diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 298a5e804ba6937fdc0fed52ab6cd8c5ac03cece..660a8e538466b69527481ed94e1f656186ea97ac 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -276,8 +276,8 @@ validate-x86_64-linux-deb8:
   cache:
     key: linux-x86_64-deb8
   variables:
-      # Disable sphinx PDF output as our Debian image doesn't have the requisite packages
-    - BUILD_SPHINX_PDF: "NO"
+    # Disable sphinx PDF output as our Debian image doesn't have the requisite packages
+    BUILD_SPHINX_PDF: "NO"
   artifacts:
     when: always
     expire_in: 2 week