diff --git a/playbooks/manual/staging-sync/db-sync.yml b/playbooks/manual/staging-sync/db-sync.yml
index 8aa97914d8..bb5c377951 100644
--- a/playbooks/manual/staging-sync/db-sync.yml
+++ b/playbooks/manual/staging-sync/db-sync.yml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
      flat: yes
 
 - name: bring staging services down
-  hosts: "{{ server }}"
+  hosts: "{{ server or batcave }}"
   user: root
   any_errors_fatal: false
   vars_files:
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 
   tasks:
   - service: name=httpd state=stopped
+    when: server is defined
 
 - name: drop and re-create the staging db entirely
   hosts: "{{ dbhost }}.stg.iad2.fedoraproject.org"
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@
     shell: cat /var/tmp/{{ db }}.dump | psql {{ db }}
 
 - name: bring staging services up
-  hosts: "{{ server }}"
+  hosts: "{{ server or batcave }}"
   user: root
   any_errors_fatal: false
   vars_files:
@@ -92,6 +93,7 @@
 
   tasks:
   - service: name=httpd state=started
+    when: server is defined
 
 - name: Remove the prod db dump now that we are done
   hosts: "{{ dbhost }}.iad2.fedoraproject.org"