diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/defaults/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/defaults/main.yml
index efec60584..0ea395c17 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/defaults/main.yml
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ ironic_inspector_api_url: "{{ api_protocol }}://{{ internal_ip }}:5050"
 
 # Ensure that Ansible is using python interpreter and dependencies inside the bifrost virtual environment
 bifrost_venv_dir: "{{ lookup('env', 'VENV') or '/opt/stack/bifrost' }}"
+bifrost_venv_env:
+  VIRTUAL_ENV: "{{ bifrost_venv_dir }}"
+  PATH: "{{ bifrost_venv_dir }}/bin:{{ ansible_env.PATH }}" # include regular path via lookup env
+  pydoc: "python -m pydoc"
 ansible_python_interpreter: "{{ bifrost_venv_dir + '/bin/python3' }}"
 
 enable_keystone: false
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/tasks/validate.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/tasks/validate.yml
index e811e2ac2..f98f41721 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/tasks/validate.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-keystone-client-config/tasks/validate.yml
@@ -18,19 +18,16 @@
 - block:
     - name: "List bare metal nodes using CLI and clouds.yaml"
       command: baremetal --debug node list
-      environment:
-        OS_CLOUD: "{{ testing_cloud_name }}"
+      environment: "{{ bifrost_venv_env | combine({'OS_CLOUD': testing_cloud_name }) }}"
 
     - name: "List introspection rules using CLI and clouds.yaml"
       command: baremetal --debug introspection rule list
-      environment:
-        OS_CLOUD: "{{ testing_cloud_name }}"
+      environment: "{{ bifrost_venv_env | combine({'OS_CLOUD': testing_cloud_name }) }}"
       when: enable_inspector | bool
 
     - name: "List services using CLI and clouds.yaml"
       command: openstack --debug service list
-      environment:
-        OS_CLOUD: bifrost-admin
+      environment: "{{ bifrost_venv_env | combine({'OS_CLOUD': 'bifrost-admin' }) }}"
       when:
         - enable_keystone | bool
         - "'bifrost-admin' in clouds"
@@ -42,6 +39,7 @@
         baremetal --debug node list
       args:
         executable: /bin/bash
+      environment: "{{ bifrost_venv_env }}"
 
     # FIXME(dtantsur): openrc provides no overrides for ironic-inspector, so we
     # cannot test it.
@@ -53,6 +51,7 @@
         openstack --debug service list
       args:
         executable: /bin/bash
+      environment: "{{ bifrost_venv_env }}"
       when:
         - enable_keystone | bool
         - "'bifrost-admin' in clouds"
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/validate-path-5c303903900dcd65.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/validate-path-5c303903900dcd65.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..212731c8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/validate-path-5c303903900dcd65.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+fixes:
+  - |
+    Fixes ``PATH`` to always include the virtual environment when running
+    validations.