diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index 6cbf3b1d57635a23f379a1466b2d9d566a8bcb1c..655109bd1b868a7c4cd955817b3a16a5deb1f50c 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ gitlab_external_postgres_on_cluster: false
 gitlab_use_borgbackup: false
 
 gitlab_enable_plantuml: false
+gitlab_enable_offline_registry_cleanup: true # needs to be disabled if using registry-metadata-database
 
 postgresql_apt_key_id: "ACCC4CF8"
 postgresql_apt_key_url: "https://www.postgresql.org/media/keys/ACCC4CF8.asc"
diff --git a/meta/.galaxy_install_info b/meta/.galaxy_install_info
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ac6e4a5bac18ff6172c97b0462d4802fe6fdbc97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta/.galaxy_install_info
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+install_date: Thu 06 Jun 2024 10:53:43
+version: v2.5.0
diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index 54d11f8f401b0b9cb23e5d909ebb90f6976379b9..97bfbfcb7fd2c472350fc369ba74e5026be6bda7 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,18 @@
     postgres_on_cluster: "{{ gitlab_external_postgres_on_cluster }}"
   when: gitlab_external_postgres
 
+- name: Create registry user and db on server
+  ansible.builtin.include_role:
+    name: postgresql_client
+  vars:
+    db_user:
+      name: "{{ gitlab_pgdb_registry_user }}"
+      password: "{{ gitlab_pgdb_registry_pass }}"
+    db_host: "{{ gitlab_pgdb_registry_host }}"
+    db_extensions: ["pg_trgm"]
+    postgres_on_cluster: "{{ gitlab_external_postgres_on_cluster }}"
+  when: gitlab_external_postgres
+
 - name: Check if GitLab configuration file already exists
   ansible.builtin.stat:
     path: /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb
@@ -156,6 +168,7 @@
     dest: "/etc/systemd/system/"
     mode: '0644'
   with_fileglob: "gitlab_registry_cleanup.*"
+  when: gitlab_enable_offline_registry_cleanup
 
 - name: Enable registry cleanup timer
   ansible.builtin.systemd:
@@ -163,6 +176,7 @@
     enabled: true
     state: started
     daemon-reload: true
+  when: gitlab_enable_offline_registry_cleanup
 
 - name: Install PlantUML
   ansible.builtin.import_tasks: plantuml.yml