diff --git a/components/server/src/container-module.ts b/components/server/src/container-module.ts
index 0c49448d2f90a2..58d09ef485b4c5 100644
--- a/components/server/src/container-module.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/container-module.ts
@@ -412,9 +412,9 @@ export const productionContainerModule = new ContainerModule(
         bind<DefaultWorkspaceImageValidator>(DefaultWorkspaceImageValidator)
             .toDynamicValue((ctx) =>
                 // lazy load to avoid circular dependency
-                async (userId: string, imageRef: string) => {
+                async (userId: string, imageRef: string, organizationId?: string) => {
                     const user = await ctx.container.get(UserService).findUserById(userId, userId);
-                    await ctx.container.get(WorkspaceService).validateImageRef({}, user, imageRef);
+                    await ctx.container.get(WorkspaceService).validateImageRef({}, user, imageRef, organizationId);
                 },
             )
             .inSingletonScope();
diff --git a/components/server/src/orgs/default-workspace-image-validator.ts b/components/server/src/orgs/default-workspace-image-validator.ts
index fda29e97c9ce03..721d71605e9f31 100644
--- a/components/server/src/orgs/default-workspace-image-validator.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/orgs/default-workspace-image-validator.ts
@@ -4,5 +4,9 @@
  * See License.AGPL.txt in the project root for license information.
  */
 
-export type DefaultWorkspaceImageValidator = (userId: string, imageRef: string) => Promise<void>;
+export type DefaultWorkspaceImageValidator = (
+    userId: string,
+    imageRef: string,
+    organizationId?: string,
+) => Promise<void>;
 export const DefaultWorkspaceImageValidator = Symbol("DefaultWorkspaceImageValidator");
diff --git a/components/server/src/orgs/organization-service.ts b/components/server/src/orgs/organization-service.ts
index e83402ad0a986c..e3a7375a9ba4d1 100644
--- a/components/server/src/orgs/organization-service.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/orgs/organization-service.ts
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ export class OrganizationService {
         if (typeof settings.defaultWorkspaceImage === "string") {
             const defaultWorkspaceImage = settings.defaultWorkspaceImage.trim();
             if (defaultWorkspaceImage) {
-                await this.validateDefaultWorkspaceImage(userId, defaultWorkspaceImage);
+                await this.validateDefaultWorkspaceImage(userId, defaultWorkspaceImage, orgId);
                 settings = { ...settings, defaultWorkspaceImage };
             } else {
                 settings = { ...settings, defaultWorkspaceImage: null };
diff --git a/components/server/src/user/env-var-service.ts b/components/server/src/user/env-var-service.ts
index a0195db81a6497..1e6c6c6a1fbdd5 100644
--- a/components/server/src/user/env-var-service.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/user/env-var-service.ts
@@ -234,6 +234,13 @@ export class EnvVarService {
         return this.orgDB.getOrgEnvironmentVariables(orgId);
     }
 
+    async listOrgEnvVarsWithValues(requestorId: string, orgId: string): Promise<OrgEnvVarWithValue[]> {
+        const envVars = (await ApplicationError.notFoundToUndefined(this.listOrgEnvVars(requestorId, orgId))) ?? [];
+        const envVarValues = await this.orgDB.getOrgEnvironmentVariableValues(envVars);
+
+        return envVarValues;
+    }
+
     async getOrgEnvVarById(requestorId: string, id: string): Promise<OrgEnvVar> {
         const result = await this.orgDB.getOrgEnvironmentVariableById(id);
         if (!result) {
diff --git a/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-service.ts b/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-service.ts
index 2ff2dd44820e0c..eeb972fa34c366 100644
--- a/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-service.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-service.ts
@@ -1407,9 +1407,17 @@ export class WorkspaceService {
         });
     }
 
-    public async validateImageRef(ctx: TraceContext, user: User, imageRef: string) {
+    public async validateImageRef(ctx: TraceContext, user: User, imageRef: string, organizationId?: string) {
         try {
-            return await this.workspaceStarter.resolveBaseImage(ctx, user, imageRef);
+            return await this.workspaceStarter.resolveBaseImage(
+                ctx,
+                user,
+                imageRef,
+                undefined,
+                undefined,
+                undefined,
+                organizationId,
+            );
         } catch (e) {
             // see https://github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/blob/f3e41f8d86234e4101edff2199c54f50f8cbb656/components/image-builder-mk3/pkg/orchestrator/orchestrator.go#L561
             // TODO(ak) ideally we won't check a message (subject to change)
@@ -1423,8 +1431,8 @@ export class WorkspaceService {
             ) {
                 let message = details;
                 // strip confusing prefix
-                if (details.startsWith("cannt resolve base image ref: ")) {
-                    message = details.substring("cannt resolve base image ref: ".length);
+                if (details.startsWith("can't resolve base image ref: ")) {
+                    message = details.substring("can't resolve base image ref: ".length);
                 }
                 throw new ApplicationError(ErrorCodes.BAD_REQUEST, message);
             }
diff --git a/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts b/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts
index d9e32754d6f680..1cf0934526c1b4 100644
--- a/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts
@@ -2033,6 +2033,7 @@ export class WorkspaceStarter {
         workspace?: Workspace,
         instance?: WorkspaceInstance,
         region?: WorkspaceRegion,
+        organizationId?: string,
     ) {
         const req = new ResolveBaseImageRequest();
         req.setRef(imageRef);
@@ -2041,6 +2042,15 @@ export class WorkspaceStarter {
         const auth = new BuildRegistryAuth();
         auth.setTotal(allowAll);
         req.setAuth(auth);
+
+        // if the image resolution is for an organization, we also include the organization's set up env vars
+        if (organizationId) {
+            const envVars = await this.envVarService.listOrgEnvVarsWithValues(user.id, organizationId);
+
+            const additionalAuth = await this.getAdditionalImageAuth({ workspace: envVars });
+            additionalAuth.forEach((val, key) => auth.getAdditionalMap().set(key, val));
+        }
+
         const client = await this.getImageBuilderClient(user, workspace, instance, region);
         return client.resolveBaseImage({ span: ctx.span }, req);
     }