diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/cfn-init.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/cfn-init.ts
index 78b3345743347..9183ae15100cc 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/cfn-init.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/cfn-init.ts
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ export class CloudFormationInit {
       resourceLocator = `${resourceLocator} --url https://cloudformation.${Aws.REGION}.${Aws.URL_SUFFIX}`;
     }
     if (attachOptions.includeRole) {
-      resourceLocator = `${resourceLocator} --role ${attachOptions.instanceRole}`;
+      resourceLocator = `${resourceLocator} --role ${attachOptions.instanceRole.roleName}`;
     }
     const configSets = (attachOptions.configSets ?? ['default']).join(',');
     const printLog = attachOptions.printLog ?? true;
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/test/cfn-init.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/test/cfn-init.test.ts
index e2539b71ac223..9b2cde4b678bb 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/test/cfn-init.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/test/cfn-init.test.ts
@@ -168,13 +168,13 @@ describe('userdata', () => {
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--region ${Aws.REGION}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--stack ${Aws.STACK_NAME}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--resource ${resource.logicalId}`));
-    expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--role ${instanceRole}`));
+    expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--role ${instanceRole.roleName}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--url https://cloudformation.${Aws.REGION}.${Aws.URL_SUFFIX}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', '-c default'));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-signal', `--region ${Aws.REGION}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-signal', `--stack ${Aws.STACK_NAME}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-signal', `--resource ${resource.logicalId}`));
-    expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--role ${instanceRole}`));
+    expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--role ${instanceRole.roleName}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-init', `--url https://cloudformation.${Aws.REGION}.${Aws.URL_SUFFIX}`));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cfn-signal', '-e $?'));
     expectLine(lines, cmdArg('cat', 'cfn-init.log'));