diff --git a/ansible/playbooks/tasks/openqa.yml b/ansible/playbooks/tasks/openqa.yml
index 791fa35..8fc48e7 100644
--- a/ansible/playbooks/tasks/openqa.yml
+++ b/ansible/playbooks/tasks/openqa.yml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 
 - name: Check for non-empty postgres data directory
   stat:
-    path: /var/lib/pgsql/data
+    path: /var/lib/pgsql/data/base
   register: postgres_data_dir
 
 - name: If postgresql is not already running, initialize database
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
     permanent: true
     state: enabled
   loop:
-    - httpd
+    - http
     - openqa-vnc
 
 - name: Permit VNC traffic for local workers
@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@
     group: "{{ openqa_group }}"
     mode: "0775"
 
+# fifloader.py will fail if the Demo user is not logged in
+- name: Authenticate to web UI the first time
+  uri:
+    url: "http://{{ openqa_host }}/login"
+
 - name: Run fifloader.py
   command: ./fifloader.py -l -c templates.fif.json templates-updates.fif.json
   changed_when: "1 != 1"
@@ -136,11 +141,14 @@
   args:
     chdir: "{{ openqa_homedir }}/share/factory/iso/fixed"
 
-- name: Start OpenQA worker
+- name: Start {{ openqa_worker_count }} OpenQA workers
   ansible.builtin.systemd:
-    name: "openqa-worker@1"
+    name: "openqa-worker@{{ item }}"
     state: started
     enabled: true
+  # range 'end' parameter is exclusive, so add 1
+  loop: "{{ range(1, (openqa_worker_count|int + 1)) | list }}"
+  tags: start_workers
 
 - name: POST a job
   command: |