diff --git a/broker/hosts.py b/broker/hosts.py
index 93a9f7c2..bdaf3ecf 100644
--- a/broker/hosts.py
+++ b/broker/hosts.py
@@ -16,7 +16,12 @@ def __init__(self, hostname=None, name=None, from_dict=False, **kwargs):
         else:
             self.hostname = hostname or kwargs.get("ip", None)
             if not self.hostname:
-                raise HostError("Host must be constructed with a hostname or ip")
+                # check to see if we're being reconstructued, likely for checkin
+                import inspect
+                if any(f.function == "reconstruct_host" for f in inspect.stack()):
+                    logger.debug("Ignoring missing hostname and ip for checkin reconstruction.")
+                else:
+                    raise HostError("Host must be constructed with a hostname or ip")
             self.name = name
         self.username = kwargs.get("username", settings.HOST_USERNAME)
         self.password = kwargs.get("password", settings.HOST_PASSWORD)
diff --git a/broker/providers/__init__.py b/broker/providers/__init__.py
index 604526d4..fe91e616 100644
--- a/broker/providers/__init__.py
+++ b/broker/providers/__init__.py
@@ -89,8 +89,9 @@ def _validate_settings(self, instance_name=None):
             if not inst_vals.get("override_envars"):
                 # if a provider instance doesn't want to override envars, load them
                 settings.execute_loaders(loaders=[dynaconf.loaders.env_loader])
-
-        settings.validators.extend([v for v in self._validators if v not in settings.validators])
+        new_validators = [v for v in self._validators if v not in settings.validators]
+        logger.debug(f"Adding new validators: {[v.names[0] for v in new_validators]}")
+        settings.validators.extend(new_validators)
         # use selective validation to only validate the instance settings
         try:
             settings.validators.validate(only=section_name)
diff --git a/broker/providers/ansible_tower.py b/broker/providers/ansible_tower.py
index c71f4343..250173cd 100644
--- a/broker/providers/ansible_tower.py
+++ b/broker/providers/ansible_tower.py
@@ -205,20 +205,31 @@ def _translate_inventory(self, inventory):
                     provider="AnsibleTower",
                     message=f"Unknown AnsibleTower inventory by id {inventory}",
                 )
-        if inventory_info := self.v2.inventory.get(search=inventory):
-            if inventory_info.count > 1:
-                raise exceptions.ProviderError(
-                    provider="AnsibleTower",
-                    message=f"Ambigious AnsibleTower inventory name {inventory}",
-                )
-            elif inventory_info.count == 1:
-                inv_struct = inventory_info.results.pop()
-                return inv_struct.id
-            else:
-                raise exceptions.ProviderError(
-                    provider="AnsibleTower",
-                    message=f"Unknown AnsibleTower inventory {inventory}",
-                )
+        elif isinstance(inventory, str):
+            if inventory_info := self.v2.inventory.get(search=inventory):
+                if inventory_info.count > 1:
+                    raise exceptions.ProviderError(
+                        provider="AnsibleTower",
+                        message=f"Ambigious AnsibleTower inventory name {inventory}",
+                    )
+                elif inventory_info.count == 1:
+                    inv_struct = inventory_info.results.pop()
+                    return inv_struct.id
+                else:
+                    raise exceptions.ProviderError(
+                        provider="AnsibleTower",
+                        message=f"Unknown AnsibleTower inventory {inventory}",
+                    )
+        elif inv_id := getattr(inventory, "id", None):
+            return inv_id
+        elif inv_name := getattr(inventory, "name", None):
+            return inv_name
+        else:
+            caller_context = inspect.stack()[1][0].f_locals
+            raise exceptions.ProviderError(
+                provider="AnsibleTower",
+                message=f"Ambiguous AnsibleTower inventory {inventory} passed from {caller_context}",
+            )
 
     def _merge_artifacts(self, at_object, strategy="last", artifacts=None):
         """Gather and merge all artifacts associated with an object and its children
@@ -549,7 +560,9 @@ def get_inventory(self, user=None):
         for inv in invs:
             inv_hosts = inv.get_related("hosts", page_size=200).results
             hosts.extend(inv_hosts)
-        return [self._compile_host_info(host) for host in hosts]
+        with click.progressbar(hosts, label='Compiling host information') as hosts_bar:
+            compiled_host_info = [self._compile_host_info(host) for host in hosts_bar]
+        return compiled_host_info
 
     def extend(self, target_vm, new_expire_time=None):
         """Run the extend workflow with defaults args
diff --git a/broker/providers/container.py b/broker/providers/container.py
index 8a4790f7..0471390f 100644
--- a/broker/providers/container.py
+++ b/broker/providers/container.py
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ def construct_host(self, provider_params, host_classes, **kwargs):
 
     def nick_help(self, **kwargs):
         """Useful information about container images"""
-        results_limit = kwargs.get("results_limit", settings.CONTAINER.results_limit)
+        results_limit = kwargs.get("results_limit", settings.container.results_limit)
         if image := kwargs.get("container_host"):
             logger.info(
                 f"Information for {image} container-host:\n"