Ansible ignore_errors: Handle Task Failures (Complete Guide)

By Luca Berton · Published 2026-04-03 · Category: installation

Complete guide to Ansible ignore_errors. Handle task failures gracefully, use failed_when, rescue blocks, and control error behavior in playbooks.

By default, Ansible stops playbook execution when a task fails. The ignore_errors directive and related error handling features let you control this behavior.

ignore_errors: true

Continue playbook execution even if a task fails:

- name: Check if service exists (may fail)
  ansible.builtin.command: systemctl status myapp
  register: service_check
  ignore_errors: true

- name: Install service if not present
  ansible.builtin.apt:
    name: myapp
    state: present
  when: service_check.rc != 0

Important: ignore_errors still marks the task as "failed" in the output — it just doesn't stop execution.

ignore_unreachable: true

Specifically handle unreachable hosts (different from task failures):

- name: Check connectivity
  ansible.builtin.ping:
  ignore_unreachable: true
  register: ping_result

- name: Skip unreachable hosts
  ansible.builtin.debug:
    msg: "Host is reachable"
  when: not ping_result.unreachable | default(false)

failed_when: Custom Failure Conditions

Define your own failure criteria:

- name: Run database migration
  ansible.builtin.command: /opt/app/migrate.sh
  register: migration
  failed_when:
    - migration.rc != 0
    - "'already up to date' not in migration.stdout"

- name: Check disk space
  ansible.builtin.command: df -h /
  register: disk_space
  failed_when: "'100%' in disk_space.stdout"

Never fail (always succeed)

- name: Best-effort cleanup
  ansible.builtin.command: rm -f /tmp/lockfile
  failed_when: false

changed_when: Control Changed Status

Prevent false "changed" status:

- name: Check application version
  ansible.builtin.command: /opt/app/version.sh
  register: app_version
  changed_when: false
  failed_when: app_version.rc != 0

block/rescue/always: Try-Catch Pattern

- name: Deploy with rollback
  block:
    - name: Deploy new version
      ansible.builtin.command: /opt/deploy.sh --version={{ new_version }}

    - name: Run health check
      ansible.builtin.uri:
        url: http://localhost:8080/health
        status_code: 200

  rescue:
    - name: Rollback on failure
      ansible.builtin.command: /opt/deploy.sh --version={{ old_version }}

    - name: Notify team
      ansible.builtin.mail:
        subject: "Deployment failed on {{ inventory_hostname }}"
        to: ops@example.com

  always:
    - name: Clean up temp files
      ansible.builtin.file:
        path: /tmp/deploy-artifacts
        state: absent

any_errors_fatal: Stop Everything

Stop the entire playbook across all hosts when any host fails:

- name: Critical pre-flight checks
  hosts: all
  any_errors_fatal: true
  tasks:
    - name: Verify disk space
      ansible.builtin.assert:
        that: ansible_mounts | selectattr('mount', 'equalto', '/') | map(attribute='size_available') | first > 1073741824
        fail_msg: "Less than 1GB free disk space"

max_fail_percentage

Allow a percentage of hosts to fail before stopping:

- name: Rolling update
  hosts: webservers
  max_fail_percentage: 30
  tasks:
    - name: Update application
      ansible.builtin.command: /opt/update.sh

Practical Examples

Check-and-act pattern

- name: Check if config exists
  ansible.builtin.stat:
    path: /etc/myapp/config.yml
  register: config_file

- name: Generate default config if missing
  ansible.builtin.template:
    src: default-config.yml.j2
    dest: /etc/myapp/config.yml
  when: not config_file.stat.exists

Graceful service management

- name: Stop old service (may not exist)
  ansible.builtin.systemd:
    name: myapp-old
    state: stopped
  ignore_errors: true
  register: stop_result

- name: Remove old service file
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /etc/systemd/system/myapp-old.service
    state: absent
  when: stop_result is not failed

FAQ

What's the difference between ignore_errors and failed_when: false?

ignore_errors: true marks the task as failed but continues. failed_when: false means the task is NEVER marked as failed. Use failed_when: false for truly inconsequential commands.

Does ignore_errors work with handlers?

Yes, but a failed task won't trigger handlers even with ignore_errors. Use changed_when to control handler triggering.

Can I ignore errors for an entire block?

Yes: put ignore_errors: true on the block directive.

