diff --git a/common/env_attr.c b/common/env_attr.c
index 7d330a5..210c98d 100644
--- a/common/env_attr.c
+++ b/common/env_attr.c
@@ -21,7 +21,14 @@
  * MA 02111-1307 USA
  */
 
+#ifdef USE_HOSTCC /* Eliminate "ANSI does not permit..." warnings */
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <linux/linux_string.h>
+#else
 #include <common.h>
+#endif
+
 #include <env_attr.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <linux/string.h>
diff --git a/common/env_flags.c b/common/env_flags.c
index a58d614..ed0857c 100644
--- a/common/env_flags.c
+++ b/common/env_flags.c
@@ -24,8 +24,17 @@
 #include <linux/string.h>
 #include <linux/ctype.h>
 
+#ifdef USE_HOSTCC /* Eliminate "ANSI does not permit..." warnings */
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include "fw_env.h"
+#include <env_attr.h>
+#include <env_flags.h>
+#define getenv fw_getenv
+#else
 #include <common.h>
 #include <environment.h>
+#endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_CMD_NET
 #define ENV_FLAGS_NET_VARTYPE_REPS "im"
@@ -179,6 +188,70 @@ static inline int env_flags_lookup(const char *flags_list, const char *name,
 	return ret;
 }
 
+#ifdef USE_HOSTCC /* Functions only used from tools/env */
+/*
+ * Look up any flags directly from the .flags variable and the static list
+ * and convert them to the vartype enum.
+ */
+enum env_flags_vartype env_flags_get_type(const char *name)
+{
+	const char *flags_list = getenv(ENV_FLAGS_VAR);
+	char flags[ENV_FLAGS_ATTR_MAX_LEN + 1];
+
+	if (env_flags_lookup(flags_list, name, flags))
+		return env_flags_vartype_string;
+
+	if (strlen(flags) <= ENV_FLAGS_VARTYPE_LOC)
+		return env_flags_vartype_string;
+
+	return env_flags_parse_vartype(flags);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Validate that the proposed new value for "name" is valid according to the
+ * defined flags for that variable, if any.
+ */
+int env_flags_validate_type(const char *name, const char *value)
+{
+	enum env_flags_vartype type;
+
+	if (value == NULL)
+		return 0;
+	type = env_flags_get_type(name);
+	if (_env_flags_validate_type(value, type) < 0) {
+		printf("## Error: flags type check failure for "
+			"\"%s\" <= \"%s\" (type: %c)\n",
+			name, value, env_flags_vartype_rep[type]);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Validate the parameters to "env set" directly
+ */
+int env_flags_validate_env_set_params(int argc, char * const argv[])
+{
+	if ((argc >= 3) && argv[2] != NULL) {
+		enum env_flags_vartype type = env_flags_get_type(argv[1]);
+
+		/*
+		 * we don't currently check types that need more than
+		 * one argument
+		 */
+		if (type != env_flags_vartype_string && argc > 3) {
+			printf("## Error: too many parameters for setting "
+				"\"%s\"\n", argv[1]);
+			return -1;
+		}
+		return env_flags_validate_type(argv[1], argv[2]);
+	}
+	/* ok */
+	return 0;
+}
+
+#else /* !USE_HOSTCC - Functions only used from lib/hashtable.c */
+
 /*
  * Parse the flag charachters from the .flags attribute list into the binary
  * form to be stored in the environment entry->flags field.
@@ -317,3 +390,5 @@ int env_flags_validate(const ENTRY *item, const char *newval, enum env_op op,
 
 	return 0;
 }
+
+#endif
diff --git a/include/env_flags.h b/include/env_flags.h
index bf25f27..3333446 100644
--- a/include/env_flags.h
+++ b/include/env_flags.h
@@ -52,6 +52,23 @@ enum env_flags_vartype {
  */
 enum env_flags_vartype env_flags_parse_vartype(const char *flags);
 
+#ifdef USE_HOSTCC
+/*
+ * Look up the type of a variable directly from the .flags var.
+ */
+enum env_flags_vartype env_flags_get_type(const char *name);
+/*
+ * Validate the newval for its type to conform with the requirements defined by
+ * its flags (directly looked at the .flags var).
+ */
+int env_flags_validate_type(const char *name, const char *newval);
+/*
+ * Validate the parameters passed to "env set" for type compliance
+ */
+int env_flags_validate_env_set_params(int argc, char * const argv[]);
+
+#else /* !USE_HOSTCC */
+
 #include <search.h>
 
 /*
@@ -73,4 +90,6 @@ int env_flags_validate(const ENTRY *item, const char *newval, enum env_op op,
 #define ENV_FLAGS_VARTYPE_BIN_MASK	0x00000007
 /* The actual variable type values use the enum value (within the mask) */
 
+#endif /* USE_HOSTCC */
+
 #endif /* __ENV_FLAGS_H__ */
diff --git a/tools/env/Makefile b/tools/env/Makefile
index ab73c8c..0e798e0 100644
--- a/tools/env/Makefile
+++ b/tools/env/Makefile
@@ -24,12 +24,15 @@
 include $(TOPDIR)/config.mk
 
 HOSTSRCS := $(SRCTREE)/lib/crc32.c  fw_env.c  fw_env_main.c
+HOSTSRCS += $(SRCTREE)/lib/ctype.c $(SRCTREE)/lib/linux_string.c
+HOSTSRCS += $(SRCTREE)/common/env_attr.c $(SRCTREE)/common/env_flags.c
 HEADERS	:= fw_env.h $(OBJTREE)/include/config.h
 
 # Compile for a hosted environment on the target
 HOSTCPPFLAGS  = -idirafter $(SRCTREE)/include \
 		-idirafter $(OBJTREE)/include2 \
 		-idirafter $(OBJTREE)/include \
+		-idirafter $(SRCTREE)/tools/env \
 		-DUSE_HOSTCC \
 		-DTEXT_BASE=$(TEXT_BASE)
 
diff --git a/tools/env/fw_env.c b/tools/env/fw_env.c
index 9b023e8..5be36fc 100644
--- a/tools/env/fw_env.c
+++ b/tools/env/fw_env.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <env_flags.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <linux/stringify.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -395,6 +396,9 @@ int fw_setenv(int argc, char *argv[])
 
 	name = argv[1];
 
+	if (env_flags_validate_env_set_params(argc, argv) < 0)
+		return 1;
+
 	len = 0;
 	for (i = 2; i < argc; ++i) {
 		char *val = argv[i];
@@ -516,6 +520,11 @@ int fw_parse_script(char *fname)
 			name, val ? val : " removed");
 #endif
 
+		if (env_flags_validate_type(name, val) < 0) {
+			ret = -1;
+			break;
+		}
+
 		/*
 		 * If there is an error setting a variable,
 		 * try to save the environment and returns an error