diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index da5216b2..ec3e0278 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -31,8 +31,18 @@
   with_items: "{{ tempest_services }}"
   when: tempest_services | length > 0
 
-- name: Gather variables for installation method
-  include_vars: "{{ tempest_install_method }}_install.yml"
+  # NOTE(jrosser) we use source installs for temepest and it's plugins on ubuntu distro installs
+- name: Gather variables for source installs
+  include_vars: source_install.yml
+  when:
+    - ((tempest_install_method == 'source') or (tempest_install_method == 'distro' and ansible_distribution == 'Ubuntu'))
+  tags:
+    - always
+
+- name: Gather variables for distro installs
+  include_vars: distro_install.yml
+  when:
+    - tempest_install_method == 'distro'
   tags:
     - always
 
diff --git a/tasks/tempest_install.yml b/tasks/tempest_install.yml
index 5500e1e7..d3ce7f34 100644
--- a/tasks/tempest_install.yml
+++ b/tasks/tempest_install.yml
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 # in defaults as in case of non-integrated tests meta handlers from other roles might fail.
 - name: Install Tempest packages from PIP
   import_tasks: tempest_install_source.yml
-  when: (tempest_install_method | default('source')) == 'source' or (tempest_plugin_install_source | default(False))
+  when: (tempest_install_method | default('source')) == 'source' or (tempest_install_method == 'distro' and ansible_distribution == 'Ubuntu')
 
 - name: Install stackviz on venv
   import_role:
diff --git a/tasks/tempest_install_source.yml b/tasks/tempest_install_source.yml
index e122da65..d830ff47 100644
--- a/tasks/tempest_install_source.yml
+++ b/tasks/tempest_install_source.yml
@@ -13,9 +13,6 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-# Note(noonedeadpunk) When tempest_plugin_install_source is true, we do not
-# want pip packages to be installed inside venv, since tempest itself is
-# installed via system packages so that plugins will be visible for tempest.
 - name: Install the python venv
   import_role:
     name: "python_venv_build"
@@ -29,7 +26,6 @@
       - section: "tempest"
         option: "venv_tag"
         value: "{{ tempest_venv_tag }}"
-  when: tempest_install_method | default('source') == 'source'
 
 - name: Get tempest plugins from git
   git:
@@ -48,9 +44,7 @@
   pip:
     name: "/opt/{{ item.name|replace('-', '_') }}_{{ item.branch|replace('/', '_') }}"
     state: "{{ tempest_pip_package_state }}"
-    virtualenv: "{{ tempest_plugin_install_source | ternary(omit, tempest_venv_bin | dirname) }}"
-    executable: "{{ tempest_plugin_install_source | ternary(tempest_install_pip_executable, omit) }}"
-    virtualenv_site_packages: "{{ tempest_plugin_install_source | ternary(omit, 'no') }}"
+    virtualenv: "{{ tempest_venv_bin | dirname }}"
     extra_args: >-
       {{ tempest_pip_install_args }}
       --constraint {{ tempest_upper_constraints_url }}
@@ -66,9 +60,7 @@
   pip:
     name: "{{ item.package }}"
     state: "{{ tempest_pip_package_state }}"
-    virtualenv: "{{ tempest_plugin_install_source | ternary(omit, tempest_venv_bin | dirname) }}"
-    executable: "{{ tempest_plugin_install_source | ternary(tempest_install_pip_executable, omit) }}"
-    virtualenv_site_packages: "{{ tempest_plugin_install_source | ternary(omit, 'no') }}"
+    virtualenv: "{{ tempest_venv_bin | dirname }}"
     extra_args: >-
       {{ tempest_pip_install_args }}
       --constraint {{ tempest_upper_constraints_url }}
diff --git a/vars/main.yml b/vars/main.yml
index 581f9402..991d580d 100644
--- a/vars/main.yml
+++ b/vars/main.yml
@@ -43,14 +43,6 @@ tempest_images_map:
       properties:
         hw_firmware_type: uefi
 
-# Note(noonedeadpunk):
-# Ubuntu does not publish tempest plugin packages. They do
-# all their testing using the source-based installation of
-# tempest.
-# For mixed setup we are using source install tasks, except
-# that we're deploying pip packages without venv.
-tempest_plugin_install_source: "{{ ((tempest_install_method == 'distro') and (ansible_os_family | lower == 'debian')) | bool }}"
-
 # Each tempest plugin could take the following arguments:
 # - name:
 #   repo:                      # when installing from a repo
@@ -68,7 +60,7 @@ _tempest_plugins:
     - name: cinder-tempest-plugin
       repo: https://opendev.org/openstack/cinder-tempest-plugin
       branch: master
-      install: "{{ tempest_service_available_cinder | bool and not tempest_plugin_install_source }}"
+      install: "{{ tempest_service_available_cinder | bool }}"
   cloudkitty:
     - name: cloudkitty-tempest-plugin
       repo: https://opendev.org/openstack/cloudkitty-tempest-plugin
@@ -88,7 +80,7 @@ _tempest_plugins:
     - name: heat-tempest-plugin
       repo: https://opendev.org/openstack/heat-tempest-plugin
       branch: master
-      install: "{{ tempest_service_available_heat | bool and not tempest_plugin_install_source }}"
+      install: "{{ tempest_service_available_heat | bool }}"
   ironic:
     - name: ironic-tempest-plugin
       repo: https://opendev.org/openstack/ironic-tempest-plugin
@@ -133,7 +125,7 @@ _tempest_plugins:
     - name: neutron-tempest-plugin
       repo: https://opendev.org/openstack/neutron-tempest-plugin
       branch: master
-      install: "{{ tempest_service_available_neutron | bool and not tempest_plugin_install_source  }}"
+      install: "{{ tempest_service_available_neutron | bool }}"
   novajoin:
     - name: novajoin-tempest-plugin
       repo: https://opendev.org/openstack/novajoin-tempest-plugin