diff --git a/application/forms/IcingaServiceForm.php b/application/forms/IcingaServiceForm.php
index 3e21bc8c..d5045147 100644
--- a/application/forms/IcingaServiceForm.php
+++ b/application/forms/IcingaServiceForm.php
@@ -612,6 +612,35 @@ class IcingaServiceForm extends DirectorObjectForm
         return $this;
     }
 
+    protected function applyForVars(): ?array
+    {
+        $query = $this->db->getDbAdapter()
+            ->select()
+            ->from(
+                ['dp' => 'director_property'],
+                [
+                    'key_name' => 'dp.key_name',
+                    'uuid' => 'dp.uuid',
+                    'value_type' => 'dp.value_type',
+                    'label' => 'dp.label',
+                    'instantiable' => 'dp.instantiable',
+                    'required' => 'iop.required'
+                ]
+            )
+            ->join(['iop' => 'icinga_host_property'], 'dp.uuid = iop.property_uuid', [])
+            ->where("value_type = 'array' AND instantiable = 'y'")
+            ->orWhere("value_type = 'dict'");
+
+        $vars = $this->db->getDbAdapter()->fetchAll($query);
+
+        $properties = [];
+        foreach ($vars as $var) {
+            $properties['host.vars.' . $var->key_name] = $var->label . ' (' . $var->key_name . ')';
+        }
+
+        return [t('director', 'Custom variables') => $properties];
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return $this
      * @throws \Zend_Form_Exception
@@ -619,11 +648,7 @@ class IcingaServiceForm extends DirectorObjectForm
     protected function addApplyForElement()
     {
         if ($this->object->isApplyRule()) {
-            $hostProperties = IcingaHost::enumProperties(
-                $this->object->getConnection(),
-                'host.',
-                new ArrayCustomVariablesFilter()
-            );
+            $hostProperties = $this->applyForVars();
 
             $this->addElement('select', 'apply_for', array(
                 'label' => $this->translate('Apply For'),
diff --git a/library/Director/CustomVariable/CustomVariableString.php b/library/Director/CustomVariable/CustomVariableString.php
index 2d509681..f2d9e0f3 100644
--- a/library/Director/CustomVariable/CustomVariableString.php
+++ b/library/Director/CustomVariable/CustomVariableString.php
@@ -46,7 +46,17 @@ class CustomVariableString extends CustomVariable
     public function toConfigString($renderExpressions = false)
     {
         if ($renderExpressions) {
-            return c::renderStringWithVariables($this->getValue(), ['config']);
+            $whiteList = ['config'];
+            $value = $this->getValue();
+            if (
+                str_starts_with($value, '$')
+                && str_ends_with($value, '$')
+                && str_contains($value, 'vars.')
+            ) {
+                $whiteList[] = trim($value, '$');
+            }
+
+            return c::renderStringWithVariables($this->getValue(), $whiteList);
         } else {
             return c::renderString($this->getValue());
         }
diff --git a/library/Director/Objects/IcingaService.php b/library/Director/Objects/IcingaService.php
index 9b51619b..6a7541ea 100644
--- a/library/Director/Objects/IcingaService.php
+++ b/library/Director/Objects/IcingaService.php
@@ -343,6 +343,24 @@ class IcingaService extends IcingaObject implements ExportInterface
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @return string
+     */
+    protected function renderCustomVars()
+    {
+        $vars = '';
+        if (
+            $this->isApplyRule()
+            && !$this->hasBeenAssignedToHostTemplate()
+            && $this->get('apply_for') !== null
+            && $this->isApplyRuleforDictionary(substr($this->get('apply_for'), strlen('host.vars.')))
+        ) {
+            $vars .= "\n    vars += config\n";
+        }
+
+        return $vars . parent::renderCustomVars();
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return string
      */
@@ -363,13 +381,25 @@ class IcingaService extends IcingaObject implements ExportInterface
                 $name = ' ' . c::renderString($name);
             }
 
-            return sprintf(
-                "%s %s%s for (config in %s) {\n",
-                $this->getObjectTypeName(),
-                $this->getType(),
-                $name,
-                $this->get('apply_for')
-            ) . $extraName;
+            if ($this->isApplyRuleforDictionary(substr($this->get('apply_for'), strlen('host.vars.')))) {
+                $applyForConfig = sprintf(
+                    "%s %s%s for (key => config in %s) {\n",
+                    $this->getObjectTypeName(),
+                    $this->getType(),
+                    $name,
+                    $this->get('apply_for')
+                );
+            } else {
+                $applyForConfig = sprintf(
+                    "%s %s%s for (config in %s) {\n",
+                    $this->getObjectTypeName(),
+                    $this->getType(),
+                    $name,
+                    $this->get('apply_for')
+                ) . $extraName;
+            }
+
+            return $applyForConfig;
         }
 
         return parent::renderObjectHeader();
@@ -387,6 +417,30 @@ class IcingaService extends IcingaObject implements ExportInterface
         }
     }
 
+    protected function isApplyRuleforDictionary(string $applyFor): bool
+    {
+        $query = $this->db
+            ->select()
+            ->from(
+                ['dp' => 'director_property'],
+                [
+                    'key_name' => 'dp.key_name',
+                    'uuid' => 'dp.uuid',
+                    'value_type' => 'dp.value_type',
+                    'label' => 'dp.label',
+                    'instantiable' => 'dp.instantiable',
+                    'required' => 'iop.required'
+                ]
+            )
+            ->join(['iop' => 'icinga_host_property'], 'dp.uuid = iop.property_uuid', [])
+            ->where("value_type = 'dict'")
+            ->where("key_name = ?", $applyFor);
+
+        $result = $this->db->fetchOne($query) ?? false;
+
+        return $result !== false;
+    }
+
     protected function rendersConditionalTemplate(): bool
     {
         return $this->getRenderingZone() === self::ALL_NON_GLOBAL_ZONES;