diff --git a/ansible/validate.yml b/ansible/validate.yml
index 9a8aac641..33412756c 100644
--- a/ansible/validate.yml
+++ b/ansible/validate.yml
@@ -64,14 +64,6 @@
     - import_role:
         name: stackhpc.openhpc
         tasks_from: validate.yml
-    - assert:
-        that: "'enable_configless' in openhpc_config.SlurmctldParameters | default([])"
-        fail_msg: |
-          'enable_configless' not found in openhpc_config.SlurmctldParameters - is variable openhpc_config overridden?
-          Additional slurm.conf parameters should be provided using variable openhpc_config_extra.
-        success_msg: Checked Slurm will be configured for configless operation
-      delegate_to: localhost
-      run_once: true
 
 - name: Validate filebeat configuration
   hosts: filebeat
diff --git a/environments/common/inventory/group_vars/all/openhpc.yml b/environments/common/inventory/group_vars/all/openhpc.yml
index e4b3df670..d3af25bac 100644
--- a/environments/common/inventory/group_vars/all/openhpc.yml
+++ b/environments/common/inventory/group_vars/all/openhpc.yml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ openhpc_packages_default:
   - podman-compose
 openhpc_packages_extra: []
 openhpc_packages: "{{ (openhpc_packages_default + openhpc_packages_extra) | select | list }}"
-openhpc_munge_key: "{{ vault_openhpc_mungekey | b64decode }}"
+openhpc_munge_key_b64: "{{ vault_openhpc_mungekey }}"
 openhpc_login_only_nodes: login
 openhpc_state_save_location: "{{ appliances_state_dir + '/slurmctld' if appliances_state_dir is defined else '/var/spool' }}"
 
@@ -53,8 +53,6 @@ openhpc_config_extra: {}
 
 # default additional slurm.conf parameters for the appliance:
 openhpc_config_default:
-  SlurmctldParameters:
-    - enable_configless
   TaskPlugin: task/cgroup,task/affinity
   ReturnToService: 2 # workaround for templating bug TODO: Remove once on stackhpc.openhpc v1.2.0
   TopologyPlugin: "topology/{{ 'tree' if (topology_nodes | length) > 0 else 'flat' }}"
diff --git a/requirements.yml b/requirements.yml
index 5e2493bad..8850c1615 100644
--- a/requirements.yml
+++ b/requirements.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ roles:
     version: v25.3.2
     name: stackhpc.nfs
   - src: https://github.com/stackhpc/ansible-role-openhpc.git
-    version: v1.2.0
+    version: v1.3.0
     name: stackhpc.openhpc
   - src: https://github.com/stackhpc/ansible-node-exporter.git
     version: stackhpc