diff --git a/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/certificate.yml b/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/certificate.yml
index 18e6c7497..093f5701a 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/certificate.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/certificate.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   - name: making sure octavia worker configuration directory exists
     file: path="{{ octavia_confd_prefix }}{{ ca_private_key_path | dirname }}" state=directory
     become: true
-  - name: Copying ca private key to octavia
+  - name: Copying key info to octavia if not already there
     become: true
     copy: content="{{ private_key_content }}" dest="{{ octavia_confd_prefix }}{{ ca_private_key_path }}"
   - name: copying ca certificate to octavia
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/main.yml
index 19d7e548c..53145f5a0 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/octavia-controller-config/tasks/main.yml
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
   - set_fact:
       node_hostname: "{{ hostname.stdout }}"
   - include_tasks: certificate.yml
-    when: generate_certs
+    when:
+      - private_key_content|length > 0
+      - ca_cert_content|length > 0
+      - service_pem_content|length > 0
   - include_tasks: netport.yml
   - include_tasks: netinterface.yml
   - name: making sure octavia common configuration directory exists