diff --git a/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml b/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
index 07890d4252..0444a61203 100644
--- a/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
+++ b/playbooks/vhost_reboot.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 
   - name: add them to myvms_new group
     local_action: add_host hostname=$item groupname=myvms_new
-    with_items: ${vmlist.list_vms}
+    with_items: "${vmlist.list_vms}"
 
 
 - name: halt instances
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
     # if one of them is down we don't care
 
   - name: wait for them to die
-    local_action: wait_for port=22 delay=30 timeout=300 state=stopped host=${inventory_hostname}
+    local_action: "wait_for port=22 delay=30 timeout=300 state=stopped host=${inventory_hostname}"
 
 - name: reboot vhost
   hosts: $target
diff --git a/playbooks/vhost_update.yml b/playbooks/vhost_update.yml
index 0ea149078b..77fd4f4de6 100644
--- a/playbooks/vhost_update.yml
+++ b/playbooks/vhost_update.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
   - name: add them to myvms_new group
     local_action: add_host hostname=$item groupname=myvms_new
-    with_items: ${vmlist.list_vms}
+    with_items: "${vmlist.list_vms}"
 
 - name: update all run rkhunter if installed
   hosts: $target;myvms_new
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@
   - name: expire-caches
     action: command yum clean expire-cache
     
-  - name: yum -y ${yumcommand}
-    action: command yum -y ${yumcommand}
+  - name: "yum -y ${yumcommand}"
+    action: "command yum -y ${yumcommand}"
     async: 7200
     poll: 50