Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Roadmap 2026: AAP 2.6 to Q4 Timeline
By Luca Berton · Published 2024-01-01 · Category: windows-automation
AAP roadmap 2026: from 2.6 features through 2.7, Automation Orchestrator in Q3, and self-service cloud portal in Q4.
Red Hat has published the official Ansible Automation Platform roadmap for 2026. Here's the complete timeline from what's available now through Q4 2026. Full roadmap details at
Available Now (AAP 2.6)
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Automation dashboard | Centralized view of automation activity |
| Self-service automation portal | End-user self-service for pre-approved automation |
| Intelligent & coding assistant | Ansible Lightspeed for playbook generation |
| MCP server in Ansible VS Code extension | Tech Preview — AI coding via MCP |
| EDA identity enhancements | Improved authentication for event-driven workflows |
| Refreshed UI | Modernized AAP web interface |
| AI-assisted inventory generation | AI helps build and maintain inventories |
Coming Q2 2026 (AAP 2.7)
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| EDA message persistence | GA |
| OIDC authentication for HashiCorp Vault | GA |
| Automation intelligent assistant bring-your-own-knowledge | GA |
| Execution environment visual builder | GA |
| Content collection improvements | Networking, cloud, and Windows domains |
| Ansible Playbook Migration Engine (APME) | Tech Preview |
| In-AAP automation dashboard | Tech Preview |
Q3 2026
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Automation Orchestrator | GA — unified AI-driven workflow engine |
| Metrics service | GA — platform-level usage and performance metrics |
| In-AAP automation dashboard | GA (promoted from Tech Preview) |
| APME UI in self-service portal | GA — playbook scanning accessible to all users |
Q4 2026
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Self-service portal on managed AAP (cloud) | GA — cloud-hosted AAP with self-service |
Visual Timeline
2.6 (Now) 2.7 (Q2 2026) Q3 2026 Q4 2026
─────────► ─────────► ─────────► ─────────►
• Dashboard • EDA persistence • Orchestrator • Cloud self-
• Self-service • OIDC Vault • Metrics service service portal
• Lightspeed • BYOK assistant • Dashboard GA
• MCP (TP) • EE visual builder • APME in portal
• EDA identity • Collections update
• Refreshed UI • APME (TP)
• AI inventory • Dashboard (TP)> High level roadmap overview — does not include all future platform enhancements or async releases.
Key Takeaways
- OIDC for Vault is the headline security feature in 2.7
- Automation Orchestrator is the biggest Q3 addition — unifying events, AI, and execution
- APME graduates from Tech Preview to self-service in Q3
- Cloud-managed AAP arrives in Q4 2026
- EE visual builder eliminates manual Dockerfile creation for execution environments
FAQ
When is AAP 2.7 GA?
June 3, 2026.
Is the Automation Orchestrator part of AAP 2.7?
No. The Orchestrator is scheduled for Q3 2026 as a separate release. AAP 2.7 focuses on OIDC, BYOK, EE builder, and collections.
Will APME be free or require additional licensing?
APME is part of the AAP subscription — no additional license required.
What does "managed AAP (cloud)" mean?
A Red Hat-hosted AAP instance with self-service portal access, reducing on-premise infrastructure requirements.
See also: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7: What's New — Features, AI, and Security Enhancements
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