diff --git a/playbooks/check-host.yml b/playbooks/check-host.yml
index 2a277c4642..56d9b27ce5 100644
--- a/playbooks/check-host.yml
+++ b/playbooks/check-host.yml
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@
 
   - name: fetch file list
     fetch: src={{item}} dest=/{{datadir_prfx_path}}/{{inventory_hostname}}-{{timestamp.stdout}}/ flat=true
-    with_items: file_list.stdout_lines
+    with_items: "{{file_list.stdout_lines}}"
     changed_when: False
 
 
diff --git a/playbooks/update-proxy-dns.yml b/playbooks/update-proxy-dns.yml
index dc247543f9..3cce0af3ca 100644
--- a/playbooks/update-proxy-dns.yml
+++ b/playbooks/update-proxy-dns.yml
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
   - name: Run update-dns on each nameserver
     command: /usr/local/bin/update-dns
     delegate_to: "{{item}}"
-    with_items: groups.dns
+    with_items: "{{groups.dns}}"
     when: nodns is not defined or not "true" in nodns
 
   - name: Wait for dns to percolate (1 minute)
diff --git a/tasks/cloud_setup_basic.yml b/tasks/cloud_setup_basic.yml
index 755420f393..6fddfd3277 100644
--- a/tasks/cloud_setup_basic.yml
+++ b/tasks/cloud_setup_basic.yml
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@
 
 - name: add root keys for sysadmin-main and other allowed users
   authorized_key: user=root key="{{ item }}"
-  with_lines: "/srv/web/infra/ansible/scripts/auth-keys-from-fas @sysadmin-main {{ root_auth_users }}"
+  with_lines:
+   - "/srv/web/infra/ansible/scripts/auth-keys-from-fas @sysadmin-main {{ root_auth_users }}"
   tags:
   - config
   - sshkeys