diff --git a/cli/exec/exec.go b/cli/exec/exec.go
index 7ce62445d..061d8d212 100644
--- a/cli/exec/exec.go
+++ b/cli/exec/exec.go
@@ -110,6 +110,11 @@ func execWithAxis(c *cli.Context, file, repoPath string, axis matrix.Axis) error
 	for _, env := range c.StringSlice("env") {
 		envs := strings.SplitN(env, "=", 2)
 		droneEnv[envs[0]] = envs[1]
+		if _, exists := environ[envs[0]]; exists {
+			// don't override existing values
+			continue
+		}
+		environ[envs[0]] = envs[1]
 	}
 
 	tmpl, err := envsubst.ParseFile(file)
diff --git a/docs/docs/20-usage/50-environment.md b/docs/docs/20-usage/50-environment.md
index fc7e1a5e6..d3bf49c10 100644
--- a/docs/docs/20-usage/50-environment.md
+++ b/docs/docs/20-usage/50-environment.md
@@ -125,9 +125,9 @@ This is the reference list of all environment variables available to your pipeli
 
 ## Global environment variables
 
-If you want specific environment variables to be available in all of your builds use the `WOODPECKER_ENVIRONMENT` setting on the Woodpecker server.
+If you want specific environment variables to be available in all of your builds use the `WOODPECKER_ENVIRONMENT` setting on the Woodpecker server. Note that these can't overwrite any existing, built-in variables.
 
-```.diff
+```diff
 services:
   woodpecker-server:
     [...]
@@ -136,6 +136,19 @@ services:
 +     - WOODPECKER_ENVIRONMENT=first_var:value1,second_var:value2
 ```
 
+These can be used, for example, to manage the image tag used by multiple projects.
+
+```diff
+pipeline:
+  build:
+-   image: golang:1.18
++   image: golang:${GOLANG_VERSION}
+    commands:
+      - [...]
+    environment:
+      - [...]
++     - WOODPECKER_ENVIRONMENT=GOLANG_VERSION:1.18
+
 ## String Substitution
 
 Woodpecker provides the ability to substitute environment variables at runtime. This gives us the ability to use dynamic build or commit details in our pipeline configuration.
diff --git a/server/shared/procBuilder.go b/server/shared/procBuilder.go
index 1eb5f2f64..c3fa339e1 100644
--- a/server/shared/procBuilder.go
+++ b/server/shared/procBuilder.go
@@ -89,6 +89,15 @@ func (b *ProcBuilder) Build() ([]*BuildItem, error) {
 			metadata := metadataFromStruct(b.Repo, b.Curr, b.Last, proc, b.Link)
 			environ := b.environmentVariables(metadata, axis)
 
+			// add global environment variables for substituting
+			for k, v := range b.Envs {
+				if _, exists := environ[k]; exists {
+					// don't override existing values
+					continue
+				}
+				environ[k] = v
+			}
+
 			// substitute vars
 			substituted, err := b.envsubst(string(y.Data), environ)
 			if err != nil {
diff --git a/server/shared/procBuilder_test.go b/server/shared/procBuilder_test.go
index c1a72dadd..77bb891c5 100644
--- a/server/shared/procBuilder_test.go
+++ b/server/shared/procBuilder_test.go
@@ -24,6 +24,74 @@ import (
 
 // TODO(974) move to pipeline/*
 
+func TestGlobalEnvsubst(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	b := ProcBuilder{
+		Envs: map[string]string{
+			"KEY_K": "VALUE_V",
+			"IMAGE": "scratch",
+		},
+		Repo: &model.Repo{},
+		Curr: &model.Build{
+			Message: "aaa",
+		},
+		Last:  &model.Build{},
+		Netrc: &model.Netrc{},
+		Secs:  []*model.Secret{},
+		Regs:  []*model.Registry{},
+		Link:  "",
+		Yamls: []*remote.FileMeta{
+			{Data: []byte(`
+pipeline:
+  build:
+    image: ${IMAGE}
+    yyy: ${CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE}
+`)},
+		},
+	}
+
+	if buildItems, err := b.Build(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Println(buildItems)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMissingGlobalEnvsubst(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	b := ProcBuilder{
+		Envs: map[string]string{
+			"KEY_K":    "VALUE_V",
+			"NO_IMAGE": "scratch",
+		},
+		Repo: &model.Repo{},
+		Curr: &model.Build{
+			Message: "aaa",
+		},
+		Last:  &model.Build{},
+		Netrc: &model.Netrc{},
+		Secs:  []*model.Secret{},
+		Regs:  []*model.Registry{},
+		Link:  "",
+		Yamls: []*remote.FileMeta{
+			{Data: []byte(`
+pipeline:
+  build:
+    image: ${IMAGE}
+    yyy: ${CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE}
+`)},
+		},
+	}
+
+	if _, err := b.Build(); err != nil {
+		fmt.Println("test rightfully failed")
+	} else {
+		t.Fatal("test erroneously succeeded")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestMultilineEnvsubst(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()