diff --git a/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py b/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py
index 55edb249cb0..2eb16e76491 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ class TaskExecutor:
                     task_vars['ansible_loop']['previtem'] = items[item_index - 1]
 
             # Update template vars to reflect current loop iteration
-            templar.set_available_variables(task_vars)
+            templar.available_variables = task_vars
 
             # pause between loop iterations
             if loop_pause and ran_once:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py
index 74357e39f96..5bc132d6985 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ class FieldAttributeBase(with_metaclass(BaseMeta, object)):
         '''
 
         # save the omit value for later checking
-        omit_value = templar._available_variables.get('omit')
+        omit_value = templar.available_variables.get('omit')
 
         for (name, attribute) in iteritems(self._valid_attrs):
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py
index 04b49d7167e..08c0ba52e71 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ class Conditional:
                             'templating delimiters such as {{ }} or {%% %%}. '
                             'Found: %s' % conditional)
         # make sure the templar is using the variables specified with this method
-        templar.set_available_variables(variables=all_vars)
+        templar.available_variables = all_vars
 
         try:
             # if the conditional is "unsafe", disable lookups
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
index d205af77e25..8fb7393ff93 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
@@ -144,10 +144,10 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 temp_vars = task_vars.copy()
                 temp_vars.update(generate_ansible_template_vars(source, dest))
 
-                old_vars = self._templar._available_variables
-                self._templar.set_available_variables(temp_vars)
+                old_vars = self._templar.available_variables
+                self._templar.available_variables = temp_vars
                 resultant = self._templar.do_template(template_data, preserve_trailing_newlines=True, escape_backslashes=False)
-                self._templar.set_available_variables(old_vars)
+                self._templar.available_variables = old_vars
             except AnsibleAction:
                 raise
             except Exception as e:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/__init__.py
index 21bdac360d8..9791dbbeb0b 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/__init__.py
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ class Constructable(object):
     def _compose(self, template, variables):
         ''' helper method for plugins to compose variables for Ansible based on jinja2 expression and inventory vars'''
         t = self.templar
-        t.set_available_variables(variables)
+        t.available_variables = variables
         return t.template('%s%s%s' % (t.environment.variable_start_string, template, t.environment.variable_end_string), disable_lookups=True)
 
     def _set_composite_vars(self, compose, variables, host, strict=False):
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ class Constructable(object):
         # process each 'group entry'
         if groups and isinstance(groups, dict):
             variables = combine_vars(variables, self.inventory.get_host(host).get_vars())
-            self.templar.set_available_variables(variables)
+            self.templar.available_variables = variables
             for group_name in groups:
                 conditional = "{%% if %s %%} True {%% else %%} False {%% endif %%}" % groups[group_name]
                 group_name = self._sanitize_group_name(group_name)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/azure_rm.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/azure_rm.py
index 910535698e0..245cee3a4e2 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/azure_rm.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/azure_rm.py
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ class InventoryModule(BaseInventoryPlugin, Constructable):
 
     # FUTURE: fix underlying inventory stuff to allow us to quickly access known groupvars from reconciled host
     def _filter_host(self, inventory_hostname, hostvars):
-        self.templar.set_available_variables(hostvars)
+        self.templar.available_variables = hostvars
 
         for condition in self._filters:
             # FUTURE: should warn/fail if conditional doesn't return True or False
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/generator.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/generator.py
index ab0e45d581b..1af3dfa9015 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/generator.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/generator.py
@@ -101,9 +101,8 @@ class InventoryModule(BaseInventoryPlugin):
         return valid
 
     def template(self, pattern, variables):
-        t = self.templar
-        t.set_available_variables(variables)
-        return t.do_template(pattern)
+        self.templar.available_variables = variables
+        return self.templar.do_template(pattern)
 
     def add_parents(self, inventory, child, parents, template_vars):
         for parent in parents:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/template.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/template.py
index 959a2c096e0..4fd3584b653 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/template.py
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
         variable_start_string = kwargs.get('variable_start_string', None)
         variable_end_string = kwargs.get('variable_end_string', None)
 
-        old_vars = self._templar._available_variables
+        old_vars = self._templar.available_variables
 
         for term in terms:
             display.debug("File lookup term: %s" % term)
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                 vars = deepcopy(variables)
                 vars.update(generate_ansible_template_vars(lookupfile))
                 vars.update(lookup_template_vars)
-                self._templar.set_available_variables(vars)
+                self._templar.available_variables = vars
 
                 # do the templating
                 res = self._templar.template(template_data, preserve_trailing_newlines=True,
@@ -116,6 +116,6 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                 raise AnsibleError("the template file %s could not be found for the lookup" % term)
 
         # restore old variables
-        self._templar.set_available_variables(old_vars)
+        self._templar.available_variables = old_vars
 
         return ret
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/vars.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/vars.py
index a9dad34f248..73e55219d3e 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/vars.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/vars.py
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
 
     def run(self, terms, variables=None, **kwargs):
         if variables is not None:
-            self._templar.set_available_variables(variables)
+            self._templar.available_variables = variables
         myvars = getattr(self._templar, '_available_variables', {})
 
         self.set_options(direct=kwargs)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
index 599d9edbd86..3dfce04d68c 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
@@ -451,7 +451,12 @@ class Templar:
 
         return jinja_exts
 
-    def set_available_variables(self, variables):
+    @property
+    def available_variables(self):
+        return self._available_variables
+
+    @available_variables.setter
+    def available_variables(self, variables):
         '''
         Sets the list of template variables this Templar instance will use
         to template things, so we don't have to pass them around between
@@ -464,6 +469,13 @@ class Templar:
         self._available_variables = variables
         self._cached_result = {}
 
