ansible

Files

SKILL.mdagentsreferences

Install

Install only this skill with npx skills

npx skills add alisonaquinas/llm-ci-dev --skill 'ansible' -g -y

Install the containing skill bundle

/plugin install ci-cd@llm-skills

Download ansible-skill.zip

This skill is bundled inside ci-cd. Use npx skills when you only want this skill, or install the bundle once to make every included skill available through the plugin marketplace flow. Browse the full skill bundle repository at github.com/alisonaquinas/llm-ci-dev.

Invoke

Invoke this skill after installation

/ci-cd:ansible

SKILL.md

name: ansible description: Automate configuration management and application deployment with Ansible. Use when tasks mention ansible-playbook, inventory files, Ansible roles, ad-hoc commands, ansible-galaxy, or agentless SSH automation.

Intent Router

Request	Reference	Load When
Install tool, SSH setup, ansible.cfg	`references/install-and-setup.md`	User needs to install Ansible or configure control node
Inventory files, group_vars, host_vars	`references/inventory-and-variables.md`	User needs inventory structure or variable precedence
Playbook authoring, roles, modules	`references/playbook-patterns.md`	User needs play structure, task patterns, or common modules
CLI commands, vault, galaxy	`references/command-cookbook.md`	User needs ansible/ansible-playbook/ansible-vault/galaxy commands

Quick Start

# 1. Define your inventory
cat > inventory.ini <<'EOF'
[web]
web1.example.com
web2.example.com

[db]
db1.example.com
EOF

# 2. Test connectivity (ad-hoc ping)
ansible all -i inventory.ini -m ping

# 3. Run a playbook
ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini site.yml

# 4. Dry-run a playbook (check mode — no changes)
ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini site.yml --check --diff

Core Concepts

Concept	Description
Control node	Machine where Ansible runs (requires Python; no agent needed on targets)
Managed node	Target host reached via SSH (Linux) or WinRM (Windows)
Inventory	List of managed nodes (INI, YAML, or dynamic script)
Playbook	YAML file defining ordered plays and tasks
Role	Reusable directory structure (tasks, handlers, templates, vars)
Module	Idempotent unit of work (copy, service, package, user, command…)
Collection	Packaged set of roles, modules, and plugins from Ansible Galaxy

Safety Guardrails

Always run with --check --diff first to preview changes without applying them.
Use --limit to target a subset of hosts before running against all inventory.
Avoid command and shell modules when an idempotent module exists.
Running as root (become: true) requires explicit approval — confirm privilege escalation scope.
Protect secrets with ansible-vault encrypt — never commit plaintext passwords.

# Install a role then dry-run the playbook to preview changes
ansible-galaxy role install geerlingguy.java
ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini site.yml --check --diff

Workflow

Define or update inventory.
Test connectivity: ansible all -m ping -i inventory.ini
Write or update playbook.
Dry-run: ansible-playbook site.yml -i inventory.ini --check --diff
Run against a subset: ansible-playbook site.yml -i inventory.ini --limit web1.example.com
Run against all: ansible-playbook site.yml -i inventory.ini

Related Skills

terraform — provision infrastructure; Ansible configures after provisioning
open-tofu — open-source Terraform fork; same provisioning + Ansible pattern
pulumi — IaC with code; Ansible handles post-provision configuration
ci-architecture — integrating Ansible into CI/CD pipelines

References

references/install-and-setup.md
references/inventory-and-variables.md
references/playbook-patterns.md
references/command-cookbook.md
Official docs: https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/
Galaxy: https://galaxy.ansible.com
Jeff Geerling's book/repo: https://www.ansiblefordevops.com/
Red Hat learning: https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/automation/learning-ansible