How do I exit Ansible play without error on a condition

Solution 1:

Since Ansible 2.2, you can use end_play with the meta module:

- meta: end_play

You can also specify when for conditionally ending the play:

- meta: end_play
  when: upgrading.stdout == "no"

Note, though, that the task is not listed in the output of ansible-playbook, regardless of whether or not the play actually ends. Also, the task is not counted in the recap. So, you could do something like:

- block:
    - name: "end play if nothing to upgrade"
      debug:
        msg: "nothing to upgrade, ending play"

    - meta: end_play
  when: upgrading.stdout == "no"

which will announce the end of the play right before ending it, only when the condition is met. If the condition is not met, you'll see the task named end play if nothing to upgrade appropriately skipped, which would provide more info to the user as to why the play is, or is not, ending.

Of course, this will only end the current play and not all remaining plays in the playbook.

UPDATE June 20 2019:

As reto mentions in comments, end_play ends the play for all hosts. In Ansible 2.8, end_host was added to meta:

end_host (added in Ansible 2.8) is a per-host variation of end_play. Causes the play to end for the current host without failing it.

UPDATE Feb 2021: fixed broken link to meta module

Solution 2:

Just a little note: meta: end_play ends just the play, not a playbook. So this playbook:

---
- name: 1st play with end play
  hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: I'll always be printed
      debug:
        msg: next task terminates first play

    - name: Ending the 1st play now
      meta: end_play

    - name: I want to be printed!
      debug:
        msg: However I'm unreachable so this message won't appear in the output

- name: 2nd play
  hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: I will also be printed always
      debug:
        msg: "meta: end_play ended just the 1st play. This is 2nd one."

will produce this output:

$ ansible-playbook -i localhost, playbooks/end_play.yml 

PLAY [1st play with end play] **************************************************

TASK [I'll always be printed] **************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "msg": "next task terminates first play"
}

PLAY [2nd play] ****************************************************************

TASK [I will also be printed always] *******************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "msg": "meta: end_play ended just the 1st play. This is 2nd one."
}

PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=2    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0

Solution 3:

A better and more logical way to solve it may be to do the reverse and rather than fail if there is nothing to upgrade (which is a separate step that does only that) you could append all your upgrading tasks with a conditional depending on the upgrade variable. In essence just add

when: upgrading.changed

to tasks that should be only executed during an upgrade.

It is a bit more work, but it also brings clarity and self contains the logic that affects given task within itself, rather than depending on something way above which may or may not terminate it early.

Solution 4:

Lets use what Tymoteusz suggested for roles:

Split your play into two roles where first role will execute the check (and sets some variable holding check's result) and second one will act based on result of the check.

I have created aaa.yaml with this content:

---
- hosts: all
  remote_user: root
  roles:
    - check
    - { role: doit, when: "check.stdout == '0'" }
...

then role check in roles/check/tasks/main.yaml:

---
- name: "Check if we should continue"
  shell:
    echo $(( $RANDOM % 2 ))
  register: check
- debug:
    var: check.stdout
...

and then role doit in roles/doit/tasks/main.yaml:

---
- name: "Do it only on systems where check returned 0"
  command:
    date
...

And this was the output:

TASK [check : Check if we should continue] *************************************
Thursday 06 October 2016  21:49:49 +0200 (0:00:09.800)       0:00:09.832 ****** 
changed: [capsule.example.com]
changed: [monitoring.example.com]
changed: [satellite.example.com]
changed: [docker.example.com]

TASK [check : debug] ***********************************************************
Thursday 06 October 2016  21:49:55 +0200 (0:00:05.171)       0:00:15.004 ****** 
ok: [monitoring.example.com] => {
    "check.stdout": "0"
}
ok: [satellite.example.com] => {
    "check.stdout": "1"
}
ok: [capsule.example.com] => {
    "check.stdout": "0"
}
ok: [docker.example.com] => {
    "check.stdout": "0"
}

TASK [doit : Do it only on systems where check returned 0] *********************
Thursday 06 October 2016  21:49:55 +0200 (0:00:00.072)       0:00:15.076 ****** 
skipping: [satellite.example.com]
changed: [capsule.example.com]
changed: [docker.example.com]
changed: [monitoring.example.com]

It is not perfect: looks like you will keep seeing skipping status for all tasks for skipped systems, but might do the trick.

Solution 5:

The following was helpful in my case, as meta: end_play seems to stop the execution for all hosts, not just the one that matches.

First establish a fact:

- name: Determine current version
  become: yes
  slurp:
    src: /opt/app/CHECKSUM
  register: version_check
  ignore_errors: yes

- set_fact:
  is_update_needed: "{{ ( version_check['checksum'] | b64decode != installer_file.stat.checksum)  }}"

Now include that part that should only executed on this condition:

# update-app.yml can be placed in the same role folder
- import_tasks: update-app.yml
  when: is_update_needed