+    def set_available_variables(self, variables):
+        display.deprecated(
+            'set_available_variables is being deprecated. Use "@available_variables.setter" instead.',
+            version='2.13'
+        )
+        self.available_variables = variables
+
     def template(self, variable, convert_bare=False, preserve_trailing_newlines=True, escape_backslashes=True, fail_on_undefined=None, overrides=None,
                  convert_data=True, static_vars=None, cache=True, disable_lookups=False):
         '''
diff --git a/lib/ansible/template/vars.py b/lib/ansible/template/vars.py
index e2c95b047cb..164cf1a1abe 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/template/vars.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/template/vars.py
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class AnsibleJ2Vars(Mapping):
                         self._locals[key] = val
 
     def __contains__(self, k):
-        if k in self._templar._available_variables:
+        if k in self._templar.available_variables:
             return True
         if k in self._locals:
             return True
@@ -73,16 +73,16 @@ class AnsibleJ2Vars(Mapping):
 
     def __iter__(self):
         keys = set()
-        keys.update(self._templar._available_variables, self._locals, self._globals, *self._extras)
+        keys.update(self._templar.available_variables, self._locals, self._globals, *self._extras)
         return iter(keys)
 
     def __len__(self):
         keys = set()
-        keys.update(self._templar._available_variables, self._locals, self._globals, *self._extras)
+        keys.update(self._templar.available_variables, self._locals, self._globals, *self._extras)
         return len(keys)
 
     def __getitem__(self, varname):
-        if varname not in self._templar._available_variables:
+        if varname not in self._templar.available_variables:
             if varname in self._locals:
                 return self._locals[varname]
             for i in self._extras:
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ class AnsibleJ2Vars(Mapping):
             else:
                 raise KeyError("undefined variable: %s" % varname)
 
-        variable = self._templar._available_variables[varname]
+        variable = self._templar.available_variables[varname]
 
         # HostVars is special, return it as-is, as is the special variable
         # 'vars', which contains the vars structure
diff --git a/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py b/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py
index 50346e43e85..3d2733282f2 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/vars/manager.py
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ class VariableManager:
                     # and magic vars so we can properly template the vars_files entries
                     temp_vars = combine_vars(all_vars, self._extra_vars)
                     temp_vars = combine_vars(temp_vars, magic_variables)
-                    self._templar.set_available_variables(temp_vars)
+                    self._templar.available_variables = temp_vars
 
                     # we assume each item in the list is itself a list, as we
                     # support "conditional includes" for vars_files, which mimics
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ class VariableManager:
         # as we're fetching vars before post_validate has been called on
         # the task that has been passed in
         vars_copy = existing_variables.copy()
-        self._templar.set_available_variables(vars_copy)
+        self._templar.available_variables = vars_copy
 
         items = []
         has_loop = True
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ class VariableManager:
             if item is not None:
                 vars_copy[item_var] = item
 
-            self._templar.set_available_variables(vars_copy)
+            self._templar.available_variables = vars_copy
             delegated_host_name = self._templar.template(task.delegate_to, fail_on_undefined=False)
             if delegated_host_name != task.delegate_to:
                 cache_items = True
diff --git a/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py b/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py
index 249561cce16..faa6c6e6391 100644
--- a/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py
+++ b/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ class TestActionBase(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(env_string, "FOO=foo")
 
         # test environment with a variable in it
-        templar.set_available_variables(variables=dict(the_var='bar'))
+        templar.available_variables = dict(the_var='bar')
         mock_task.environment = [dict(FOO='{{the_var}}')]
         env_string = action_base._compute_environment_string()
         self.assertEqual(env_string, "FOO=bar")
diff --git a/test/units/template/test_templar.py b/test/units/template/test_templar.py
index a57a0a655f0..02022ce7af3 100644
--- a/test/units/template/test_templar.py
+++ b/test/units/template/test_templar.py
@@ -217,11 +217,17 @@ class TestTemplarMisc(BaseTemplar, unittest.TestCase):
         # test with fail_on_undefined=False
         self.assertEqual(templar.template("{{bad_var}}", fail_on_undefined=False), "{{bad_var}}")
 
-        # test set_available_variables()
-        templar.set_available_variables(variables=dict(foo="bam"))
+        # test setting available_variables
+        templar.available_variables = dict(foo="bam")
         self.assertEqual(templar.template("{{foo}}"), "bam")
-        # variables must be a dict() for set_available_variables()
-        self.assertRaises(AssertionError, templar.set_available_variables, "foo=bam")
+        # variables must be a dict() for available_variables setter
+        # FIXME Use assertRaises() as a context manager (added in 2.7) once we do not run tests on Python 2.6 anymore.
+        try:
+            templar.available_variables = "foo=bam"
+        except AssertionError as e:
+            pass
+        except Exception:
+            self.fail(e)
 
     def test_templar_escape_backslashes(self):
         # Rule of thumb: If escape backslashes is True you should end up with