diff --git a/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml b/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml
index 33a331751..2be4f5a9c 100644
--- a/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/roles/debian/ansible/defaults/main.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ ce_ansible:
   #venv_install_username: ansible # user to become when creating venv
   upgrade:
     enabled: true # create systemd timer to auto-upgrade Ansible
-    command: "{{ _venv_path }}/bin/python3 -m pip install --upgrade {{ 'ansible' ~ ce_ansible_version | quote }}" # if you set venv_path above then set it here too.
+    command: "{{ _venv_path }}/bin/python3 -m pip install --upgrade ansible{{ ce_ansible_version }}" # 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
   linters:
diff --git a/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml b/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml
index 7c8c1fa92..2a7742f30 100644
--- a/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/debian/ansible/tasks/main.yml
@@ -86,8 +86,7 @@
   block:
     - name: Build systemd timer variables string.
       ansible.builtin.set_fact:
-        _timer: "{'{{ ce_ansible.upgrade.timer_name | default(_ce_ansible_timer_name) }}': { timer_command: '{{ ce_ansible.upgrade.command }}', timer_OnCalendar: '{{ ce_ansible.upgrade.on_calendar }}' }}"
-
+        _timer: "{'{{ ce_ansible.upgrade.timer_name | default(_ce_ansible_timer_name) }}': { timer_command: {{ ce_ansible.upgrade.command | quote }}, timer_OnCalendar: '{{ ce_ansible.upgrade.on_calendar }}' }}"
     - name: Turn the timer string into a dictionary.
       ansible.builtin.set_fact:
         _timer: "{{ _timer.splitlines() | map('from_yaml') | list }}"