diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index cf32634..f7cee71 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Validate vault files are encrypted
         run: |
           echo "Checking for Ansible Vault files..."
-          vault_files=$(find . -name "*vault*.yml" -o -name "*vault*.yaml" | grep -v ".git" || true)
+          vault_files=$(find . -name "*vault*.yml" -o -name "*vault*.yaml" | grep -v ".git" | grep -v ".example" || true)
           if [ -z "$vault_files" ]; then
             echo "No vault files found"
             exit 0