diff --git a/conf/env.go b/conf/env.go
index 0acd44570..da4ac0829 100644
--- a/conf/env.go
+++ b/conf/env.go
@@ -32,22 +32,24 @@ func EnvWithCache(c *Cache, env any) Nature {
 	v := reflect.ValueOf(env)
 	t := v.Type()
 
-	switch deref.Value(v).Kind() {
+	d := deref.Value(v)
+
+	switch d.Kind() {
 	case reflect.Struct:
 		n := c.FromType(t)
 		n.Strict = true
 		return n
 
 	case reflect.Map:
-		n := c.FromType(v.Type())
+		n := c.FromType(d.Type())
 		if n.TypeData == nil {
 			n.TypeData = new(TypeData)
 		}
 		n.Strict = true
-		n.Fields = make(map[string]Nature, v.Len())
+		n.Fields = make(map[string]Nature, d.Len())
 
-		for _, key := range v.MapKeys() {
-			elem := v.MapIndex(key)
+		for _, key := range d.MapKeys() {
+			elem := d.MapIndex(key)
 			if !elem.IsValid() || !elem.CanInterface() {
 				panic(fmt.Sprintf("invalid map value: %s", key))
 			}
diff --git a/test/issues/825/issue_test.go b/test/issues/825/issue_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3cb871760
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/issues/825/issue_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package issue_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/expr-lang/expr"
+	"github.com/expr-lang/expr/internal/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/expr-lang/expr/internal/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestIssue825 verifies that passing a pointer to a map as the environment is
+// dereferenced instead of panicking.
+//
+// conf.EnvWithCache selected the map branch using the dereferenced value's
+// kind, but then read the map keys/length from the original (pointer) value,
+// panicking with:
+//
+//	reflect: call of reflect.Value.Len on ptr to non-array Value
+func TestIssue825(t *testing.T) {
+	m := map[string]any{"foo": 42}
+
+	program, err := expr.Compile("foo + 1", expr.Env(&m))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	out, err := expr.Run(program, m)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 43, out)
+}
+
+// TestIssue825_Strict verifies that a pointer-to-map env keeps the strict-mode
+// and element-type information of the dereferenced map, i.e. it behaves exactly
+// like compiling with the map value itself.
+func TestIssue825_Strict(t *testing.T) {
+	m := map[string]int{"a": 1}
+
+	// Unknown names are rejected (strict), just like a plain map env.
+	_, err := expr.Compile("unknown + 1", expr.Env(&m))
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.Contains(t, err.Error(), "unknown name unknown")
+
+	// The element type (int) is inferred from the dereferenced map.
+	program, err := expr.Compile("a + 1", expr.Env(&m))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	out, err := expr.Run(program, m)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, out)
+}