Ansible troubleshooting - Module Failure on Windows-target — Video Tutorial

Introduction Today we’re going to talk about Ansible troubleshooting, specifically about the Module Failure on Windows-target. I’m Luca Berton and welcome to today’s episode of Ansible Pilot. Root Cause The error occurs when you use a **Linux/Unix module** (`ansible.builtin.get_url`) on a **Windows target**. Ansible tries to execute Python code on the Windows host, but Windows runs PowerShell — not Python. The error message shows PowerShell trying to parse Python syntax and failing. **The fix:** Use the Windows-specific module `ansible.windows.win_get_url` instead of `ansible.builtin.get_url`. Common Module Mapping: Linux vs Windows | Linux Module | Windows Module | Purpose | |---|---|---| | `ansible.builtin.get_url` | `ansible.windows.win_get_url` | Download files | | `ansible.builtin.copy` | `ansible.windows.win_copy` | Copy files to remote | | `ansible.builtin.file` | `ansible.windows.win_file` | Manage files/directories | | `ansible.builtin.template` | `ansible.windows.win_template` | Deploy templates | | `ansible.builtin.service` | `ansible.windows.win_service` | Manage services | | `ansible.builtin.user` | `ansible.windows.win_user` | Manage users | | `ansible.builtin.package` | `chocolatey.chocolatey.win_chocolatey` | Install packages | | `ansible.builtin.command` | `ansible.windows.win_command` | Run commands | | `ansible.builtin.shell` | `ansible.windows.win_shell` | Run shell commands | How to Identify This Error Look for these signs in the error output: 1. **"No python interpreters found"** — Ansible is looking for Python on a Windows host 2. **PowerShell parse errors** — `"An expression was expected after"`, `ParseException` 3. **"MODULE FAILURE"** with `rc: 1` 4. Python syntax in `module_stderr` — `def`, `import`, `sys.version_info` Playbook How to troubleshoot the Module Failure on Windows-target. error code ```yaml --- - name: win_get_url module Playbook hosts: all become: false vars: myurl: "https://releases.ansible.com/ansible/ansible-2.9.25.tar.gz" mydest: 'C:\Users\vagrant\Desktop\ansible-2.9.25.tar.gz' tasks: - name: download file ansible.builtin.get_url: url: "{{ myurl }}" dest: "{{ mydest }}" ``` error execution ```bash ansible-pilot $ ansible-playbook -i virtualmachines/win/inventory troubleshooting/get_url_error.yml PLAY [win_get_url module Playbook] ******************************************************************** TASK [Gathering Facts] **************************************************************************** ok: [WindowsServer] TASK [download file] ****************************************************************************** [WARNING]: No python interpreters found for host WindowsServer (tried ['python3.10', 'python3.9', 'python3.8', 'python3.7', 'python3.6', 'python3.5', '/usr/bin/python3', '/usr/libexec/platform- python', 'python2.7', 'python2.6', '/usr/bin/python', 'python']) fatal: [WindowsServer]: FAILED! => {"ansible_facts": {"discovered_interpreter_