diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/defaults/dummy-defaults.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/defaults/dummy-defaults.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 4dc461926..000000000
--- a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/defaults/dummy-defaults.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
----
-# Note(TheJulia): This file is intentionally left empty. Do not edit.
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/tasks/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/tasks/main.yml
index 1ff712617..3d879dd5d 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/tasks/main.yml
@@ -23,18 +23,18 @@
     - ansible_distribution == "CentOS"
     - ansible_distribution_version|int >= 9
 
-- name: "Load distribution defaults"
-  include_vars: "{{ item }}"
-  with_first_found:
-    - "../defaults/required_defaults_{{ ansible_distribution }}.yml"
-    - "../defaults/required_defaults_{{ ansible_os_family }}.yml"
-
-- name: "Include OS version-specific defaults"
-  include_vars: "{{ item }}"
-  with_first_found:
-    - "../defaults/required_defaults_{{ ansible_distribution }}_{{ ansible_distribution_release }}.yml"
-    - "../defaults/required_defaults_{{ ansible_distribution }}_{{ ansible_distribution_version }}.yml"
-    - "../defaults/dummy-defaults.yml"
+- name: Gather variables for each operating system
+  include_vars: "{{ lookup('first_found', params) }}"
+  vars:
+    params:
+      files:
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | lower }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | lower }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_major_version'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['os_family'] | lower }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_major_version'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['os_family'] | lower }}.yml"
+      paths:
+        - "{{ role_path }}/vars"
 
 - name: "Install required packages"
   package:
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/defaults/required_defaults_Debian.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/vars/debian.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/defaults/required_defaults_Debian.yml
rename to playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/vars/debian.yml
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/defaults/required_defaults_RedHat.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/vars/redhat.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/defaults/required_defaults_RedHat.yml
rename to playbooks/roles/bifrost-create-vm-nodes/vars/redhat.yml