diff --git a/ansible_mitogen/connection.py b/ansible_mitogen/connection.py
index a3f66eacc..d5628889b 100644
--- a/ansible_mitogen/connection.py
+++ b/ansible_mitogen/connection.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 import ansible.constants as C
 import ansible.errors
 import ansible.plugins.connection
+from ansible.plugins.action.normal import ActionModule
 
 import mitogen.core
 
@@ -585,7 +586,7 @@ def _get_task_vars(self):
             if f.f_code.co_name == 'run':
                 f_locals = f.f_locals
                 f_self = f_locals.get('self')
-                if isinstance(f_self, ansible_mitogen.mixins.ActionModuleMixin):
+                if isinstance(f_self, ansible_mitogen.mixins.ActionModuleMixin) or (self._play_context.connection == 'httpapi' and isinstance(f_self, ActionModule)):
                     # backref for python interpreter discovery, should be safe because _get_task_vars
                     # is always called before running interpreter discovery
                     self._action = f_self
diff --git a/ansible_mitogen/plugins/connection/mitogen_ssh.py b/ansible_mitogen/plugins/connection/mitogen_ssh.py
index 75f2d42fb..d977b6fd8 100644
--- a/ansible_mitogen/plugins/connection/mitogen_ssh.py
+++ b/ansible_mitogen/plugins/connection/mitogen_ssh.py
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@
 
 class Connection(ansible_mitogen.connection.Connection):
     transport = 'ssh'
-    vanilla_class = ansible_mitogen.loaders.connection_loader__get(
+    (vanilla_class, _) = ansible_mitogen.loaders.connection_loader__get(
         'ssh',
         class_only=True,
     )