diff --git a/playbooks/roles/vhosts/gpu-k8s/tasks/install_cluster.yml b/playbooks/roles/vhosts/gpu-k8s/tasks/install_cluster.yml
index d1008a9..3820413 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/vhosts/gpu-k8s/tasks/install_cluster.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/vhosts/gpu-k8s/tasks/install_cluster.yml
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@
   when: inventory_hostname == (ops_host | default(masters | default(master_ips) | first))
 
 - name: Verify passwordless SSH access to all cluster nodes
-  shell: ssh -o BatchMode=yes -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no root@{{ item }} hostname
+  shell: >-
+    ssh -o BatchMode=yes -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no \
+    {{ ansible_ssh_user | default(ansible_user, true) | default('root') }}@{{ item }} hostname
   loop: "{{ master_ips + node_ips }}"
   delegate_to: "{{ ops_host | default(masters | default(master_ips) | first) }}"
   become: false