diff --git a/bundles/element-web/items.py b/bundles/element-web/items.py
index 0b2e070..d006df3 100644
--- a/bundles/element-web/items.py
+++ b/bundles/element-web/items.py
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ files = {
 actions = {
     'element-web_yarn': {
         'command': ' && '.join([
+            # TODO verify this is still needed when upgrading to 1.12
+            'export NODE_OPTIONS=--openssl-legacy-provider',
             'cd /opt/element-web',
             'yarn install --pure-lockfile --ignore-scripts',
             'yarn build',