diff --git a/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/convert.go b/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/convert.go
index f1cafa872..c36ef9734 100644
--- a/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/convert.go
+++ b/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/convert.go
@@ -106,12 +106,12 @@ func (c *Compiler) createProcess(container *yaml_types.Container, stepType backe
 
 	// TODO: why don't we pass secrets to detached steps?
 	if !detached {
-		if err := settings.ParamsToEnv(container.Settings, environment, "PLUGIN_", getSecretValue); err != nil {
+		if err := settings.ParamsToEnv(container.Settings, environment, "PLUGIN_", true, getSecretValue); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
 
-	if err := settings.ParamsToEnv(container.Environment, environment, "", getSecretValue); err != nil {
+	if err := settings.ParamsToEnv(container.Environment, environment, "", false, getSecretValue); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
diff --git a/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params.go b/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params.go
index 2c0d36406..73505e206 100644
--- a/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params.go
+++ b/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import (
 
 // ParamsToEnv uses reflection to convert a map[string]interface to a list
 // of environment variables.
-func ParamsToEnv(from map[string]any, to map[string]string, prefix string, getSecretValue func(name string) (string, error)) (err error) {
+func ParamsToEnv(from map[string]any, to map[string]string, prefix string, upper bool, getSecretValue func(name string) (string, error)) (err error) {
 	if to == nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("no map to write to")
 	}
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func ParamsToEnv(from map[string]any, to map[string]string, prefix string, getSe
 		if v == nil || len(k) == 0 {
 			continue
 		}
-		to[sanitizeParamKey(prefix, k)], err = sanitizeParamValue(v, getSecretValue)
+		to[sanitizeParamKey(prefix, upper, k)], err = sanitizeParamValue(v, getSecretValue)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -43,9 +43,12 @@ func ParamsToEnv(from map[string]any, to map[string]string, prefix string, getSe
 }
 
 // format the environment variable key
-func sanitizeParamKey(prefix, k string) string {
-	return prefix + strings.ToUpper(
-		strings.ReplaceAll(strings.ReplaceAll(k, ".", "_"), "-", "_"))
+func sanitizeParamKey(prefix string, upper bool, k string) string {
+	r := strings.ReplaceAll(strings.ReplaceAll(k, ".", "_"), "-", "_")
+	if upper {
+		r = strings.ToUpper(r)
+	}
+	return prefix + r
 }
 
 // indicate if a data type can be turned into string without encoding as json
diff --git a/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params_test.go b/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params_test.go
index 63b5df99c..5e3e6da12 100644
--- a/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params_test.go
+++ b/pipeline/frontend/yaml/compiler/settings/params_test.go
@@ -69,12 +69,12 @@ func TestParamsToEnv(t *testing.T) {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("secret %q not found or not allowed to be used", name)
 	}
 
-	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", getSecretValue))
+	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", true, getSecretValue))
 	assert.EqualValues(t, want, got, "Problem converting plugin parameters to environment variables")
 
 	// handle edge cases (#1609)
 	got = map[string]string{}
-	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(map[string]any{"a": []any{"a", nil}}, got, "PLUGIN_", nil))
+	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(map[string]any{"a": []any{"a", nil}}, got, "PLUGIN_", true, nil))
 	assert.EqualValues(t, map[string]string{"PLUGIN_A": "a,"}, got)
 }
 
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ func TestParamsToEnvPrefix(t *testing.T) {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("secret %q not found or not allowed to be used", name)
 	}
 
-	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", getSecretValue))
+	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", true, getSecretValue))
 	assert.EqualValues(t, wantPrefixPlugin, got, "Problem converting plugin parameters to environment variables")
 
 	wantNoPrefix := map[string]string{
@@ -102,14 +102,16 @@ func TestParamsToEnvPrefix(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// handle edge cases (#1609)
 	got = map[string]string{}
-	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "", getSecretValue))
+	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "", true, getSecretValue))
 	assert.EqualValues(t, wantNoPrefix, got, "Problem converting plugin parameters to environment variables")
 }
 
 func TestSanitizeParamKey(t *testing.T) {
-	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_DRY_RUN", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", "dry-run"))
-	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_DRY_RUN", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", "dry_Run"))
-	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_DRY_RUN", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", "dry.run"))
+	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_DRY_RUN", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", true, "dry-run"))
+	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_DRY_RUN", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", true, "dry_Run"))
+	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_DRY_RUN", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", true, "dry.run"))
+	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_dry_run", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", false, "dry-run"))
+	assert.EqualValues(t, "PLUGIN_dry_Run", sanitizeParamKey("PLUGIN_", false, "dry_Run"))
 }
 
 func TestYAMLToParamsToEnv(t *testing.T) {
@@ -164,7 +166,7 @@ list.map:
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("secret %q not found or not allowed to be used", name)
 	}
 
-	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", getSecretValue))
+	assert.NoError(t, ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", true, getSecretValue))
 	assert.EqualValues(t, want, got, "Problem converting plugin parameters to environment variables")
 }
 
@@ -188,7 +190,7 @@ func TestYAMLToParamsToEnvError(t *testing.T) {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("secret %q not found or not allowed to be used", name)
 	}
 
-	assert.Error(t, ParamsToEnv(from, make(map[string]string), "PLUGIN_", getSecretValue))
+	assert.Error(t, ParamsToEnv(from, make(map[string]string), "PLUGIN_", true, getSecretValue))
 }
 
 func stringsToInterface(val ...string) []any {
@@ -219,6 +221,6 @@ func TestSecretNotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	got := map[string]string{}
 
 	assert.ErrorContains(t,
-		ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", getSecretValue),
+		ParamsToEnv(from, got, "PLUGIN_", true, getSecretValue),
 		fmt.Sprintf("secret %q not found or not allowed to be used", "secret_token"))
 }