diff --git a/src/ansiblelint/schemas/ansible.json b/src/ansiblelint/schemas/ansible.json
index 3272790fb0..94846d0525 100644
--- a/src/ansiblelint/schemas/ansible.json
+++ b/src/ansiblelint/schemas/ansible.json
@@ -627,7 +627,17 @@
         },
         "vars_files": {
           "items": {
-            "type": "string"
+            "oneOf": [
+              {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              {
+                "items": {
+                  "type": "string"
+                },
+                "type": "array"
+              }
+            ]
           },
           "title": "Vars Files",
           "type": ["array", "string", "null"]
diff --git a/src/ansiblelint/schemas/playbook.json b/src/ansiblelint/schemas/playbook.json
index d9c704e05e..983033f820 100644
--- a/src/ansiblelint/schemas/playbook.json
+++ b/src/ansiblelint/schemas/playbook.json
@@ -642,7 +642,17 @@
         },
         "vars_files": {
           "items": {
-            "type": "string"
+            "oneOf": [
+              {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              {
+                "items": {
+                  "type": "string"
+                },
+                "type": "array"
+              }
+            ]
           },
           "title": "Vars Files",
           "type": [
diff --git a/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_number.yml.md b/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_number.yml.md
index 6ecc15e454..e9155933fe 100644
--- a/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_number.yml.md
+++ b/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_number.yml.md
@@ -54,7 +54,25 @@
     "params": {
       "type": "string"
     },
-    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/type"
+    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/oneOf/0/type"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0/vars_files/0",
+    "keyword": "type",
+    "message": "must be array",
+    "params": {
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/oneOf/1/type"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0/vars_files/0",
+    "keyword": "oneOf",
+    "message": "must match exactly one schema in oneOf",
+    "params": {
+      "passingSchemas": null
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/oneOf"
   },
   {
     "instancePath": "/0",
@@ -106,9 +124,17 @@ stdout:
           "path": "$[0].vars_files",
           "message": "[0] is not of type 'object'"
         },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0].vars_files[0]",
+          "message": "0 is not valid under any of the given schemas"
+        },
         {
           "path": "$[0].vars_files[0]",
           "message": "0 is not of type 'string'"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0].vars_files[0]",
+          "message": "0 is not of type 'array'"
         }
       ]
     }
diff --git a/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_of_list_number.yml b/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_of_list_number.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7170010fd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_of_list_number.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+- name: var_files should not accept array[number]
+  hosts: localhost
+  vars_files:
+    - [0, 1]
diff --git a/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_of_list_number.yml.md b/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_of_list_number.yml.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..349449838e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/schemas/negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_of_list_number.yml.md
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+# ajv errors
+
+```json
+[
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0",
+    "keyword": "required",
+    "message": "must have required property 'ansible.builtin.import_playbook'",
+    "params": {
+      "missingProperty": "ansible.builtin.import_playbook"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/oneOf/0/required"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0",
+    "keyword": "required",
+    "message": "must have required property 'import_playbook'",
+    "params": {
+      "missingProperty": "import_playbook"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/oneOf/1/required"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0",
+    "keyword": "oneOf",
+    "message": "must match exactly one schema in oneOf",
+    "params": {
+      "passingSchemas": null
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/oneOf"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0",
+    "keyword": "additionalProperties",
+    "message": "must NOT have additional properties",
+    "params": {
+      "additionalProperty": "hosts"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/additionalProperties"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0/vars_files",
+    "keyword": "type",
+    "message": "must be object",
+    "params": {
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/patternProperties/vars/type"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0/vars_files/0",
+    "keyword": "type",
+    "message": "must be string",
+    "params": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/oneOf/0/type"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0/vars_files/0/0",
+    "keyword": "type",
+    "message": "must be string",
+    "params": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/oneOf/1/items/type"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0/vars_files/0/1",
+    "keyword": "type",
+    "message": "must be string",
+    "params": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/oneOf/1/items/type"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0/vars_files/0",
+    "keyword": "oneOf",
+    "message": "must match exactly one schema in oneOf",
+    "params": {
+      "passingSchemas": null
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/properties/vars_files/items/oneOf"
+  },
+  {
+    "instancePath": "/0",
+    "keyword": "oneOf",
+    "message": "must match exactly one schema in oneOf",
+    "params": {
+      "passingSchemas": null
+    },
+    "schemaPath": "#/items/oneOf"
+  }
+]
+```
+
+# check-jsonschema
+
+stdout:
+
+```json
+{
+  "status": "fail",
+  "errors": [
+    {
+      "filename": "negative_test/playbooks/var_files_list_of_list_number.yml",
+      "path": "$[0]",
+      "message": "{'name': 'var_files should not accept array[number]', 'hosts': 'localhost', 'vars_files': [[0, 1]]} is not valid under any of the given schemas",
+      "has_sub_errors": true,
+      "best_match": {
+        "path": "$[0]",
+        "message": "'hosts' does not match any of the regexes: '^(ansible\\\\.builtin\\\\.)?import_playbook$', 'name', 'tags', 'vars', 'when'"
+      },
+      "sub_errors": [
+        {
+          "path": "$[0]",
+          "message": "'hosts' does not match any of the regexes: '^(ansible\\\\.builtin\\\\.)?import_playbook$', 'name', 'tags', 'vars', 'when'"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0]",
+          "message": "{'name': 'var_files should not accept array[number]', 'hosts': 'localhost', 'vars_files': [[0, 1]]} is not valid under any of the given schemas"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0]",
+          "message": "'ansible.builtin.import_playbook' is a required property"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0]",
+          "message": "'import_playbook' is a required property"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0].vars_files",
+          "message": "[[0, 1]] is not of type 'object'"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0].vars_files[0]",
+          "message": "[0, 1] is not valid under any of the given schemas"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0].vars_files[0]",
+          "message": "[0, 1] is not of type 'string'"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0].vars_files[0][0]",
+          "message": "0 is not of type 'string'"
+        },
+        {
+          "path": "$[0].vars_files[0][1]",
+          "message": "1 is not of type 'string'"
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ],
+  "parse_errors": []
+}
+```
diff --git a/test/schemas/test/playbooks/var_files.yml b/test/schemas/test/playbooks/var_files.yml
index eef44fd7ba..263028773f 100644
--- a/test/schemas/test/playbooks/var_files.yml
+++ b/test/schemas/test/playbooks/var_files.yml
@@ -11,3 +11,8 @@
   hosts: localhost
   vars_files:
     - /dev/null
+
+- name: var_files should accept array of array[string]
+  hosts: localhost
+  vars_files:
+    - ["/dev/null"]