diff --git a/src/rougail/annotator/condition.py b/src/rougail/annotator/condition.py
index 790771a42..3286bf0a1 100644
--- a/src/rougail/annotator/condition.py
+++ b/src/rougail/annotator/condition.py
@@ -83,10 +83,14 @@ class Annotator(TargetAnnotator, ParamAnnotator, Walk):
             variable.force_store_value = True
             if variable.auto_save:
                 continue
+            auto_freeze_variable = self.objectspace.rougailconfig['auto_freeze_variable']
+            if not self.objectspace.paths.path_is_defined(auto_freeze_variable):
+                msg = _(f'the variable "{variable.name}" is auto_freeze but there is no variable "{auto_freeze_variable}"')
+                raise DictConsistencyError(msg, 81, variable.xmlfiles)
             new_condition = self.objectspace.condition(variable.xmlfiles)
             new_condition.name = 'auto_frozen_if_in'
             new_condition.namespace = variable.namespace
-            new_condition.source = self.objectspace.rougailconfig['auto_freeze_variable']
+            new_condition.source = auto_freeze_variable
             new_param = self.objectspace.param(variable.xmlfiles)
             new_param.text = True
             new_condition.param = [new_param]
diff --git a/tests/dictionaries/80load_autofreeze_no_variable/00-base.xml b/tests/dictionaries/80load_autofreeze_no_variable/00-base.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..97339cfa5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dictionaries/80load_autofreeze_no_variable/00-base.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
+<rougail version="0.10">
+  <variables>
+    <variable name="myvar" auto_freeze="True">
+      <value>no</value>
+    </variable>
+  </variables>
+</rougail>
diff --git a/tests/dictionaries/80load_autofreeze_no_variable/__init__.py b/tests/dictionaries/80load_autofreeze_no_variable/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/tests/dictionaries/80load_autofreeze_no_variable/errno_81 b/tests/dictionaries/80load_autofreeze_no_variable/errno_81
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb