diff --git a/roles/openafs-client/tasks/openafs-client/Debian.yaml b/roles/openafs-client/tasks/openafs-client/Debian.yaml
index 43716ca602..2b56bd82c5 100644
--- a/roles/openafs-client/tasks/openafs-client/Debian.yaml
+++ b/roles/openafs-client/tasks/openafs-client/Debian.yaml
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
-# Bionic and Focal versions both shipped unstable ~pre versions
-# of openafs clients; we thus have stable versions in a PPA.
-#  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openafs/+bug/1832690
+# Bionic and Focal versions both shipped unstable ~pre versions of
+# openafs clients; we thus have stable versions in a PPA.  We use this
+# everywhere but our legacy Xenial x86 hosts (Debian stable has 1.8
+# inbuilt so we are good there).
+# https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openafs/+bug/1832690
 - name: Install openstackci openafs PPA
   apt_repository:
     repo: 'ppa:openstack-ci-core/openafs'
-  when: ansible_distribution_version is version('18.04', '>=')
+  when:
+    - ansible_distribution == 'Ubuntu' and not
+      ( ansible_distribution_version is version('16.04', '==') and
+        ansible_architecture == 'x86_64' )
   become: yes
 
 - name: Install kernel headers dependency