diff --git a/src/Parser/AssignOpTrait.php b/src/Parser/AssignOpTrait.php
index cf826761..dabef684 100644
--- a/src/Parser/AssignOpTrait.php
+++ b/src/Parser/AssignOpTrait.php
@@ -862,9 +862,17 @@ trait AssignOpTrait
     protected function parseAssignOpCoalesce(Expr\AssignOp\Coalesce $expr): string
     {
         $this->checkLeftValue($expr->var);
+
+        // An undefined variable must exist before generating its isset check.
+        // Keep it as Variant so NULL remains distinguishable from native defaults.
+        $var = $this->isVarExpr($expr->var) ? $this->parseIdentifier($expr->var) : null;
+        if ($var !== null && !$this->hasVar($var)) {
+            $this->addLocalVar($var, Type::VAR);
+        }
+
         $isset = $this->parseChainedExpr($expr->var, self::OP_ISSET);
 
-        $var = $this->parseWritableIdentifier($expr->var);
+        $var ??= $this->parseWritableIdentifier($expr->var);
         $propertyWriteTarget = $this->preparePropertyWriteTarget($expr->var);
 
         if ($propertyWriteTarget !== null) {
@@ -878,9 +886,6 @@ trait AssignOpTrait
         if ($this->isVarExpr($expr->expr) and !$this->hasVar($right)) {
             $this->errorUndefinedVariable($expr->expr);
         }
-        if ($this->isVarExpr($expr->var) and !$this->hasVar($var)) {
-            $this->addLocalVar($var, $this->getNormalAssignType($this->detectTypeOfExpr($expr->expr)));
-        }
         return '(' . $isset . '?' . $var . ':(' . $var . ' = ' . $right . '))';
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/compiler/coalesce/assign-coalesce-undefined-var.phpt b/tests/compiler/coalesce/assign-coalesce-undefined-var.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..27dd886b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/compiler/coalesce/assign-coalesce-undefined-var.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+--TEST--
+assign coalesce on undefined variable
+--FILE--
+<?php
+$a ??= 123;
+var_dump($a);
+
+$b ??= 'foo';
+$b ??= 'bar';
+var_dump($b);
+
+$c ??= null;
+var_dump(isset($c));
+$c ??= 'after-null';
+var_dump($c);
+
+for ($i = 0; $i < 2; $i++) {
+    $d ??= printf("default\n");
+}
+var_dump($d);
+?>
+--EXPECT--
+int(123)
+string(3) "foo"
+bool(false)
+string(10) "after-null"
+default
+int(8)