diff --git a/roles/upload-logs-s3/tasks/main.yaml b/roles/upload-logs-s3/tasks/main.yaml
index 385b9e2e2..61c255c7c 100644
--- a/roles/upload-logs-s3/tasks/main.yaml
+++ b/roles/upload-logs-s3/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
   block:
     # Use chmod instead of file because ansible 2.5 file with recurse and
     # follow can't really handle symlinks to .
+    - name: debug var
+      debug:
+        msg: "log_root {{ zuul.executor.log_root }}"
+
     - name: Ensure logs are readable before uploading
       delegate_to: "{{ _undocumented_test_worker_node_ | default('localhost') }}"
       command: "chmod -R u=rwX,g=rX,o=rX {{ zuul.executor.log_root }}/"
diff --git a/test-playbooks/upload-logs-s3.yaml b/test-playbooks/upload-logs-s3.yaml
index c99859e71..8fd70adbd 100644
--- a/test-playbooks/upload-logs-s3.yaml
+++ b/test-playbooks/upload-logs-s3.yaml
@@ -30,9 +30,14 @@
         aws_access_key: "{{ zuul_log_aws_access_key }}"
         aws_secret_key: "{{ zuul_log_aws_secret_key }}"
 
-    - name: Create tempdir to upload to s3
-      tempfile:
+    - name: Create Logdir
+      become: true
+      file:
         state: directory
+        path: "{{ zuul.executor.log_root }}"
+        mode: "0755"
+        group: "zuul"
+        owner: "zuul"
       register: fake_zuul_logdir
 
     - name: Add content to tempfile
@@ -40,19 +45,11 @@
         content: "{{ test_content }}"
         dest: "{{ fake_zuul_logdir.path }}/testfile"
 
-    - name: Save zuul variables
-      set_fact:
-        old_zuul: "{{ zuul }}"
-    - name: Set simulated zuul variables
-      set_fact:
-        new_zuul: "{{ old_zuul | combine({'executor': {'log_root': fake_zuul_logdir.path}}, recursive=True) }}"
-
     - name: Upload file to s3
       include_role:
         name: upload-logs-s3
       vars:
         upload_logs_s3_endpoint: 'http://localhost:9000'
-        zuul: "{{ new_zuul }}"
 
     - name: Download mc
       get_url: