diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/master/manifests.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/master/manifests.go
index 912129b3a81..7e290685109 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/master/manifests.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/master/manifests.go
@@ -355,7 +355,9 @@ func getAPIServerCommand(cfg *kubeadmapi.MasterConfiguration, selfHosted bool, k
 		defaultArguments["proxy-client-cert-file"] = filepath.Join(cfg.CertificatesDir, kubeadmconstants.FrontProxyClientCertName)
 		defaultArguments["proxy-client-key-file"] = filepath.Join(cfg.CertificatesDir, kubeadmconstants.FrontProxyClientKeyName)
 	}
-	if k8sVersion.AtLeast(kubeadmconstants.MinimumNodeAuthorizerVersion) {
+	// TODO: That we have to exclude v1.8.0-alpha.0 here is based on the way kubernetes branches work
+	// v1.7.0-beta.0 == v1.8.0.alpha.0 but they are sorted/compared differently
+	if k8sVersion.AtLeast(kubeadmconstants.MinimumNodeAuthorizerVersion) && cfg.KubernetesVersion != "v1.8.0-alpha.0" {
 		// enable the NodeRestriction admission plugin
 		defaultArguments["admission-control"] = defaultv17AdmissionControl
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/apiconfig/clusterroles.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/apiconfig/clusterroles.go
index 37181df5a69..848d87cac85 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/apiconfig/clusterroles.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/phases/apiconfig/clusterroles.go
@@ -254,7 +254,9 @@ func deletePermissiveNodesBindingWhenUsingNodeAuthorization(clientset *clientset
 
 	// If the server version is higher than the Node Authorizer's minimum, try to delete the Group=system:nodes->ClusterRole=system:node binding
 	// which is much more permissive than the Node Authorizer
-	if k8sVersion.AtLeast(kubeadmconstants.MinimumNodeAuthorizerVersion) {
+	// TODO: That we have to exclude v1.8.0-alpha.0 here is based on the way kubernetes branches work
+	// v1.7.0-beta.0 == v1.8.0.alpha.0 but they are sorted/compared differently
+	if k8sVersion.AtLeast(kubeadmconstants.MinimumNodeAuthorizerVersion) && cfg.KubernetesVersion != "v1.8.0-alpha.0" {
 
 		nodesRoleBinding, err := clientset.RbacV1beta1().ClusterRoleBindings().Get(kubeadmconstants.NodesClusterRoleBinding, metav1.GetOptions{})
 		if err != nil {