diff --git a/linux/ec2_register.yml b/linux/ec2_register.yml
index 258c190..c5df31b 100644
--- a/linux/ec2_register.yml
+++ b/linux/ec2_register.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,12 @@
   become: yes
 
   tasks:
+  - name: check for vars
+    assert:
+      that:
+        - org_id is defined
+        - activation_key is defined
+
   - name: set hostname
     hostname:
       name: "{{ inventory_hostname | regex_replace('_','-')}}"
@@ -58,4 +64,4 @@
       insights_tags:
         env: "{{ env }}"
         purpose: demo
-        group: "{{ ansible_group }}"
\ No newline at end of file
+        group: "{{ ansible_group }}"