Basic ignore_errors

- name: Try to stop old service
  ansible.builtin.service:
    name: legacy-app
    state: stopped
  ignore_errors: true

Check Error and Act

- name: Check if service exists
  ansible.builtin.command: systemctl status myapp
  register: service_check
  ignore_errors: true
  changed_when: false

- name: Install if missing
  ansible.builtin.package:
    name: myapp
    state: present
  when: service_check.rc != 0
  become: true

ignore_unreachable

# Continue even if host is down
- name: Check if host is alive
  ansible.builtin.ping:
  ignore_unreachable: true
  register: ping_result

- name: Skip unreachable hosts
  debug:
    msg: "Host {{ inventory_hostname }} is reachable"
  when: ping_result is not unreachable

failed_when (Custom Failure Conditions)

# Don't fail on specific return codes
- name: Check if user exists
  ansible.builtin.command: id username
  register: user_check
  failed_when: user_check.rc not in [0, 1]
  changed_when: false

# Fail on specific output
- name: Run health check
  ansible.builtin.uri:
    url: http://localhost:8080/health
  register: health
  failed_when: "'unhealthy' in health.content"

block/rescue/always (Try-Catch)

- block:
    - name: Deploy new version
      ansible.builtin.git:
        repo: https://github.com/myorg/app.git
        dest: /opt/app
        version: "{{ new_version }}"

    - name: Run migrations
      ansible.builtin.command: ./migrate.sh
      args:
        chdir: /opt/app

  rescue:
    - name: Rollback on failure
      ansible.builtin.git:
        repo: https://github.com/myorg/app.git
        dest: /opt/app
        version: "{{ old_version }}"

    - name: Notify team
      ansible.builtin.uri:
        url: https://hooks.slack.com/xxx
        method: POST
        body: '{"text": "Deployment failed, rolled back"}'

  always:
    - name: Restart service
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: myapp
        state: restarted
      become: true

Error Handling Comparison

Method	Use Case
`ignore_errors: true`	Continue regardless of failure
`failed_when`	Custom failure conditions
`block/rescue`	Try-catch with rollback
`ignore_unreachable`	Handle offline hosts
`any_errors_fatal`	Stop ALL hosts on any failure
`max_fail_percentage`	Allow some hosts to fail

any_errors_fatal

- hosts: webservers
  any_errors_fatal: true  # Stop entire play if ANY host fails
  serial: 1
  tasks:
    - name: Critical deployment
      command: ./deploy.sh

FAQ

Does ignore_errors skip handlers?

No — if the task that notified a handler reported changed (even with an error), the handler still runs.

How do I fail the play later based on ignored errors?

- command: /opt/check.sh
  register: result
  ignore_errors: true

# ... more tasks ...

- fail:
    msg: "Earlier check failed: {{ result.stderr }}"
  when: result.rc != 0

What's the difference between ignore_errors and failed_when: false?

Both prevent failure, but failed_when: false means the task never fails (always shows ok/changed). ignore_errors: true still marks it as failed in output but continues.

Basic ignore_errors

- ansible.builtin.command: /opt/check-service.sh
  register: result
  ignore_errors: true

- debug:
    msg: "Check failed but continuing: {{ result.stderr }}"
  when: result.failed

ignore_errors vs failed_when

# ignore_errors — task "fails" but play continues
- command: /opt/optional-check.sh
  ignore_errors: true

# failed_when — redefine what "failure" means
- command: /opt/check.sh
  register: result
  failed_when: result.rc not in [0, 1]
  # rc=0 or rc=1 = success; anything else = failure

Handle Errors with block/rescue

- block:
    - name: Try to deploy
      command: /opt/deploy.sh

    - name: Verify deployment
      uri: { url: "http://localhost/health", status_code: 200 }

  rescue:
    - name: Rollback on failure
      command: /opt/rollback.sh

    - name: Notify team
      uri:
        url: https://hooks.slack.com/...
        method: POST
        body: '{"text": "Deploy failed, rolled back"}'

  always:
    - name: Clean up temp files
      file: { path: /tmp/deploy-artifacts, state: absent }

Conditional Error Handling

- command: /opt/check.sh
  register: check
  ignore_errors: true

- name: Handle failure
  debug:
    msg: "Check failed with: {{ check.stderr }}"
  when: check.failed

- name: Continue on success
  debug:
    msg: "Check passed: {{ check.stdout }}"
  when: not check.failed

ignore_unreachable

# Continue even if host is down
- ping:
  ignore_unreachable: true
  register: ping_result

- debug:
    msg: "Host {{ inventory_hostname }} is unreachable"
  when: ping_result.unreachable | default(false)

any_errors_fatal

# Stop ALL hosts if ANY host fails
- hosts: webservers
  any_errors_fatal: true
  tasks:
    - name: Critical check
      command: /opt/pre-deploy-check.sh
    # If this fails on ANY host, entire play stops

max_fail_percentage

# Allow up to 20% of hosts to fail
- hosts: webservers
  max_fail_percentage: 20
  serial: 10
  tasks:
    - name: Rolling deploy
      command: /opt/deploy.sh

changed_when with Error Handling

- command: /opt/idempotent-script.sh
  register: result
  changed_when: "'CHANGED' in result.stdout"
  failed_when: result.rc > 1  # Only fail on rc > 1

