diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bafb2302..36c21a21 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -214,26 +214,28 @@ It is preferable that all CSS variables are set via CSS. If you need values to c
 }
 ```
 
-As a last resort, you can use `VariableContext` to dynamically set CSS variables in JavaScript
+As a last resort, you can use `VariableContextProvider` to dynamically set CSS variables in JavaScript
 
 ```ts
-import { VariableContext } from 'react-native-css';
+import { VariableContextProvider } from 'react-native-css';
 
 export default function App() {
   return (
-    <VariableContext values={{ "--my-color": "red" }}>
+    <VariableContextProvider value={{ "--my-color": "red" }}>
       <Text className="my-color-text">
         Hello, world!
       </Text>
-    </VariableContext>
+    </VariableContextProvider>
   )
 }
 ```
 
-This API only allows for setting CSS variables as primitive values. For more complex styles, you will need to use a helper CSS class.
+A custom property holds a token stream on web and a structured value on native, so this API accepts the values both platforms honour: a string, a number, a boolean, or an array of those (the `CustomPropertyValue` type).
+
+An array is a comma-separated CSS list — a `font-family` stack, a `transition-property` list. A value whose parts are separated by spaces, such as a `box-shadow`, is a single string. `undefined` leaves the property unset, so an ancestor's value inherits. Anything beyond that needs a helper CSS class.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]  
-> By using `VariableContext` you may need to disable the `inlineVariable` optimization
+> By using `VariableContextProvider` you may need to disable the `inlineVariable` optimization
 
 ## Optimizations
 
diff --git a/src/__tests__/_custom-property-value.types.ts b/src/__tests__/_custom-property-value.types.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..37077845
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/_custom-property-value.types.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+/**
+ * Compile-time assertions for the value a CSS custom property can be given from
+ * JavaScript. `yarn typecheck` is the runner — there is nothing here to execute,
+ * which is why the filename is `_`-prefixed and jest skips it.
+ *
+ * The planes are reached as module types rather than imported, so the file stays
+ * type-only under `verbatimModuleSyntax`.
+ */
+import type { CustomPropertyValue } from "react-native-css";
+
+type RootApi = typeof import("react-native-css");
+type NativeApi = typeof import("react-native-css/native");
+type WebApi = typeof import("react-native-css/web");
+
+type Equal<X, Y> = [X] extends [Y] ? ([Y] extends [X] ? true : false) : false;
+type Expect<T extends true> = T;
+type Accepts<TValue, TTarget> = [TValue] extends [TTarget] ? true : false;
+
+type VarsParameter<TApi extends { vars: (variables: never) => unknown }> =
+  Parameters<TApi["vars"]>[0];
+type ProviderValue<
+  TApi extends { VariableContextProvider: (props: never) => unknown },
+> = Parameters<TApi["VariableContextProvider"]>[0]["value"];
+
+/**
+ * The parity invariant. `react-native-css` ships one set of declarations to both
+ * platforms — there is no `moduleSuffixes` or export condition that hands a
+ * consumer the native ones — so a value the shared entry accepts has to be a
+ * value both implementations honour. A future divergence fails here.
+ */
+export type Parity = [
+  Expect<Equal<VarsParameter<RootApi>, Record<string, CustomPropertyValue>>>,
+  Expect<Equal<VarsParameter<NativeApi>, VarsParameter<RootApi>>>,
+  Expect<Equal<VarsParameter<WebApi>, VarsParameter<RootApi>>>,
+  Expect<
+    Equal<ProviderValue<RootApi>, Record<`--${string}`, CustomPropertyValue>>
+  >,
+  Expect<Equal<ProviderValue<NativeApi>, ProviderValue<RootApi>>>,
+  Expect<Equal<ProviderValue<WebApi>, ProviderValue<RootApi>>>,
+];
+
+/**
+ * An array is a comma-separated CSS list, alongside the scalars a custom
+ * property can hold. `undefined` leaves the property unset so an ancestor's
+ * value inherits.
+ */
+export type Accepted = [
+  Expect<Accepts<string, CustomPropertyValue>>,
+  Expect<Accepts<number, CustomPropertyValue>>,
+  Expect<Accepts<boolean, CustomPropertyValue>>,
+  Expect<Accepts<undefined, CustomPropertyValue>>,
+  Expect<Accepts<string[], CustomPropertyValue>>,
+  Expect<Accepts<(string | number)[], CustomPropertyValue>>,
+  Expect<Accepts<(string | string[])[], CustomPropertyValue>>,
+];
+
+/**
+ * A `StyleDescriptor` is wider than a custom property's public value type. Each
+ * row fails if the type is widened past what both implementations serialise.
+ */
+export type Rejected = [
+  // `null` is not a CSS value — `undefined` is how a property is left unset.
+  Expect<Equal<Accepts<null, CustomPropertyValue>, false>>,
+  // An object has no custom-property serialisation.
