diff --git a/roles/_init/tasks/main.yml b/roles/_init/tasks/main.yml
index 58383882..f63bf4a7 100644
--- a/roles/_init/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/_init/tasks/main.yml
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@
     # @TODO: This can be removed later
     - name: Catching usage of the old 'deploy_code.keep' variable.
       ansible.builtin.set_fact:
-        keep_builds: "{{ deploy_code.keep }}"  # this will only ever exist in project variables
+        keep_builds: "{{ deploy_code.keep|int }}"  # this will only ever exist in project variables
       when: deploy_code.keep is defined
     - name: Deprecation warning for 'deploy_code.keep' variable.
       ansible.builtin.debug: