diff --git a/src/tools/genpolicy/rules.rego b/src/tools/genpolicy/rules.rego
index c4cbf2dcbef1..ad231ccf8cd7 100644
--- a/src/tools/genpolicy/rules.rego
+++ b/src/tools/genpolicy/rules.rego
@@ -251,19 +251,20 @@ allow_by_anno(p_oci, i_oci, p_storages, i_storages) {
     print("allow_by_anno 2: i_s_name =", i_s_name, "p_s_name =", p_s_name)
 
     allow_sandbox_name(p_s_name, i_s_name)
-    allow_by_sandbox_name(p_oci, i_oci, p_storages, i_storages, i_s_name)
+    i_s_namespace := i_oci.Annotations[S_NAMESPACE_KEY]
+    allow_by_sandbox_name(p_oci, i_oci, p_storages, i_storages, i_s_name, i_s_namespace)
 
     print("allow_by_anno 2: true")
 }
 
-allow_by_sandbox_name(p_oci, i_oci, p_storages, i_storages, s_name) {
+allow_by_sandbox_name(p_oci, i_oci, p_storages, i_storages, s_name, s_namespace) {
     print("allow_by_sandbox_name: start")
 
     i_namespace := i_oci.Annotations[S_NAMESPACE_KEY]
 
     allow_by_container_types(p_oci, i_oci, s_name, i_namespace)
     allow_by_bundle_or_sandbox_id(p_oci, i_oci, p_storages, i_storages)
-    allow_process(p_oci.Process, i_oci.Process, s_name)
+    allow_process(p_oci.Process, i_oci.Process, s_name, s_namespace)
 
     print("allow_by_sandbox_name: true")
 }
@@ -557,7 +558,7 @@ allow_by_bundle_or_sandbox_id(p_oci, i_oci, p_storages, i_storages) {
     print("allow_by_bundle_or_sandbox_id: true")
 }
 
-allow_process_common(p_process, i_process, s_name) {
+allow_process_common(p_process, i_process, s_name, s_namespace) {
     print("allow_process_common: p_process =", p_process)
     print("allow_process_common: i_process = ", i_process)
     print("allow_process_common: s_name =", s_name)
@@ -566,17 +567,17 @@ allow_process_common(p_process, i_process, s_name) {
     p_process.NoNewPrivileges == i_process.NoNewPrivileges
 
     allow_user(p_process, i_process)
-    allow_env(p_process, i_process, s_name)
+    allow_env(p_process, i_process, s_name, s_namespace)
 
     print("allow_process_common: true")
 }
 
 # Compare the OCI Process field of a policy container with the input OCI Process from a CreateContainerRequest
-allow_process(p_process, i_process, s_name) {
+allow_process(p_process, i_process, s_name, s_namespace) {
     print("allow_process: start")
 
     allow_args(p_process, i_process, s_name)
-    allow_process_common(p_process, i_process, s_name)
+    allow_process_common(p_process, i_process, s_name, s_namespace)
     allow_caps(p_process.Capabilities, i_process.Capabilities)
     p_process.Terminal == i_process.Terminal
 
@@ -675,27 +676,27 @@ allow_arg(i, i_arg, p_process, s_name) {
 }
 
 # OCI process.Env field
-allow_env(p_process, i_process, s_name) {
+allow_env(p_process, i_process, s_name, s_namespace) {
     print("allow_env: p env =", p_process.Env)
     print("allow_env: i env =", i_process.Env)
 
     every i_var in i_process.Env {
         print("allow_env: i_var =", i_var)
-        allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name)
+        allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace)
     }
 
     print("allow_env: true")
 }
 
 # Allow input env variables that are present in the policy data too.
-allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
     some p_var in p_process.Env
     p_var == i_var
     print("allow_var 1: true")
 }
 
 # Match input with one of the policy variables, after substituting $(sandbox-name).
-allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
     some p_var in p_process.Env
     p_var2 := replace(p_var, "$(sandbox-name)", s_name)
 
@@ -706,7 +707,7 @@ allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
 }
 
 # Allow input env variables that match with a request_defaults regex.
-allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
     some p_regex1 in policy_data.request_defaults.CreateContainerRequest.allow_env_regex
     p_regex2 := replace(p_regex1, "$(ipv4_a)", policy_data.common.ipv4_a)
     p_regex3 := replace(p_regex2, "$(ip_p)", policy_data.common.ip_p)
@@ -720,7 +721,7 @@ allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
 }
 
 # Allow fieldRef "fieldPath: status.podIP" values.
-allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
     name_value := split(i_var, "=")
     count(name_value) == 2
     is_ip(name_value[1])
@@ -731,8 +732,18 @@ allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
     print("allow_var 4: true")
 }
 
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
+    some p_var in p_process.Env
+    p_var2 := replace(p_var, "$(sandbox-namespace)", s_namespace)
+
+    print("allow_var 5: p_var5 =", p_var2)
+    p_var2 == i_var
+
+    print("allow_var 5: true")
+}
+
 # Allow common fieldRef variables.
-allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
     name_value := split(i_var, "=")
     count(name_value) == 2
 
@@ -751,7 +762,7 @@ allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
 }
 
 # Allow fieldRef "fieldPath: status.hostIP" values.
-allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
     name_value := split(i_var, "=")
     count(name_value) == 2
     is_ip(name_value[1])
@@ -763,7 +774,7 @@ allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
 }
 
 # Allow resourceFieldRef values (e.g., "limits.cpu").
-allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name) {
+allow_var(p_process, i_process, i_var, s_name, s_namespace) {
     name_value := split(i_var, "=")
     count(name_value) == 2
 
diff --git a/src/tools/genpolicy/src/pod.rs b/src/tools/genpolicy/src/pod.rs
index 16d633aa2b29..b8af73846f92 100644
--- a/src/tools/genpolicy/src/pod.rs
+++ b/src/tools/genpolicy/src/pod.rs
@@ -748,7 +748,13 @@ impl EnvVar {
                 let path: &str = &field_ref.fieldPath;
                 match path {
                     "metadata.name" => return "$(sandbox-name)".to_string(),
-                    "metadata.namespace" => return namespace.to_string(),
+                    "metadata.namespace" => {
+                        return if namespace.is_empty() {
+                            "$(sandbox-namespace)".to_string()
+                        } else {
+                            namespace.to_string()
+                        };
+                    }
                     "metadata.uid" => return "$(pod-uid)".to_string(),
                     "status.hostIP" => return "$(host-ip)".to_string(),
                     "status.podIP" => return "$(pod-ip)".to_string(),