+  Expect<Equal<Accepts<{ red: 1 }, CustomPropertyValue>, false>>,
+  // A StyleFunction is the compiler's own encoding of `var()`, `rgba()` and the
+  // rest. The web implementation has no way to serialise one.
+  Expect<
+    Equal<
+      Accepts<[Record<never, never>, "var", ["other"]], CustomPropertyValue>,
+      false
+    >
+  >,
+  // The compiler's whole descriptor union — what the native runtime resolves
+  // internally — is wider than what a caller may hand in.
+  Expect<
+    Equal<
+      Accepts<
+        import("react-native-css/compiler").StyleDescriptor,
+        CustomPropertyValue
+      >,
+      false
+    >
+  >,
+];
diff --git a/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx b/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx
index d87eb7c4..ddcadba8 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx
+++ b/src/__tests__/native/vars.test.tsx
@@ -36,3 +36,42 @@ test("vars", () => {
     color: "blue",
   });
 });
+
+test("vars: an array is a list the declaration consumes", () => {
+  registerCSS(`.my-class { font-variant-caps: var(--font-variant); }`);
+
+  render(
+    <View
+      testID={testID}
+      className="my-class"
+      style={vars({ "--font-variant": ["small-caps"] })}
+    />,
+  );
+
+  // `fontVariant` is one of the React Native style properties that takes an
+  // array, so the list has to survive the variable pipeline as a list.
+  expect(screen.getByTestId(testID).props.style).toStrictEqual({
+    fontVariant: ["small-caps"],
+  });
+});
+
+test("vars: undefined leaves the property unset", () => {
+  registerCSS(`
+    .my-class { color: var(--color); }
+    .green { --color: green; }
+  `);
+
+  render(
+    <View
+      testID={testID}
+      className="my-class green"
+      style={vars({ color: undefined })}
+    />,
+  );
+
+  // The class still sets `--color`, so leaving the inline value unset lets it
+  // through rather than blanking the property.
+  expect(screen.getByTestId(testID).props.style).toStrictEqual({
+    color: "#008000",
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/__tests__/web/variables.test.tsx b/src/__tests__/web/variables.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..be4e2876
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/web/variables.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+import { View } from "react-native";
+
+import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react-native";
+
+import { VariableContextProvider } from "../../web/api";
+
+const testID = "react-native-css";
+
+/** The custom properties the provider wrote onto its host element's style. */
+const customProperties = (
+  value: Parameters<typeof VariableContextProvider>[0]["value"],
+): unknown => {
+  render(
+    <VariableContextProvider value={value}>
+      <View testID={testID} />
+    </VariableContextProvider>,
+  );
+
+  return screen.root.props.style;
+};
+
+test("an array is a comma-separated CSS list", () => {
+  expect(customProperties({ "--font-stack": ["Inter", "Helvetica"] })).toEqual({
+    "display": "contents",
+    "--font-stack": "Inter,Helvetica",
+  });
+});
+
+test("a nested array flattens into the same list", () => {
+  expect(customProperties({ "--list": [1, ["a", true]] })).toEqual({
+    "display": "contents",
+    "--list": "1,a,true",
+  });
+});
+
+test("undefined leaves the property unset", () => {
+  expect(customProperties({ "--set": "red", "--unset": undefined })).toEqual({
+    "display": "contents",
+    "--set": "red",
+  });
+});
+
+test("an undefined member drops out of the list", () => {
+  expect(customProperties({ "--list": ["a", undefined, "b"] })).toEqual({
+    "display": "contents",
+    "--list": "a,b",
+  });
+});
+
+test("scalars serialise to their token form", () => {
+  expect(customProperties({ "--number": 1, "--boolean": true })).toEqual({
+    "display": "contents",
+    "--number": "1",
+    "--boolean": "true",
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/native-internal/variables.tsx b/src/native-internal/variables.tsx
index 8a0f81e0..a098135a 100644
--- a/src/native-internal/variables.tsx
+++ b/src/native-internal/variables.tsx
@@ -5,9 +5,8 @@ import {
   type PropsWithChildren,
 } from "react";
 
-import type { StyleDescriptor } from "react-native-css/compiler";
-
 import { VAR_SYMBOL, type VariableContextValue } from "../native/reactivity";
+import type { CustomPropertyValue } from "../runtime.types";
 
 globalThis.__react_native_css_variable_context ??=
   createContext<VariableContextValue>({
@@ -17,7 +16,9 @@ globalThis.__react_native_css_variable_context ??=
 export const VariableContext = globalThis.__react_native_css_variable_context;
 
 export function VariableContextProvider(
-  props: PropsWithChildren<{ value: Record<`--${string}`, StyleDescriptor> }>,
+  props: PropsWithChildren<{
+    value: Record<`--${string}`, CustomPropertyValue>;
+  }>,
 ) {
   const inheritedVariables = useContext(VariableContext);
 
diff --git a/src/native/api.tsx b/src/native/api.tsx
index 3d68a3aa..3b738417 100644
--- a/src/native/api.tsx
+++ b/src/native/api.tsx
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 import { useContext, useState, type ComponentType } from "react";
 import { Appearance } from "react-native";
 
-import type { StyleDescriptor } from "react-native-css/compiler";
 import { VariableContext } from "react-native-css/native-internal";
 
 import type {
   ColorScheme,
+  CustomPropertyValue,
   Props,
   ReactComponent,
   StyledConfiguration,
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ export function useNativeVariable(name: string) {
 /**
  * @deprecated Use `<VariableContextProvider />` instead.
