diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index 7dd7b24..0134949 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
       dest: "{{ manifest_base }}/hieradata"
       state: link
 
-  when: copy_hieradata is defined and copy_hieradata
+  when: copy_hieradata
 
 - block:
   - name: copy puppet modules
@@ -67,7 +67,9 @@
       src: /etc/puppet/modules
       dest: /etc/puppet
 
-  when: copy_puppet is defined and copy_puppet and manifest_base is defined
+  when:
+  - copy_puppet
+  - manifest_base is defined
 
 - name: run puppet
   puppet:
diff --git a/vars/main.yml b/vars/main.yml
index eb8990e..2701e0c 100644
--- a/vars/main.yml
+++ b/vars/main.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 ---
 # vars file for ansible-puppet
+copy_hieradata: false
+copy_puppet: false
 hieradata: /etc/puppet/hieradata
 hieraenvironment: production