diff --git a/.changeset/optional-env-vars.md b/.changeset/optional-env-vars.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3c5f625761ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/optional-env-vars.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@sveltejs/kit': minor
+---
+
+feat: add `optional` option to `EnvVarConfig` for optional environment variables
diff --git a/documentation/docs/20-core-concepts/70-environment-variables.md b/documentation/docs/20-core-concepts/70-environment-variables.md
index d785468585c0..5740aefa5874 100644
--- a/documentation/docs/20-core-concepts/70-environment-variables.md
+++ b/documentation/docs/20-core-concepts/70-environment-variables.md
@@ -139,6 +139,24 @@ export const variables = defineEnvVars({
 
 You can use validators to make values optional, or transform them (such as turning a string into a boolean, or parsing JSON) — see your validation library's documentation to learn how.
 
+### Optional variables
+
+By default, every variable is required: if a value is missing when the app runs, validation will fail. To allow a variable to be missing, set `optional: true`:
+
+```ts
+/// file: src/env.ts
+import { defineEnvVars } from '@sveltejs/kit/hooks';
+
+export const variables = defineEnvVars({
+	GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_ID: {
+		public: true,
+		+++optional: true+++
+	}
+});
+```
+
+When a variable is optional, its type is `string | undefined` (or, if a `schema` is provided, the schema's output type `| undefined`), and validation is skipped when the value is missing. This is equivalent to using a schema that accepts an optional value, but without the boilerplate.
+
 ### Static variables
 
 By default, variables are dynamic. If a variable is configured with `static: true`, it will be inlined into your application code, enabling optimisations like dead-code elimination:
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/core/env.js b/packages/kit/src/core/env.js
index 63c493e61875..ff73a392e86e 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/core/env.js
+++ b/packages/kit/src/core/env.js
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ export function create_explicit_env_types(variables, relative, type) {
 			const type = config.schema
 				? `import('@sveltejs/kit/internal/types').StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<typeof import('${relative}').variables.${name}.schema>`
 				: 'string';
-			return `${comment}export const ${name}: ${type};`;
+			return `${comment}export const ${name}: ${config.optional ? `${type} | undefined` : type};`;
 		});
 
 	return dedent`
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/exports/internal/env.js b/packages/kit/src/exports/internal/env.js
index b34a8636ef74..c5173705375a 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/exports/internal/env.js
+++ b/packages/kit/src/exports/internal/env.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import { stackless } from '../../utils/error.js';
 
 const MISSING = {
-	message: `Value is missing. If it is optional, add a Standard Schema validator declaring it as such.`
+	message: `Value is missing. If it is optional, set \`optional: true\` or add a Standard Schema validator declaring it as such.`
 };
 
 const BAD_VALIDATOR = {
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ export function validate(variables, value, name, issues) {
 	const config = variables[name] ?? {};
 	const validator = config.schema;
 
+	if (config.optional && !value) {
+		return undefined;
+	}
+
 	if (!validator) {
 		if (!value) issues[name] = [MISSING];
 		return value;
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/exports/internal/env.spec.js b/packages/kit/src/exports/internal/env.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7ff95661a4a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/kit/src/exports/internal/env.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { assert, describe, test } from 'vitest';
+import { validate, handle_issues } from './env.js';
+
+/**
+ * @param {Record<string, any>} variables
+ * @param {string | undefined} value
+ * @param {string} name
+ */
+function run(variables, value, name) {
+	/** @type {Record<string, any[]>} */
+	const issues = {};
+	const result = validate(variables, value, name, issues);
+	return { result, issues };
+}
+
+describe('validate', () => {
+	test('records a MISSING issue when a required variable without a schema is undefined', () => {
+		const { result, issues } = run({ FOO: {} }, undefined, 'FOO');
+		assert.equal(result, undefined);
+		assert.deepEqual(issues, { FOO: [issues.FOO[0]] });
+		assert.match(issues.FOO[0].message, /Value is missing/);
+	});
+
+	test('does not record an issue when an optional variable without a schema is undefined', () => {
+		const { result, issues } = run({ FOO: { optional: true } }, undefined, 'FOO');
+		assert.equal(result, undefined);
+		assert.deepEqual(issues, {});
+	});
+
+	test('does not record an issue when an optional variable without a schema is an empty string', () => {
+		const { result, issues } = run({ FOO: { optional: true } }, '', 'FOO');
+		assert.equal(result, undefined);
+		assert.deepEqual(issues, {});
+	});
+
+	test('returns the value unchanged when a required variable without a schema is present', () => {
+		const { result, issues } = run({ FOO: {} }, 'bar', 'FOO');
+		assert.equal(result, 'bar');
+		assert.deepEqual(issues, {});
+	});
+
+	test('returns the value unchanged when an optional variable is present', () => {
+		const { result, issues } = run({ FOO: { optional: true } }, 'bar', 'FOO');
+		assert.equal(result, 'bar');
+		assert.deepEqual(issues, {});
+	});
+
+	test('skips the schema validator when an optional variable is undefined', () => {
+		/** @type {any} */
+		const validator = {
+			'~standard': {
+				validate(/** @type {any} */ value) {
+					if (value === undefined) return { issues: [{ message: 'nope' }] };
+					return { value };
+				}
+			}
+		};
+		const { result, issues } = run(
+			{ FOO: { optional: true, schema: validator } },
+			undefined,
+			'FOO'
+		);
+		assert.equal(result, undefined);
+		assert.deepEqual(issues, {});
+	});
+
+	test('runs the schema validator when an optional variable is present', () => {
+		/** @type {any} */
+		const validator = {
+			'~standard': {
+				validate(/** @type {any} */ value) {
+					return { value: `validated:${value}` };
+				}
+			}
+		};
+		const { result, issues } = run({ FOO: { optional: true, schema: validator } }, 'bar', 'FOO');
+		assert.equal(result, 'validated:bar');
+		assert.deepEqual(issues, {});
+	});
+
+	test('handle_issues throws when there are issues', () => {
+		assert.throws(
+			() => handle_issues({ FOO: [{ message: 'bad' }] }),
+			/Invalid environment variables/
+		);
+	});
+
+	test('handle_issues is a no-op when there are no issues', () => {
+		handle_issues({});
+	});
+});
diff --git a/packages/kit/src/exports/public.d.ts b/packages/kit/src/exports/public.d.ts
index cab6332bac14..e074ba817036 100644
--- a/packages/kit/src/exports/public.d.ts
+++ b/packages/kit/src/exports/public.d.ts
@@ -2472,6 +2472,13 @@ export interface EnvVarConfig<T> {
 	 * A description of the variable that will be used for inline documentation on hover.
 	 */
 	description?: string;
+	/**
+	 * Whether the variable is optional.
+	 * - if `true`, validation will not fail when the value is `undefined`. Its type will be `T | undefined`
+	 * - if `false`, the value must be present (and pass validation, if a `schema` is provided)
+	 * @default false
+	 */
+	optional?: boolean;
 }
 
 export * from './index.js';
diff --git a/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts b/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
index 6f5d75500c29..e720b5e56be5 100644
--- a/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/kit/types/index.d.ts
@@ -2443,6 +2443,13 @@ declare module '@sveltejs/kit' {
 		 * A description of the variable that will be used for inline documentation on hover.
 		 */
 		description?: string;
+		/**
+		 * Whether the variable is optional.
+		 * - if `true`, validation will not fail when the value is `undefined`. Its type will be `T | undefined`
+		 * - if `false`, the value must be present (and pass validation, if a `schema` is provided)
+		 * @default false
+		 */
+		optional?: boolean;
 	}
 	interface AdapterEntry {
 		/**