  */
-export function vars(variables: Record<string, StyleDescriptor>) {
+export function vars(variables: Record<string, CustomPropertyValue>) {
   return Object.assign(
     { [VAR_SYMBOL]: "inline" },
     Object.fromEntries(
diff --git a/src/runtime.types.ts b/src/runtime.types.ts
index 6e8f9ad8..f5f60bf5 100644
--- a/src/runtime.types.ts
+++ b/src/runtime.types.ts
@@ -136,6 +136,33 @@ export type InlineStyle =
   | (Record<string, unknown> | undefined | null)[]
   | (() => unknown);
 
+/*******************************    Variables    ******************************/
+
+/**
+ * A value a CSS custom property can be given from JavaScript, via `vars()` or
+ * `<VariableContextProvider />`.
+ *
+ * Both platforms are written against this one type. A custom property holds a
+ * token stream on web and a structured value on native, so the type is the set
+ * of values both can honour:
+ *
+ * - An array is a comma-separated CSS list — a `font-family` stack, a
+ *   `transition-property` list. A value whose parts are separated by spaces (a
+ *   `box-shadow`, a `transform`) is a single string.
+ * - `undefined` leaves the property unset, so an ancestor's value inherits.
+ *
+ * A `StyleDescriptor` is wider than this: it also covers the `StyleFunction`
+ * tuples the compiler emits for `var()`, `rgba()` and friends. Those are an
+ * internal encoding of the native runtime and have no web serialisation, so
+ * they are not part of the public API.
+ */
+export type CustomPropertyValue =
+  | string
+  | number
+  | boolean
+  | undefined
+  | CustomPropertyValue[];
+
 /*********************************    Misc    *********************************/
 
 export type Props = Record<string, any> | undefined | null;
diff --git a/src/web/api.tsx b/src/web/api.tsx
index e43f800a..0c6fe476 100644
--- a/src/web/api.tsx
+++ b/src/web/api.tsx
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import type {
   StyledProps,
 } from "react-native-css";
 
-import type { ReactComponent } from "../runtime.types";
+import type { CustomPropertyValue, ReactComponent } from "../runtime.types";
 import { assignStyle } from "./assign-style";
 
 const defaultMapping: StyledConfiguration<ComponentType<{ style: unknown }>> = {
@@ -78,33 +78,57 @@ export const colorScheme: ColorScheme = {
 };
 
 /**
- * @deprecated Use `<VariableContextProvider />` instead.
+ * Serialises a custom property into the token stream CSS stores it as. An array
+ * is a comma-separated list; an `undefined` member drops out of that list, and
+ * an `undefined` value leaves the property unset altogether.
  */
-export function vars(variables: Record<string, string | number>) {
-  const $variables: Record<string, string> = {};
+function serializeCustomProperty(
+  value: CustomPropertyValue,
+): string | undefined {
+  if (value === undefined) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  if (Array.isArray(value)) {
+    return value
+      .map((member) => serializeCustomProperty(member))
+      .filter((member) => member !== undefined)
+      .join(",");
+  }
+
+  return String(value);
+}
+
+function toCustomProperties(variables: Record<string, CustomPropertyValue>) {
+  const properties: Record<string, string> = {};
 
   for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(variables)) {
-    if (key.startsWith("--")) {
-      $variables[key] = value.toString();
-    } else {
-      $variables[`--${key}`] = value.toString();
+    const serialized = serializeCustomProperty(value);
+
+    if (serialized !== undefined) {
+      properties[key.startsWith("--") ? key : `--${key}`] = serialized;
     }
   }
-  return $variables;
+
+  return properties;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @deprecated Use `<VariableContextProvider />` instead.
+ */
+export function vars(variables: Record<string, CustomPropertyValue>) {
+  return toCustomProperties(variables);
 }
 
 export function VariableContextProvider(
-  props: PropsWithChildren<{ value: Record<`--${string}`, string | number> }>,
+  props: PropsWithChildren<{
+    value: Record<`--${string}`, CustomPropertyValue>;
+  }>,
 ) {
   const style = useMemo(() => {
     return {
       display: "contents",
-      ...Object.fromEntries(
-        Object.entries(props.value).map(([key, value]) => [
-          key.startsWith("--") ? key : `--${key}`,
-          value,
-        ]),
-      ),
+      ...toCustomProperties(props.value),
     };
   }, [props.value]);