Ansible Visual Execution Environment Builder: Build EEs Without Writing Dockerfiles (AAP 2.7 Guide)

The Visual Execution Environment Builder, generally available with AAP 2.7 (GA June 3, 2026), provides a guided 4-step workflow to create execution environments without writing Dockerfiles or Containerfiles manually.

4-Step Guided Workflow

Step 1: Start from a Template

Choose your starting point:

| Template | Use Case | |---|---| | Start from scratch | Custom EE with no pre-selected content | | Cloud automation | Pre-selected AWS, Azure, GCP collections | | Network automation | Cisco, Arista, Juniper collections | | Personal | Your saved custom templates | | Team | Organization-shared templates |

Templates include pre-configured base images, Python dependencies, and system packages for common automation domains.

Step 2: Visual Configuration (Collections)

Select collections to include in your EE:

Popular collections (one-click selection): • ansible.posix • community.general • community.kubernetes • amazon.aws • community.crypto • cisco.ios • community.docker • azure.azcollection

Manual addition: Specify collections manually or upload a requirements.yml file for bulk import.

# Equivalent requirements.yml generated by the builder
collections:
  - name: amazon.aws
    version: ">=8.0.0"
  - name: community.general
    version: ">=9.0.0"
  - name: community.kubernetes
    version: ">=4.0.0"
  - name: cisco.ios
    version: ">=8.0.0"

Step 3: MCP Enablement

Enable AI integrations by selecting MCP servers to include in the EE:

| MCP Server | Description | |---|---| | GitHub | Access repos, files, and repos | | Azure | Manage Azure cloud resources | | AWS | Manage AWS cloud resources |

This step is optional. If selected, the EE definition includes MCP server configurations that enable agentic AI capabilities within the execution environment.

Step 4: Output

The builder generates the complete EE definition with: • Links to documentation and resources • About section describing the EE contents • "Next Steps: Build and Use Your Execution Environment" guidance

Output options: • Push to a Git repository — version-controlled EE definition • Download — local EE definition file

See also: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7: What's New — Features, AI, and Security Enhancements

Phase I vs Phase II

| Phase | Capability | Status | |---|---|---| | Phase I | Creates execution environment definition files | GA with AAP 2.7 | | Phase II | Generates (builds) execution environments directly | Coming later |

Phase I produces the definition; you still use ansible-builder to build the container image. Phase II will handle the build process within the platform.

Generated EE Definition

The builder outputs a complete execution-environment.yml:

---
version: 3
build_arg_defaults:
  ANSIBLE_GALAXY_CLI_COLLECTION_OPTS: '--pre'
dependencies:
  galaxy:
    collections:
      - name: amazon.aws
        version: ">=8.0.0"
      - name: community.general
        version: ">=9.0.0"
      - name: community.kubernetes
        version: ">=4.0.0"
  python:
    - boto3>=1.34.0
    - botocore>=1.34.0
    - kubernetes>=28.0.0
  system:
    - python3-devel [platform:rpm]
    - gcc [platform:rpm]
images:
  base_image:
    name: registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel9:latest
additional_build_files:
  - src: mcp-config/
    dest: configs
additional_build_steps:
  append_final:
    - COPY _build/configs /etc/ansible/mcp/

See also: AAP 2.6 Execution Environments: Build, Manage, and Deploy Custom EEs

Building the EE

After the builder generates the definition:

# Install ansible-builder
pip install ansible-builder
# Build the EE image
ansible-builder build \
  --tag my-cloud-ee:latest \
  --container-runtime podman \
  --file execution-environment.yml
# Verify the image
podman images | grep my-cloud-ee
# Push to registry
podman push my-cloud-ee:latest \
  registry.example.com/ansible/my-cloud-ee:latest

Comparison: Manual vs Visual Builder

| Aspect | Manual (Containerfile) | Visual Builder | |---|---|---| | Skill required | Container + Ansible expertise | Point-and-click | | Collection selection | Edit YAML files manually | One-click checkboxes | | Dependency resolution | Manual trial-and-error | Automatic | | MCP integration | Manual configuration | Guided selection | | Consistency | Varies by author | Standardized templates | | Time to first EE | 30-60 minutes | 5-10 minutes | | Version control | Manual Git workflow | Built-in repo push |

See also: Ansible Execution Environments: Build Custom EEs for Enterprise Automation

FAQ

Do I still need ansible-builder?

In Phase I (AAP 2.7), yes — the visual builder generates the definition file, and you use ansible-builder to build the container. Phase II will build directly within the platform.

Can I edit the generated definition manually?

Yes. The output is a standard execution-environment.yml that you can modify, extend, and version-control like any other file.

What base images are available?

The builder uses Red Hat's supported base images: ee-minimal-rhel9, ee-supported-rhel9, and ee-minimal-rhel10. Custom base images can be specified.

Can I include MCP servers from providers not listed?

The guided workflow shows GitHub, Azure, and AWS. Additional MCP servers can be added manually to the generated definition file.

Are team templates shared across organizations?

Templates can be scoped to teams or organizations within AAP. Admins control which templates are available to which teams.

Related Articles

• Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7: What's New • Ansible Automation Platform Architecture Guide • Ansible Automation Platform Self-Service Portal • Ansible MCP Server Guide