diff --git a/module_utils/kafka_lib_commons.py b/module_utils/kafka_lib_commons.py
index b321c19c..b9879f3e 100644
--- a/module_utils/kafka_lib_commons.py
+++ b/module_utils/kafka_lib_commons.py
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@
         default='PLAINTEXT'
     ),
 
-    api_version=dict(type='str', required=True, default=None),
+    api_version=dict(type='str', default=None),
 
     ssl_check_hostname=dict(
         default=True,
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ def get_manager_from_params(params):
 
     api_version = tuple(
         int(p) for p in params['api_version'].strip(".").split(".")
-    )
+    ) if params.get('api_version') else None
 
     kafka_ssl_files = generate_ssl_object(
         ssl_cafile, ssl_certfile, ssl_keyfile, ssl_crlfile
diff --git a/molecule/default/tests/ansible_utils.py b/molecule/default/tests/ansible_utils.py
index 65f1f96d..a34fd3b6 100644
--- a/molecule/default/tests/ansible_utils.py
+++ b/molecule/default/tests/ansible_utils.py
@@ -125,9 +125,7 @@ def call_kafka_stat_lag(
     else:
         envs = env_no_sasl
     for env in envs:
-        protocol_version = env['protocol_version']
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
         module_args.update(args)
@@ -149,9 +147,7 @@ def call_kafka_info(
     else:
         envs = env_no_sasl
     for env in envs:
-        protocol_version = env['protocol_version']
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
         module_args.update(args)
@@ -174,10 +170,7 @@ def call_kafka_lib(
     else:
         envs = env_no_sasl
     for env in envs:
-        protocol_version = env['protocol_version']
-
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'zookeeper': env['zk_addr'],
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
@@ -201,10 +194,7 @@ def call_kafka_topic_with_zk(
     else:
         envs = env_no_sasl
     for env in envs:
-        protocol_version = env['protocol_version']
-
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'zookeeper': env['zk_addr'],
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
@@ -235,7 +225,6 @@ def call_kafka_topic(
             continue
 
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
         module_args.update(args)
@@ -265,7 +254,6 @@ def call_kafka_topics(
             continue
 
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
         module_args.update(args)
@@ -295,7 +283,6 @@ def call_kafka_quotas(
             continue
 
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'zookeeper': env['zk_addr'],
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
@@ -319,10 +306,7 @@ def call_kafka_acl(
     else:
         envs = env_no_sasl
     for env in envs:
-        protocol_version = env['protocol_version']
-
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
         module_args.update(args)
@@ -345,10 +329,7 @@ def call_kafka_acls(
     else:
         envs = env_no_sasl
     for env in envs:
-        protocol_version = env['protocol_version']
-
         module_args = {
-            'api_version': protocol_version,
             'bootstrap_servers': env['kfk_addr'],
         }
         module_args.update(args)