diff --git a/playbooks/roles/gitea-git-repos/library/gitea_create_repos.py b/playbooks/roles/gitea-git-repos/library/gitea_create_repos.py
index 119dcfb314..7385c78c2d 100755
--- a/playbooks/roles/gitea-git-repos/library/gitea_create_repos.py
+++ b/playbooks/roles/gitea-git-repos/library/gitea_create_repos.py
@@ -197,6 +197,9 @@ class Gitea(object):
                 # https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/7493
                 self.make_gitea_project(project)
             if create or self.always_update:
+                if isinstance(self.always_update, list
+                        ) and project not in self.always_update:
+                    continue
                 futures.append(settings_thread_pool.submit(
                     self.update_gitea_project_settings,
                     project))
@@ -272,7 +275,7 @@ def ansible_main():
             url=dict(required=True),
             password=dict(required=True, no_log=True),
             projects=dict(required=True, type='list'),
-            always_update=dict(type='bool', default=True),
+            always_update=dict(default=True),
         )
     )
 
diff --git a/playbooks/sync-gitea-projects.yaml b/playbooks/sync-gitea-projects.yaml
index bf2e00c703..30c65ee089 100644
--- a/playbooks/sync-gitea-projects.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/sync-gitea-projects.yaml
@@ -1,16 +1,9 @@
-- hosts: "localhost:!disabled"
-  name: "sync-gitea-projects: Collect the project-config ref"
-  strategy: free
-  connection: local
-  tasks:
-    - name: Clone project-config repo
-      git:
-        repo: https://opendev.org/openstack/project-config
-        dest: /opt/project-config
-        force: yes
-
+# Note: Override the gitea_always_update rolevar to either true (update all) or
+# a list of specific projects if you want metadata applied for these, otherwise
+# the default (false) does not set any project metadata. We intentionally leave
+# it unset here so that we can test it in the system-config-run-gitea job after
+# renaming a project, or to be able to set it from the command line.
 - hosts: "gitea:!disabled"
   name: "Create repos on gitea servers"
   roles:
     - role: gitea-git-repos
-      gitea_always_update: true
diff --git a/playbooks/test-gitea.yaml b/playbooks/test-gitea.yaml
index 990794d16d..d47b9fe534 100644
--- a/playbooks/test-gitea.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/test-gitea.yaml
@@ -31,6 +31,33 @@
   vars:
     repolist: /home/zuul/src/opendev.org/opendev/system-config/playbooks/zuul/test_gitea_renames.yaml
 
+- hosts: "bridge.openstack.org:!disabled"
+  tasks:
+    - name: Update DIB project name in projects.yaml and switch to SB
+      lineinfile:
+        path: "{{ project_config_src }}/gerrit/projects.yaml"
+        regexp: "^- project: openstack/diskimage-builder"
+        line: "- project: opendev/disk-image-builder\n  use-storyboard: true"
+
+- name: Run filtered sync playbook
+  import_playbook: sync-gitea-projects.yaml
+  vars:
+    gitea_always_update: ["opendev/disk-image-builder"]
+
+- hosts: "gitea"
+  tasks:
+    - name: Test opendev/disk-image-builder exists in gitea
+      uri:
+        url: "https://localhost:3000/opendev/disk-image-builder"
+        validate_certs: false
+        status_code: 200
+        return_content: yes
+      register: dib_content
+    - name: Assert DIB issues URL was updated
+      fail:
+        msg: DIB issues URL was not updated
+      when: '"https://storyboard.openstack.org/#!/project/opendev/disk-image-builder" not in dib_content.content'
+
 # This is conveniently left here so that it can be uncommented in order to
 # autohold the system-config-run-gitea job in zuul.
 #- hosts: bridge.openstack.org