Common Patterns

# Check if service exists before managing it
- command: systemctl cat myapp
  register: service_check
  ignore_errors: true
  changed_when: false

- service: { name: myapp, state: restarted }
  when: service_check.rc == 0

# Optional package removal
- apt: { name: old-package, state: absent }
  ignore_errors: true  # OK if package not found
  become: true

# Graceful degradation
- uri:
    url: http://api.example.com/data
    timeout: 5
  register: api_call
  ignore_errors: true

- set_fact:
    api_data: "{{ api_call.json if not api_call.failed else {} }}"

FAQ

Does ignore_errors affect handlers?

Yes — if a task with ignore_errors: true notifies a handler and fails, the handler is still triggered (because the play continues).

ignore_errors vs block/rescue?

ignore_errors silently continues. block/rescue lets you execute recovery logic. Use rescue for production workflows.

Does ignore_errors count as a failure?

The task shows as "failed" (red) in output but the play continues. ansible_failed_result is set. Use failed_when: false to not mark it as failed at all.

Basic ignore_errors

- ansible.builtin.command: /opt/check-status.sh
  ignore_errors: true
  register: status_check

Check Result After Ignoring

- command: /opt/check-service.sh
  register: result
  ignore_errors: true

- debug:
    msg: "Service is down!"
  when: result.rc != 0

- debug:
    msg: "Service is running"
  when: result.rc == 0

failed_when (Better Control)

# Only fail on specific conditions
- command: /opt/deploy.sh
  register: deploy
  failed_when:
    - deploy.rc != 0
    - "'already running' not in deploy.stderr"

ignore_unreachable

# Continue even if host is unreachable
- ping:
  ignore_unreachable: true
  register: ping_result

- debug:
    msg: "Host {{ inventory_hostname }} is down"
  when: ping_result.unreachable is defined

Block/Rescue (Try/Catch)

- block:
    - command: /opt/deploy.sh
    - service:
        name: myapp
        state: started
  rescue:
    - debug:
        msg: "Deploy failed, rolling back"
    - command: /opt/rollback.sh
  always:
    - debug:
        msg: "Cleanup complete"

any_errors_fatal

# Stop ALL hosts if ANY host fails
- hosts: webservers
  any_errors_fatal: true
  tasks:
    - command: /opt/critical-check.sh

max_fail_percentage

# Fail play if >25% hosts fail
- hosts: webservers
  max_fail_percentage: 25
  tasks:
    - service:
        name: myapp
        state: started

changed_when with ignore_errors

- command: /opt/check.sh
  register: check
  ignore_errors: true
  changed_when: false  # Never report changed

FAQ

ignore_errors vs failed_when?

ignore_errors continues regardless of failure. failed_when lets you define what constitutes a failure. Prefer failed_when for precise control.

Does ignore_errors affect handlers?

No — handlers still won't run for failed tasks even with ignore_errors. The task is still marked as failed.

How to fail the play later based on ignored errors?

- fail:
    msg: "Critical check failed earlier"
  when: earlier_result.rc != 0

Category: installation

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About Luca Berton

Ansible ignore_errors: Handle Task Failures (Complete Guide)

ignore_errors: true

ignore_unreachable: true

failed_when: Custom Failure Conditions

Never fail (always succeed)

changed_when: Control Changed Status

block/rescue/always: Try-Catch Pattern

any_errors_fatal: Stop Everything

max_fail_percentage

Practical Examples

Check-and-act pattern

Graceful service management

FAQ

What's the difference between ignore_errors and failed_when: false?

Does ignore_errors work with handlers?

Can I ignore errors for an entire block?

Basic ignore_errors

Check Error and Act

ignore_unreachable

failed_when (Custom Failure Conditions)

block/rescue/always (Try-Catch)

Error Handling Comparison

any_errors_fatal

FAQ

Does ignore_errors skip handlers?

How do I fail the play later based on ignored errors?

What's the difference between ignore_errors and failed_when: false?

Basic ignore_errors

ignore_errors vs failed_when

Handle Errors with block/rescue

Conditional Error Handling

ignore_unreachable

any_errors_fatal

max_fail_percentage

changed_when with Error Handling

Common Patterns

FAQ

Does ignore_errors affect handlers?

ignore_errors vs block/rescue?

Does ignore_errors count as a failure?

Basic ignore_errors

Check Result After Ignoring

failed_when (Better Control)

ignore_unreachable

Block/Rescue (Try/Catch)

any_errors_fatal

max_fail_percentage

changed_when with ignore_errors

FAQ

ignore_errors vs failed_when?

Does ignore_errors affect handlers?

How to fail the play later based on ignored errors?

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