diff --git a/tools/playbooks/dsvm/pre.yaml b/tools/playbooks/dsvm/pre.yaml
index 23c6ec2d2d..0c7efcb66e 100644
--- a/tools/playbooks/dsvm/pre.yaml
+++ b/tools/playbooks/dsvm/pre.yaml
@@ -6,7 +6,13 @@
       bindep_profile: test
       bindep_dir: "{{ zuul_work_dir }}"
     - test-setup
-    - ensure-tox
+    # NOTE(gmann): Pinning tox<4.0.0 for stable/zed and lower. Tox 4.0.0
+    # released after zed was released and has some incompatible changes
+    # and it is ok not to fix the issues caused by tox 4.0.0 in stable
+    # beanches jobs. We can continue testing the stable/zed and lower
+    # branches with tox<4.0.0
+    - role: ensure-tox
+      ensure_tox_version: "<4"
     - additional-tempauth-users
     - additional-keystone-users
     - dsvm-additional-middlewares
diff --git a/tools/playbooks/multinode_setup/pre.yaml b/tools/playbooks/multinode_setup/pre.yaml
index d7e4670a80..68d5254251 100644
--- a/tools/playbooks/multinode_setup/pre.yaml
+++ b/tools/playbooks/multinode_setup/pre.yaml
@@ -5,4 +5,10 @@
       bindep_profile: test
       bindep_dir: "{{ zuul_work_dir }}"
     - test-setup
-    - ensure-tox
+    # NOTE(gmann): Pinning tox<4.0.0 for stable/zed and lower. Tox 4.0.0
+    # released after zed was released and has some incompatible changes
+    # and it is ok not to fix the issues caused by tox 4.0.0 in stable
+    # beanches jobs. We can continue testing the stable/zed and lower
+    # branches with tox<4.0.0
+    - role: ensure-tox
+      ensure_tox_version: "<4"