diff --git a/playbooks/roles/nodepool-launcher/defaults/main.yaml b/playbooks/roles/nodepool-launcher/defaults/main.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index bb2ef3adab..0000000000
--- a/playbooks/roles/nodepool-launcher/defaults/main.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-nodepool_launcher_start: false
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/nodepool-launcher/tasks/main.yaml b/playbooks/roles/nodepool-launcher/tasks/main.yaml
index 7f3bad1099..0de9326c31 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/nodepool-launcher/tasks/main.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/nodepool-launcher/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@
 
 - name: Start nodepool launcher
   include_tasks: start.yaml
-  when: nodepool_launcher_start | bool
 
 # We can prune here as it should leave the "latest" tagged images
 # as well as the currently running images.
diff --git a/playbooks/service-nodepool.yaml b/playbooks/service-nodepool.yaml
index 7c873387c0..81d09fd758 100644
--- a/playbooks/service-nodepool.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/service-nodepool.yaml
@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@
 
 - hosts: nodepool-launcher:!disabled
   name: "Configure nodepool launchers"
-  strategy: free
+  # The nodepool-launcher role will restart launchers if new container
+  # images are available. Run serially to ensure we don't kill the entire
+  # cluster if something is terribly wrong.
+  serial: 1
   roles:
     - iptables
     - install-docker
diff --git a/playbooks/zuul/run-base.yaml b/playbooks/zuul/run-base.yaml
index d0898c365f..41431bc010 100644
--- a/playbooks/zuul/run-base.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/zuul/run-base.yaml
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@
         - group_vars/letsencrypt.yaml
         - group_vars/meetpad.yaml
         - group_vars/jvb.yaml
-        - group_vars/nodepool-launcher.yaml
         - group_vars/refstack.yaml
         - group_vars/registry.yaml
         - group_vars/control-plane-clouds.yaml
diff --git a/playbooks/zuul/templates/group_vars/nodepool-launcher.yaml.j2 b/playbooks/zuul/templates/group_vars/nodepool-launcher.yaml.j2
deleted file mode 100644
index 893b3b4c4c..0000000000
--- a/playbooks/zuul/templates/group_vars/nodepool-launcher.yaml.j2
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-nodepool_launcher_start: true