2026-02-02, 14:50–15:40, B.1.0.14
The Ansible community lacks official debugging tools. In this session, I’ll present our reference implementation of an Ansible Playbook Debugger that allows you to inspect variables without relying on 'printf' debugging.
This debugger is useful in many scenarios, such as:
Retrieving structured results from tasks
Evaluating Jinja expressions or real variables and facts at runtime
Listing Ansible facts
Checking actual FQCN used when a short name was used in a playbook
In this session, I’ll showcase practical use cases where this tool has proven valuable, including live demos that highlight how it simplifies development, inspects variables, and improves visibility into your playbooks.
Ansible Playbook Debugger is open-source under the MIT license, with the code is available in the repository here: https://gitlab.com/xlab-steampunk/steampunk-spotter-client/spotter-ansible-playbook-debugger
I have entered the Ansible world through managing edge devices and have co-authored several Ansible collections. At XLAB Steampunk, I now lead the development of Spotter checks and advise clients on upgrading to newer Ansible versions. Whether it’s navigating complex upgrades or optimizing automation strategies, I work side by side with enterprise clients to help them build scalable automation workflows.