diff --git a/playbook.yml b/playbook.yml
index 2f39670..0b4b4f7 100644
--- a/playbook.yml
+++ b/playbook.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 - hosts: 127.0.0.1
   connection: local
   vars:
-    bundle: /opt/greenlight/.gem/ruby/2.5.0/bin/bundle
+    ruby_version: 2.7.0
+    gem: gem2.7
+    bundle: "/opt/greenlight/.gem/ruby/{{ ruby_version }}/bin/bundle"
   tasks:
     - name: add PPA for bigbluebutton support packages
       apt_repository:
@@ -25,7 +27,7 @@
         url: https://deb.nodesource.com/gpgkey/nodesource.gpg.key
     - name: add repo for Nodesource
       apt_repository:
-        repo: deb https://deb.nodesource.com/node_8.x xenial main
+        repo: deb https://deb.nodesource.com/node_14.x xenial main
         filename: nodesource
     - name: add GPG key for bigbluebutton
       apt_key:
@@ -66,7 +68,7 @@
         state: latest
     - name: install nodejs
       apt:
-        # consider apt pinning this to version 8
+        # consider apt pinning this
         name: nodejs
         state: latest
     - name: install bigbluebutton
@@ -77,10 +79,6 @@
       apt:
         name: bbb-html5
         state: latest
-    - name: install ruby2.5
-      apt:
-        name: ruby2.5
-        state: latest
     - name: install greenlight
       apt:
         name: greenlight
@@ -210,7 +208,7 @@
     - name: install bundler for greenlight
       become: yes
       become_user: greenlight
-      command: gem install --user-install bundler
+      command: '{{ gem }} install --user-install bundler'
       args:
         creates: '{{ bundle }}'
     - name: configure NGINX to route to Greenlight
@@ -223,6 +221,11 @@
       shell: '{{ bundle }} exec rake secret | tee /opt/greenlight/rake_secret'
       args:
         creates: /opt/greenlight/rake_secret
+      register: rake_secret
+    - name: assert rake secret was created
+      assert:
+        that:
+          - rake_secret.stdout != ''
     - name: obtain BBB API secret
       shell: "bbb-conf --secret | grep -oP 'Secret: \\K[[:alnum:]]+'"
       register: api_secret
@@ -239,7 +242,7 @@
         regexp: '^{{ item.key }}=.*$'
         replace: '{{ item.key }}={{ item.value }}'
       with_dict:
-        SECRET_KEY_BASE: "{{ lookup('file', '/opt/greenlight/rake_secret') }}"
+        SECRET_KEY_BASE: "{{ rake_secret.stdout }}"
         BIGBLUEBUTTON_ENDPOINT: 'https://{{ ansible_fqdn }}/bigbluebutton/'
         BIGBLUEBUTTON_SECRET: '{{ api_secret.stdout }}'
         SAFE_HOSTS: '{{ ansible_fqdn }}'