineName}:job-deps:${key}\""] job)
+    if ! nixConfig.enable
+    then job
+    else
+      (builtins.removeAttrs job ["variables" "cache"])
+      // (prependToBeforeScript ["source setup_nix_ci \"gitlab-ci:pipeline:${pipelineName}:job-deps:${key}\""] job)
       // (appendToAfterScript ["finalize_nix_ci"] job)
-    ))
-    // optionalAttrs nixConfig.enable (
-      (let
+      // (let
         variables =
           (filterJobVariables false job)
           // optionalAttrs nixConfig.enableRunnerCache {
@@ -40,4 +40,3 @@ in
         optionalAttrs (cache != []) {
           inherit cache;
         })
-    )
diff --git a/lib/impl/modules/job.nix b/lib/impl/modules/job.nix
index 295093d..1f99d5b 100644
--- a/lib/impl/modules/job.nix
+++ b/lib/impl/modules/job.nix
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ in rec {
       };
       depsDrv = cilib.mkJobDeps {
         key = name;
-        job = config.finalConfig;
+        inherit job;
         nixConfig = config.nix;
       };
       runnerDrv = cilib.mkJobRun {
diff --git a/nix/repo/ci.nix b/nix/repo/ci.nix
index 157ede7..9ef9aac 100644
--- a/nix/repo/ci.nix
+++ b/nix/repo/ci.nix
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {inputs, ...}: let
-  inherit (inputs) cilib;
+  inherit (inputs) cilib pkgs;
 in
   cilib.mkCI {
     config.soonix = {
@@ -58,9 +58,25 @@ in
       };
     };
     pipelines."default" = {
-      stages = ["test" "build" "deploy"];
+      stages = ["check" "test" "build" "deploy"];
+      variables = {
+        EXAMPLE = "empty";
+        CURL = toString pkgs.curl;
+      };
       jobs = {
+        "check" = {
+          stage = "check";
+          script = [
+            "set -euo pipefail"
+            "echo EXAMPLE=$EXAMPLE CURL=$CURL SAMPLE=$SAMPLE HELLO=$HELLO"
+          ];
+          variables = {
+            SAMPLE = "working";
+            HELLO = toString pkgs.hello;
+          };
+        };
         "test" = {
+          nix.deps = with pkgs; [coreutils nix];
           stage = "test";
           script = [
             "nix run .#tests -- --junit=junit.xml"
@@ -73,6 +89,7 @@ in
         };
         "docs" = {
           stage = "build";
+          nix.deps = with pkgs; [coreutils nix];
           script = [
             # sh
             ''
diff --git a/tests/cilib_test.nix b/tests/cilib_test.nix
index b53308c..3b76fb8 100644
--- a/tests/cilib_test.nix
+++ b/tests/cilib_test.nix
@@ -64,6 +64,22 @@
           nixConfig.enable = false;
         };
       }
+      {
+        name = "jobPatched nix disabled with variables and cache";
+        expected = {
+          variables."HELLO" = "world";
+          cache = [{key = "example";}];
+        };
+        actual = mkJobPatched {
+          key = "test";
+          pipelineName = "test";
+          job = {
+            variables."HELLO" = "world";
+            cache = [{key = "example";}];
+          };
+          nixConfig.enable = false;
+        };
+      }
       {
         name = "jobPatched without runner cache";
         expected = {
@@ -145,10 +161,13 @@
           '';
       }
       {
-        name = "handle store paths in variables";
+        name = "ignore store paths in variables with nix disabled";
         expected = {
           stages = ["test"];
-          test.stage = "test";
+          test = {
+            stage = "test";
+            variables."TEST" = "${pkgs.hello}";
+          };
         };
         actual =
           (mkPipeline {
@@ -163,6 +182,28 @@
             };
           }).finalConfig;
       }
+      {
+        # it doesn't make much sense to have any nix store path in variables, but we ignore it for global variables
+        name = "ignore store paths in global variables";
+        expected = {
+          variables = {
+            HELLO = "world";
+            CURL = toString pkgs.curl;
+          };
+        };
+        actual =
+          (mkPipeline {
+            name = "test";
+            nixConfig.enable = true;
+            pipeline = {
+              variables = {
+                HELLO = "world";
+                CURL = toString pkgs.curl;
+              };
+              jobs = {};
+            };
+          }).finalConfig;
+      }
     ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/tests/modules_test.nix b/tests/modules_test.nix
index e134293..0bd19c6 100644
--- a/tests/modules_test.nix
+++ b/tests/modules_test.nix
@@ -10,9 +10,17 @@
       simplePipeline = cilib.mkCI {
         pipelines."test" = {
           stages = ["test"];
+          variables = {
+            EXAMPLE = "empty";
+            CURL = toString pkgs.curl;
+          };
           jobs."test" = {
             stage = "test";
             script = ["echo hello world"];
+            variables = {
+              SAMPLE = "working";
+              HELLO = toString pkgs.hello;
+            };
           };
         };
       };
@@ -30,21 +38,29 @@
           (cilib.mkCI {}).packages;
       }
       {
-        name = "simple pipeline";
+        name = "simple pipeline final config";
         expected = {
           stages = [".pre" "test" ".post"];
+          variables = {
+            EXAMPLE = "empty";
+            CURL = toString pkgs.curl;
+          };
           "test" = {
             image = "$NIX_CI_IMAGE";
             stage = "test";
             before_script = ["source setup_nix_ci \"gitlab-ci:pipeline:test:job-deps:test\""];
             script = ["echo hello world"];
             after_script = ["finalize_nix_ci"];
+            variables = {
+              SAMPLE = "working";
+              #HELLO = toString pkgs.hello;
+            };
           };
         };
         actual = simplePipeline.pipelines."test".finalConfig;
       }
       {
-        name = "simple pipeline yaml";
+        name = "simple pipeline json";
         type = "script";
         script = let
           package = simplePipeline.packages."gitlab-ci:pipeline:test";
@@ -56,25 +72,23 @@
             assert_file_contains ${package} 'gitlab-ci:pipeline:test:job-deps:test'
             assert_file_contains ${package} 'finalize_nix_ci'
             assert_file_contains ${package} 'echo hello world'
+            assert_file_contains ${package} '"EXAMPLE":"empty"'
+            assert_file_contains ${package} '"SAMPLE":"working"'
+            assert_file_contains ${package} '"CURL":"/nix/store/.*-curl-.*"'
           '';
       }
       {
-        name = "dont fail on store paths";
+        name = "simple pipeline deps drv";
         type = "script";
         script = let
-          package =
-            (cilib.mkCI {
-              pipelines."test" = {
-                variables.EXAMPLE = "${pkgs.hello}";
-              };
-            }).packages."gitlab-ci:pipeline:test";
+          package = simplePipeline.packages."gitlab-ci:pipeline:test:job-deps:test";
         in
           # sh
           ''
             ${ntlib.helpers.path [pkgs.gnugrep]}
             ${ntlib.helpers.scriptHelpers}
-            assert_file_contains ${package} '[".pre",".post"]'
-            assert_file_contains ${package} '"EXAMPLE":"/nix/store/.*-hello-.*"'
+            assert_file_contains ${package} ':$PATH'
+            assert_file_contains ${package} 'HELLO="/nix/store/.*-hello-.*"'
           '';
       }
     ];