diff --git a/update-gitops-status.sh b/update-gitops-status.sh
index 6d8d0a7..5daf927 100644
--- a/update-gitops-status.sh
+++ b/update-gitops-status.sh
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ SERVER_NAME="${SERVER_NAME:-rsyslog-lab}"
 INVENTORY_FILE="ansible/inventory/hosts.yml"
 PLAYBOOK="ansible/playbooks/drift-check.yml"
 MODE="${MODE:-drift-check}"  # drift-check or post-deploy
+PLAYBOOK_LOG=""  # Initialize to avoid unbound variable error
 
 echo "═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════"
 echo "  GitOps Status Update"