Ansible pause Module: Wait, Prompt, and Delay Execution (Complete Guide)

Ansible pause Module: Wait, Prompt, and Delay Execution (Complete Guide)

The ansible.builtin.pause module pause playbook execution. This guide covers all common use cases with practical playbook examples.

See also: Ansible pause Module: Wait for Input or Delay Playbook Execution

Timed Pause

- name: Wait 30 seconds for service to stabilize
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    seconds: 30
- name: Wait 2 minutes
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    minutes: 2

Prompt for Confirmation

- name: Confirm before proceeding
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    prompt: "About to deploy to PRODUCTION. Press Enter to continue or Ctrl+C to abort"
- name: Ask for version
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    prompt: "Enter the version to deploy"
  register: version_input
- name: Deploy version
  ansible.builtin.debug:
    msg: "Deploying {{ version_input.user_input }}"

See also: Ansible Custom Modules: Write Your Own Module in Python (Complete Guide)

Pause Until Enter

- name: Wait for manual step
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    prompt: "Complete the manual database backup, then press Enter to continue"

FAQ

How do I add a delay in Ansible?

Use ansible.builtin.pause: seconds=30 for a timed delay. For user interaction, use prompt to wait for Enter or capture input with register.

How do I prompt for user input in Ansible?

Use ansible.builtin.pause: prompt="Your question" with register: result. Access the input via result.user_input. For pre-play prompts, use vars_prompt instead.

See also: Ansible debug Module: Print Variables & Messages (Complete Guide)

Conclusion

The ansible.builtin.pause module is a versatile tool for pause playbook execution. Use the examples above as starting points and adapt them to your infrastructure needs.

Related Articles

• Ansible Playbook Guide • Ansible wait_for Module

Module Parameters Reference

| Parameter | Required | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | seconds | No | — | Number of seconds to pause | | minutes | No | — | Number of minutes to pause | | prompt | No | — | Message to display before pausing | | echo | No | true | Show user input when prompting |

Pause for User Confirmation

- name: Confirm before proceeding
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    prompt: "This will deploy to PRODUCTION. Type 'yes' to continue"
  register: confirm
  when: env == "production"
- name: Abort if not confirmed
  ansible.builtin.fail:
    msg: "Deployment cancelled by user"
  when: confirm.user_input | default('') != 'yes'

Pause with Hidden Input (Passwords)

- name: Prompt for password
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    prompt: "Enter the database password"
    echo: false
  register: db_password
- name: Use the password
  ansible.builtin.debug:
    msg: "Password captured ({{ db_password.user_input | length }} chars)"

Timed Delay Between Tasks

- name: Wait for service to stabilize
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    seconds: 30
    prompt: "Waiting 30 seconds for service to stabilize..."
- name: Wait 2 minutes for DNS propagation
  ansible.builtin.pause:
    minutes: 2

Complete Playbook: Rolling Deployment with Pauses

---
- name: Rolling deployment with safety pauses
  hosts: webservers
  serial: 1
  become: true
tasks:
    - name: Pull latest application code
      ansible.builtin.git:
        repo: https://github.com/example/app.git
        dest: /opt/app
        version: main
- name: Restart application service
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: app
        state: restarted
- name: Wait for health check
      ansible.builtin.uri:
        url: "http://{{ inventory_hostname }}:8080/health"
        status_code: 200
      register: health
      retries: 10
      delay: 5
      until: health.status == 200
- name: Pause between hosts for monitoring
      ansible.builtin.pause:
        seconds: 60
        prompt: "Host {{ inventory_hostname }} deployed. Waiting 60s before next host..."

Pause vs wait_for

| Feature | pause | wait_for | |---|---|---| | User interaction | Yes (prompt) | No | | Condition-based | No | Yes (port, file, regex) | | Fixed delay | Yes | Yes (timeout) | | Use case | Human approval, timed delays | Wait for ports, files, services |

When should I use pause vs wait_for?

Use ansible.builtin.pause for human interaction (confirmations, password input) or simple timed delays. Use ansible.builtin.wait_for when you need to wait for a condition like a port opening or a file appearing.

Does pause work in automated pipelines?

Timed pauses (seconds/minutes) work fine in CI/CD. Prompt-based pauses will hang in non-interactive environments — use when conditions to skip them in automated runs.