New CI Requirement for Ansible Collections: Testing Against Devel Branch (2026)

Introduction

The Ansible community steering committee has introduced a new requirement for all collections included in the Ansible community package (the ansible pip package). Collection maintainers must now run CI tests against the devel or milestone branches of ansible-core.

This change helps detect compatibility issues and new linting requirements early, before they become blockers during Ansible package releases.

See also: ACTION REQUIRED: Ansible Collections Must Add CI Test Runs Against Devel Branch

What Changed

Previously, collections could test only against stable ansible-core releases. Now, to remain included in the Ansible community package, collections must test against the development branch.

The Requirement

You must implement one of the following:

Option 1: Test in Every Pull Request

Run tests against ansible-core devel or milestone branch in every PR.

# .github/workflows/ansible-test.yml
name: CI
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
jobs:
  ansible-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        ansible-core-version:
          - stable-2.20
          - devel
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Set up Python
        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: '3.12'
      - name: Install ansible-core
        run: pip install https://github.com/ansible/ansible/archive/${{ matrix.ansible-core-version }}.tar.gz
      - name: Run ansible-test
        run: ansible-test sanity --docker -v

Option 2: Scheduled Weekly Tests

Run tests on a weekly schedule against devel or milestone only:

# .github/workflows/ansible-test-devel.yml
name: CI (devel)
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 6 * * 1'  # Every Monday at 6 AM UTC
jobs:
  ansible-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Set up Python
        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: '3.12'
      - name: Install ansible-core devel
        run: pip install https://github.com/ansible/ansible/archive/devel.tar.gz
      - name: Run ansible-test
        run: ansible-test sanity --docker -v

Why This Matters

For Collection Maintainers

• Early warning — Catch breaking changes in ansible-core before they reach stable • Smoother releases — Avoid last-minute scrambles when a new ansible-core version ships • Quality signal — Demonstrates active maintenance of your collection

For the Ansible Community Package

• Fewer release delays — Collections are pre-validated against upcoming core changes • Better quality — Users get collections that work reliably with the latest ansible-core • Faster ansible-core releases — Less time spent chasing collection compatibility issues

See also: Ansible 2.16.0: Major Enhancements and Updates

What Happens If You Don't Comply

Collections that do not test against devel or milestone will not be removed immediately. However: • This is now a package inclusion requirement • The removal process can be initiated with prior notification • Maintainers will be contacted before any action is taken

Getting Started

Using the Collection Template

The easiest way to add devel testing is to use the collection_template workflow:

# Copy the workflow to your collection
cp collection_template/.github/workflows/ansible-test.yml \
   your-collection/.github/workflows/ansible-test.yml

Key ansible-test Commands

# Sanity tests (linting, import checks)
ansible-test sanity --docker -v
# Unit tests
ansible-test units --docker -v
# Integration tests (if applicable)
ansible-test integration --docker -v

See also: Ansible Bullhorn #223: ansible-core Releases, New Collections & AI Collaboration

Best Practices

Start with sanity tests — They catch the most common issues from core changes Allow devel failures initially — Use continue-on-error: true while stabilizing Monitor weekly results — Set up notifications for scheduled test failures Fix issues promptly — Devel failures today become stable failures tomorrow Contribute upstream — If a core change breaks your collection, open an issue on ansible/ansible

Timeline

• March 26, 2026 — Requirement announced • Grace period — Collections not immediately removed • Future — Removal process may be initiated with prior notification

Conclusion

This new CI requirement strengthens the Ansible ecosystem by ensuring collections stay compatible with upcoming ansible-core changes. If you maintain a collection in the Ansible community package, add devel or milestone testing to your CI pipeline now. The collection template provides ready-to-use GitHub Actions workflows to get started quickly.

Related Articles

• Ansible template guide • community.docker collection overview • Ansible Cron Module Guide • Ansible privilege escalation patterns