diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index c8c8b8db4..c11219cbd 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ FIREWALL="true"
 AWS_SUPPORT="false"
 IS_LOCAL="false"
 SERVER_HOSTNAME=$(hostname)
+ANSIBLE_VERSION="<12"
 
 # Parse options.
 parse_options "$@"
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ fi
 /usr/bin/echo "-------------------------------------------------"
 /usr/bin/su - "$CONTROLLER_USER" -c "/usr/bin/python3 -m venv /home/$CONTROLLER_USER/ce-python"
 /usr/bin/su - "$CONTROLLER_USER" -c "/home/$CONTROLLER_USER/ce-python/bin/python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip"
-/usr/bin/su - "$CONTROLLER_USER" -c "/home/$CONTROLLER_USER/ce-python/bin/pip install ansible netaddr python-debian"
+/usr/bin/su - "$CONTROLLER_USER" -c "/home/$CONTROLLER_USER/ce-python/bin/pip install 'ansible$ANSIBLE_VERSION' netaddr python-debian"
 if [ "$AWS_SUPPORT" = "true" ]; then
   /usr/bin/su - "$CONTROLLER_USER" -c "/home/$CONTROLLER_USER/ce-python/bin/pip install boto3"
 fi
diff --git a/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml b/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml
index e7256e5f8..47707d7d0 100644
--- a/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ ce_ansible:
   #venv_path: "/home/{{ ce_provision.username }}/ansible"
   #venv_command: /usr/bin/python3.11 -m venv
   #venv_install_username: ansible # user to become when creating venv
+  ansible_version: "<12.0" # also check install.sh script in the repo root and set the version there accordingly.
   upgrade:
-    enabled: true # create systemd timer to auto-upgrade Ansible
+    enabled: false # create systemd timer to auto-upgrade Ansible. Temporary disabled due to ansible 2.19 breaking changes.
     command: "{{ _venv_path }}/bin/python3 -m pip install --upgrade ansible" # if you set venv_path above then set it here too
     on_calendar: "*-*-* 01:30:00" # see systemd.time documentation - https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/systemd.time.html#Calendar%20Events
     #timer_name: upgrade_ansible
diff --git a/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml b/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml
index 57af8cbf0..cdf6d0862 100644
--- a/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
       packages:
         - name: pip
           state: latest
-        - name: ansible
+        - name: "ansible{{ ce_ansible.ansible_version }}"
         - name: python-debian
 
 - name: Install linters.