diff --git a/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/case.toml b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/case.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dd46e28ba4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/case.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+name = "legacy_json2_variant_payload"
+reason = "Verify current binaries can read JSON2 variant payloads written by old binaries after the JSON2 encoding change."
+introduced_by = "PR #8435"
+topologies = ["distributed"]
+from_range = ["=v1.1.0", "=v1.1.1", "=v1.1.2"]
+to_range = [">v1.1.1"]
+features = ["json", "json2", "table", "read"]
+owner = "query"
diff --git a/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/setup.sql b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/setup.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cef3a913c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/setup.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+CREATE TABLE t_legacy_json2_variant_payload (
+  ts TIMESTAMP TIME INDEX,
+  j JSON2
+) WITH (
+  'append_mode' = 'true'
+);
+
+INSERT INTO t_legacy_json2_variant_payload (ts, j) VALUES
+  ('2026-07-08 00:00:00+0000', '{"a": {"b": 1}, "c": "s1", "d": [{"e": {"f": 0.1}}]}'),
+  ('2026-07-08 00:01:00+0000', '{"a": {"b": -2}, "c": [1], "d": [{"e": {"f": 0.2}}]}'),
+  ('2026-07-08 00:02:00+0000', '{"a": {"b": "s3"}, "c": "s3", "d": [{"e": {"g": -0.3}}]}'),
+  ('2026-07-08 00:03:00+0000', '{"a": {"b": null}, "c": null}'),
+  ('2026-07-08 00:04:00+0000', '{"c": "s5", "d": {"e": true}}'),
+  ('2026-07-08 00:05:00+0000', '{"a": {"b": 6}}');
+
+ADMIN FLUSH_TABLE('t_legacy_json2_variant_payload');
+
+CREATE TABLE t_legacy_json2_variant_payload_object_d (
+  ts TIMESTAMP TIME INDEX,
+  j JSON2
+) WITH (
+  'append_mode' = 'true'
+);
+
+INSERT INTO t_legacy_json2_variant_payload_object_d (ts, j) VALUES
+  ('2026-07-08 01:00:00+0000', '{"d": {"e": true}}'),
+  ('2026-07-08 01:01:00+0000', '{"d": {"e": false}}');
+
+ADMIN FLUSH_TABLE('t_legacy_json2_variant_payload_object_d');
diff --git a/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/verify.result b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/verify.result
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a474cc8434
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/verify.result
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+SELECT ts, j.a.b AS a_b, j.c AS c
+FROM t_legacy_json2_variant_payload
+ORDER BY ts;
+
++---------------------+-----+-----+
+| ts                  | a_b | c   |
++---------------------+-----+-----+
+| 2026-07-08T00:00:00 | 1   | s1  |
+| 2026-07-08T00:01:00 | -2  | [1] |
+| 2026-07-08T00:02:00 | s3  | s3  |
+| 2026-07-08T00:03:00 |     |     |
+| 2026-07-08T00:04:00 |     | s5  |
+| 2026-07-08T00:05:00 | 6   |     |
++---------------------+-----+-----+
+
+SELECT
+  ts,
+  j.d.e AS d_e
+FROM t_legacy_json2_variant_payload_object_d
+ORDER BY ts;
+
++---------------------+-------+
+| ts                  | d_e   |
++---------------------+-------+
+| 2026-07-08T01:00:00 | true  |
+| 2026-07-08T01:01:00 | false |
++---------------------+-------+
+
+-- JSON2 projection rendering is a user-visible compatibility contract.
+SELECT ts, j.d AS d
+FROM t_legacy_json2_variant_payload
+ORDER BY ts;
+
++---------------------+--------------------+
+| ts                  | d                  |
++---------------------+--------------------+
+| 2026-07-08T00:00:00 | [{"e":{"f":0.1}}]  |
+| 2026-07-08T00:01:00 | [{"e":{"f":0.2}}]  |
+| 2026-07-08T00:02:00 | [{"e":{"g":-0.3}}] |
+| 2026-07-08T00:03:00 |                    |
+| 2026-07-08T00:04:00 | {"e":true}         |
+| 2026-07-08T00:05:00 |                    |
++---------------------+--------------------+
+
+SHOW CREATE TABLE t_legacy_json2_variant_payload;
+
++--------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
+| Table                          | Create Table                                                  |
++--------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
+| t_legacy_json2_variant_payload | CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS "t_legacy_json2_variant_payload" ( |
+|                                |   "ts" TIMESTAMP(3) NOT NULL,                                 |
+|                                |   "j" JSON2 NULL,                                             |
+|                                |   TIME INDEX ("ts")                                           |
+|                                | )                                                             |
+|                                |                                                               |
+|                                | ENGINE=mito                                                   |
+|                                | WITH(                                                         |
+|                                |   append_mode = 'true'                                        |
+|                                | )                                                             |
++--------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
diff --git a/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/verify.sql b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/verify.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a3c2cab1b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/compatibility/cases/legacy_json2_variant_payload/verify.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+SELECT ts, j.a.b AS a_b, j.c AS c
+FROM t_legacy_json2_variant_payload
+ORDER BY ts;
+
+SELECT
+  ts,
+  j.d.e AS d_e
+FROM t_legacy_json2_variant_payload_object_d
+ORDER BY ts;
+
+-- JSON2 projection rendering is a user-visible compatibility contract.
+SELECT ts, j.d AS d
+FROM t_legacy_json2_variant_payload
+ORDER BY ts;
+
+SHOW CREATE TABLE t_legacy_json2_variant_payload;