diff --git a/config/templates/gitlab-cookbooks/dna.json.erb b/config/templates/gitlab-cookbooks/dna.json.erb
index 42c815dee8fdc5837e8a0eb4f1d471a18c7cd070_Y29uZmlnL3RlbXBsYXRlcy9naXRsYWItY29va2Jvb2tzL2RuYS5qc29uLmVyYg==..495de44fca4f700f900cf8e7aef32fd57a4fe8d0_Y29uZmlnL3RlbXBsYXRlcy9naXRsYWItY29va2Jvb2tzL2RuYS5qc29uLmVyYg== 100644
--- a/config/templates/gitlab-cookbooks/dna.json.erb
+++ b/config/templates/gitlab-cookbooks/dna.json.erb
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 {
-  "run_list": [ "recipe[<%= master_cookbook %>]" ]
+  "run_list": [ "recipe[<%= master_cookbook %>]" ],
+  "package": {
+    "public_attributes": true
+  }
 }
diff --git a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/attributes/default.rb b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/attributes/default.rb
index 42c815dee8fdc5837e8a0eb4f1d471a18c7cd070_ZmlsZXMvZ2l0bGFiLWNvb2tib29rcy9wYWNrYWdlL2F0dHJpYnV0ZXMvZGVmYXVsdC5yYg==..495de44fca4f700f900cf8e7aef32fd57a4fe8d0_ZmlsZXMvZ2l0bGFiLWNvb2tib29rcy9wYWNrYWdlL2F0dHJpYnV0ZXMvZGVmYXVsdC5yYg== 100644
--- a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/attributes/default.rb
+++ b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/attributes/default.rb
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@
 default['package']['systemd_wanted_by'] = 'multi-user.target'
 default['package']['systemd_after'] = 'multi-user.target'
 
+# We only want to generate the public attributes file on specific calls to Chef.
+# Normally, you will not want to change this
+default['package']['public_attributes'] = false
+
 # Setting runit defaults here so that they can be made available automatically
 # to cookbooks of individual services via depends in metadata.rb
 default['runit']['sv_bin'] = '/opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/sv'
diff --git a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/libraries/handlers/gitlab.rb b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/libraries/handlers/gitlab.rb
index 42c815dee8fdc5837e8a0eb4f1d471a18c7cd070_ZmlsZXMvZ2l0bGFiLWNvb2tib29rcy9wYWNrYWdlL2xpYnJhcmllcy9oYW5kbGVycy9naXRsYWIucmI=..495de44fca4f700f900cf8e7aef32fd57a4fe8d0_ZmlsZXMvZ2l0bGFiLWNvb2tib29rcy9wYWNrYWdlL2xpYnJhcmllcy9oYW5kbGVycy9naXRsYWIucmI= 100644
--- a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/libraries/handlers/gitlab.rb
+++ b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/package/libraries/handlers/gitlab.rb
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
   class Attributes < Chef::Handler
     # Generate a JSON file of attributes which non-root users need access to
     def report
+      return unless node['package']['public_attributes']
+
       data = {}
       BaseHelper.descendants.each do |klass|
         k = klass.send(:new, node)