diff --git a/roles/config_drive/tasks/main.yml b/roles/config_drive/tasks/main.yml
index 692391b2f5..1651c7a2a8 100644
--- a/roles/config_drive/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/config_drive/tasks/main.yml
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@
 
 - name: Generate user-data
   register: _user_data_change
+  when:
+    - cifmw_config_drive_userdata is defined
+    - cifmw_config_drive_userdata | length > 0
   ansible.builtin.template:
     src: "user-data.j2"
     dest: "{{ cifmw_config_drive_instancedir }}/user-data"
@@ -57,8 +60,8 @@
 - name: Generate network-data
   register: _net_data_change
   when:
-    - "cifmw_config_drive_networkconfig is defined"
-    - "cifmw_config_drive_networkconfig is not none"
+    - cifmw_config_drive_networkconfig is defined
+    - cifmw_config_drive_networkconfig | length > 0
   ansible.builtin.template:
     src: "network-config.j2"
     dest: "{{ cifmw_config_drive_instancedir }}/network-config"
@@ -95,6 +98,6 @@
       -joliet
       -rock user-data meta-data
       {% if cifmw_config_drive_networkconfig is defined and
-            cifmw_config_drive_networkconfig is not none -%}
+            cifmw_config_drive_networkconfig | length > 0 -%}
        network-config
       {%- endif -%}
diff --git a/roles/config_drive/templates/user-data.j2 b/roles/config_drive/templates/user-data.j2
index a50c3d6033..cbe9a15795 100644
--- a/roles/config_drive/templates/user-data.j2
+++ b/roles/config_drive/templates/user-data.j2
@@ -1,4 +1,2 @@
 #cloud-config
-{% if cifmw_config_drive_userdata is defined and cifmw_config_drive_userdata is not none -%}
 {{ cifmw_config_drive_userdata | to_nice_yaml(indent=2) }}
-{% endif %}