diff --git a/dbuild/docs.py b/dbuild/docs.py
index a037a6c..65d8e49 100644
--- a/dbuild/docs.py
+++ b/dbuild/docs.py
@@ -932,8 +932,10 @@ def _render_director_override(director: dict) -> str:
     # quoted -- '!ENV ''${VAR}''' -- which director reads as literal text, not
     # a tag, and the jail gets the string "!ENV '${VAR}'" as its value.
     # Unquote so it is the tag pyaml-env resolves.
-    body = _re.sub(r"""'!ENV ''(\$\{[^}]+\}[^']*)'''""", r"!ENV '\1'", body)
-    body = _re.sub(r'''"!ENV '(\$\{[^}]+\}[^']*)'"''', r"!ENV '\1'", body)
+    # Any value with a ${VAR} in it, not only one that starts with one: immich's
+    # 'http://${IMMICH_ML_HOST:127.0.0.1}:3003' stayed quoted.
+    body = _re.sub(r"""'!ENV ''([^']*\$\{[^}]+\}[^']*)'''""", r"!ENV '\1'", body)
+    body = _re.sub(r'''"!ENV '([^'"]*\$\{[^}]+\}[^'"]*)'"''', r"!ENV '\1'", body)
     return "# appjail-director.yml\n\n" + body
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_docs.py b/tests/test_docs.py
index ce5316d..e9686f2 100644
--- a/tests/test_docs.py
+++ b/tests/test_docs.py
@@ -739,3 +739,21 @@ def test_choices_for_fjord_database_kind(self):
         self.assertEqual(pg["env"]["TODO_DB_HOST"], "postgres")
         ext = next(o for o in db["options"] if o["id"] == "external")
         self.assertEqual([a["name"] for a in ext["ask"]][:2], ["TODO_DB_TYPE", "TODO_DB_HOST"])
+
+
+class TestDirectorEnvUnquote(unittest.TestCase):
+    """An !ENV value written as a string comes out as the tag, wherever its
+    ${VAR} sits: immich's ML URL starts with http:// and stayed a quoted
+    string, so the jail got the literal text "!ENV 'http://...'"."""
+
+    def test_unquotes_a_variable_inside_a_value(self):
+        from dbuild.docs import _render_director_override
+        body = _render_director_override({"services": {"server": {"oci": {"environment": [
+            {"ML_URL": "!ENV 'http://${ML_HOST:127.0.0.1}:3003'"},
+            {"DB_HOST": "!ENV '${DB_HOST:127.0.0.1}'"},
+            {"PLAIN": "no variable here"},
+        ]}}}})
+        self.assertIn("ML_URL: !ENV 'http://${ML_HOST:127.0.0.1}:3003'", body)
+        self.assertIn("DB_HOST: !ENV '${DB_HOST:127.0.0.1}'", body)
+        self.assertNotIn("'!ENV", body)
+        self.assertIn("PLAIN: no variable here", body)