diff --git a/python/core/auto_generated/layout/qgslayoutatlas.sip.in b/python/core/auto_generated/layout/qgslayoutatlas.sip.in
index d0df00ebc25..5f4d357dcc4 100644
--- a/python/core/auto_generated/layout/qgslayoutatlas.sip.in
+++ b/python/core/auto_generated/layout/qgslayoutatlas.sip.in
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 
 
 
-class QgsLayoutAtlas : QObject, QgsAbstractLayoutIterator, QgsLayoutSerializableObject
+class QgsLayoutAtlas : QObject, QgsAbstractLayoutIterator, QgsLayoutSerializableObject, QgsExpressionContextGenerator
 {
 %Docstring
 Class used to render QgsLayout as an atlas, by iterating over the features from an associated vector layer.
@@ -277,6 +277,9 @@ number of matching features.
 Returns the current feature number, where a value of 0 corresponds to the first feature.
 %End
 
+    virtual QgsExpressionContext createExpressionContext() const;
+
+
   public slots:
 
     virtual bool next();
diff --git a/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.cpp b/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.cpp
index 4d760f2b5a0..ee1baac2197 100644
--- a/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.cpp
+++ b/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.cpp
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ QString QgsLayoutAtlas::currentFilename() const
   return mCurrentFilename;
 }
 
-QgsExpressionContext QgsLayoutAtlas::createExpressionContext()
+QgsExpressionContext QgsLayoutAtlas::createExpressionContext() const
 {
   QgsExpressionContext expressionContext;
   expressionContext << QgsExpressionContextUtils::globalScope();
@@ -447,10 +447,10 @@ QgsExpressionContext QgsLayoutAtlas::createExpressionContext()
     expressionContext << QgsExpressionContextUtils::projectScope( mLayout->project() )
                       << QgsExpressionContextUtils::layoutScope( mLayout );
 
-  expressionContext.appendScope( QgsExpressionContextUtils::atlasScope( this ) );
+  expressionContext.appendScope( QgsExpressionContextUtils::atlasScope( const_cast< QgsLayoutAtlas * >( this ) ) );
 
   if ( mCoverageLayer )
-    expressionContext.lastScope()->setFields( mCoverageLayer->fields() );
+    expressionContext.appendScope( mCoverageLayer->createExpressionContextScope() );
 
   if ( mLayout && mEnabled )
     expressionContext.lastScope()->setFeature( mCurrentFeature );
diff --git a/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.h b/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.h
index d907cdd7435..2807b33ba31 100644
--- a/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.h
+++ b/src/core/layout/qgslayoutatlas.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include "qgsvectorlayerref.h"
 #include "qgslayoutserializableobject.h"
 #include "qgsabstractlayoutiterator.h"
+#include "qgsexpressioncontextgenerator.h"
 #include <QObject>
 
 class QgsLayout;
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ class QgsLayout;
  *
  * \since QGIS 3.0
  */
-class CORE_EXPORT QgsLayoutAtlas : public QObject, public QgsAbstractLayoutIterator, public QgsLayoutSerializableObject
+class CORE_EXPORT QgsLayoutAtlas : public QObject, public QgsAbstractLayoutIterator, public QgsLayoutSerializableObject, public QgsExpressionContextGenerator
 {
     Q_OBJECT
   public:
@@ -252,6 +253,8 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsLayoutAtlas : public QObject, public QgsAbstractLayoutItera
      */
     int currentFeatureNumber() const { return mCurrentFeatureNo; }
 
+    QgsExpressionContext createExpressionContext() const override;
+
   public slots:
 
     bool next() override;
@@ -390,7 +393,6 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsLayoutAtlas : public QObject, public QgsAbstractLayoutItera
     int mCurrentFeatureNo = -1;
     QgsFeature mCurrentFeature;
 
-    QgsExpressionContext createExpressionContext();
 
     friend class AtlasFeatureSorter;
 };
diff --git a/tests/src/core/testqgslayoutatlas.cpp b/tests/src/core/testqgslayoutatlas.cpp
index 82207b5b3e7..9235dcc788d 100644
--- a/tests/src/core/testqgslayoutatlas.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/core/testqgslayoutatlas.cpp
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ class TestQgsLayoutAtlas : public QObject
     // test removing coverage layer while atlas is enabled
     void test_remove_layer();
 
+    void context();
+
   private:
     QgsPrintLayout *mLayout = nullptr;
     QgsLayoutItemLabel *mLabel1 = nullptr;
@@ -426,5 +428,27 @@ void TestQgsLayoutAtlas::test_remove_layer()
   QVERIFY( spyToggled.count() == 1 );
 }
 
+void TestQgsLayoutAtlas::context()
+{
+  std::unique_ptr< QgsVectorLayer> vl2( new QgsVectorLayer( QStringLiteral( "Point?crs=epsg:4326&field=id:integer&field=labelx:integer" ), QStringLiteral( "vl" ), QStringLiteral( "memory" ) ) );
+  QgsFeature f;
+  QVERIFY( vl2->dataProvider()->addFeature( f ) );
+  QgsFeature f2;
+  QVERIFY( vl2->dataProvider()->addFeature( f2 ) );
+
+  mAtlas->setCoverageLayer( vl2.get() );
+  mAtlas->setEnabled( true );
+
+  QgsExpressionContext context = mAtlas->createExpressionContext();
+  QVERIFY( context.hasVariable( QStringLiteral( "project_title" ) ) );
+  QVERIFY( context.hasVariable( QStringLiteral( "layout_name" ) ) );
+  QVERIFY( context.hasVariable( QStringLiteral( "atlas_totalfeatures" ) ) );
+  QVERIFY( context.hasVariable( QStringLiteral( "layer_id" ) ) );
+  QCOMPARE( context.fields().at( 1 ).name(), QStringLiteral( "labelx" ) );
+  QVERIFY( context.hasFeature() );
+
+  mAtlas->setCoverageLayer( nullptr );
+}
+
 QGSTEST_MAIN( TestQgsLayoutAtlas )
 #include "testqgslayoutatlas.moc"