diff --git a/evaluate.xqm b/evaluate.xqm
index c21913d..600ee16 100644
--- a/evaluate.xqm
+++ b/evaluate.xqm
@@ -185,6 +185,13 @@ declare function eval:rule(
 as element()*
 {
   let $_ := utils:check-duplicate-variable-names($rule/sch:let)
+  let $variable-errors := utils:evaluate-rule-variables(
+    $rule/sch:let,
+    $prolog,
+    map:merge((map{'':$context?instance}, $context?globals)),
+    $context,
+    ()
+  )
   let $query := string-join(
       ($prolog, utils:local-variable-decls($rule/sch:let),
       if($rule/sch:let) then 'return ' else '', $rule/@context),
@@ -203,6 +210,7 @@ as element()*
     if($context?dry-run eq 'true')
     then 
     (
+      $variable-errors[self::svrl:*],
       $rule-context[self::svrl:*],
       eval:assertions($rule, $prolog, <_/>, $context)	(:pass dummy context node:)
     )
diff --git a/test/test-evaluate.xqm b/test/test-evaluate.xqm
index cf6796d..00d4ef5 100644
--- a/test/test-evaluate.xqm
+++ b/test/test-evaluate.xqm
@@ -1399,7 +1399,7 @@ declare %unit:test function _:dry-run-all-rules-processed()
   )
 };
 
-declare %unit:ignore function _:rule-variable-syntax-error()
+declare %unit:test function _:rule-variable-syntax-error()
 {
   let $result :=
   eval:schema(
@@ -1408,6 +1408,7 @@ declare %unit:ignore function _:rule-variable-syntax-error()
       <sch:pattern>
         <sch:rule context="*">
           <sch:let name='bar' value=''/>
+          <sch:assert test='foo'/>
         </sch:rule>
         <sch:rule context='*'></sch:rule>
       </sch:pattern>
@@ -1418,13 +1419,12 @@ declare %unit:ignore function _:rule-variable-syntax-error()
   return
   (
     unit:assert-equals(
-      count($result/svrl:failed-assert[ends-with(@location, '/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}pattern[1]/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}rule[1]/@context')]),
+      count($result/svrl:failed-assert[ends-with(@location, '/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}pattern[1]/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}rule[1]/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}let[1]/@value')]),
       1
     ),
     unit:assert-equals(
-      $result/svrl:failed-assert[ends-with(@location, '/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}pattern[1]/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}rule[1]/@context')]
-      /svrl:text,
-    <svrl:text>TODO</svrl:text>  
+     $result/svrl:failed-assert[ends-with(@location, '/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}pattern[1]/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}rule[1]/Q{http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron}let[1]/@value')]/svrl:text,
+    <svrl:text>Incomplete FLWOR expression, expecting 'return'. @value=''</svrl:text>
     )
   )
 };
@@ -1511,4 +1511,11 @@ declare %unit:test function _:value-of-select-syntax-error()
     <svrl:text>Unexpected end of query: '.'. @select='...'</svrl:text>  
     )
   )
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+};
+
+(:TODO
+pattern/@documents
+diagnostics
+properties
+rule/let
+:)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/utils.xqm b/utils.xqm
index 45815e1..05b4db6 100644
--- a/utils.xqm
+++ b/utils.xqm
@@ -125,6 +125,42 @@ declare function utils:check-duplicate-variable-names($decls as element(sch:let)
   ) else()
 };
 
+(:~ In dry-run mode only, evaluate rule variables.
+ : Provides more localized information if syntax errors are present in rule 
+ : variable declarations.
+ :)
+declare function utils:evaluate-rule-variables(
+  $variables as element(sch:let)*,
+  $prolog as xs:string?,
+  $bindings as map(*),
+  $context as map(*),
+  $errors as element()*
+)
+as element()*
+{
+  if($context?dry-run eq 'true')
+  then
+    if(exists($variables))
+    then
+      let $var := head($variables)
+      let $prolog := $prolog || utils:local-variable-decls($var)
+      let $errs := utils:eval(
+        $prolog || ' return $' || $var/@name => utils:escape(),
+        $bindings,
+        map{'dry-run':$context?dry-run},
+        $var/@value
+      )
+      return utils:evaluate-rule-variables(
+        tail($variables),
+        $prolog,
+        $bindings,
+        $context,
+        ($errors,$errs)
+      )
+    else $errors
+  else ()
+};
+
 (:~ Wrapper around xquery:eval(). In "dry-run" mode, the query passed in is 
  : parsed only, and any errors caught reported as svrl:failed-assert.
  : @param $query string of the query to evaluate