Managing Large Ansible Outputs

Understand how the Ansible plugin manages large playbook outputs through truncation and file export.

The Ansible plugin automatically manages large playbook outputs through truncation and file export options. This ensures reliable telemetry while preserving access to full execution details.

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View Ansible output

Ansible execution results are available in multiple locations:

• Pipeline Run: Execution logs and summary statistics

• Playbook/Inventory Activity History: Historical execution data

• Host View: Per-host task results and status

• Custom Export: Full output to file. Go to Export full output to file to configure file-based output.

• Output Variables: Export data for use in subsequent pipeline steps. Go to Output variables for Ansible to configure output variables.

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Automatic truncation

The Ansible plugin applies two levels of truncation to manage output size.

Message truncation (per-task)

Applies to: Individual task msg and skip_reason fields exceeding 1000 characters

Action: Truncates to 1000 characters with " ... [truncated]" suffix

Configuration

ANSIBLE_MAX_TASK_MSG_SIZE=1000  # Default: 1000 characters

Example

{
  "name": "Install packages",
  "status": "ok",
  "msg": "Long command output... [truncated]",
  "duration_ms": 5432
}

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Circuit breaker (payload size limit)

Trigger: Final JSON payload exceeds 5 MB

Behavior

• Removes all tasks arrays from host results

• Preserves host-level stats (changed, failures, ok, rescued, skipped, unreachable)

• Preserves metadata (playbook, inventory, status, duration)

Example output

⚠️  WARNING: Ansible payload exceeds maximum size limit:
    Payload size: 5.5 MB
    Limit: 5 MB
    Hosts: 100
    Sending summary-only payload to server for telemetry.

Summary payload size: 12.57 KB (original: 5.47 MB)

What's preserved

{
  "playbook": "deploy-app",
  "inventory": "prod-inventory",
  "status": "success",
  "duration_ms": 45320,
  "hosts": {
    "web-01": {
      "address": "10.0.1.5",
      "stats": {
        "ok": 150,
        "changed": 20,
        "failures": 0,
        "skipped": 5
      }
    }
  }
}

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Export full output to file

When truncation occurs, detailed task information is removed from telemetry. Export full output to a file for debugging complex failures, compliance and audit requirements, or long-term archival.

Configure file export

Set the ANSIBLE_OUTPUT_FILE environment variable to specify the output file path:

ANSIBLE_OUTPUT_FILE=ansible-output.json

File export behavior

1. Writes complete structured output before any truncation

2. Includes all hosts, tasks, and messages in full

3. Pretty-printed JSON format

4. Truncation still applies to telemetry payload

Example output

Writing full output to file: ansible-output.json
📝 Full ansible output written to: /harness/ansible-output.json (8.42 MB)
   Inventory: prod-inventory | Playbook: deploy-app

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Upload output to object storage

When ANSIBLE_OUTPUT_FILE is configured, the output file can be uploaded to cloud storage (S3, GCS, Azure Blob) as a subsequent pipeline step.

Go to Build and upload artifacts to review configuration options for uploading artifacts to object storage.

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Log output examples

No truncation

Payload size: 2.34 MB (limit: 5 MB)

With truncation

⚠️  WARNING: Ansible payload exceeds maximum size limit:
    Payload size: 25.8 MB
    Limit: 5 MB
    Hosts: 200
    Sending summary-only payload to server for telemetry.

Summary payload size: 82.45 KB (original: 25.80 MB)

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Configuration reference

Variable	Default	Description
ANSIBLE_MAX_TASK_MSG_SIZE	1000	Maximum characters for task message fields
ANSIBLE_OUTPUT_FILE	(unset)	Path to write full output before truncation

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FAQ

Why is my task output truncated?

Individual task messages exceeding 1KB are automatically truncated. Set the ANSIBLE_OUTPUT_FILE environment variable to preserve full output to a file.

Why do I not see task details in the UI?

When payload exceeds 5MB, task arrays are removed and only host-level stats are sent. Set the ANSIBLE_OUTPUT_FILE environment variable to capture full details to a file.

Can I increase the 5MB limit?

The 5MB limit is fixed to ensure system stability. Use ANSIBLE_OUTPUT_FILE to capture full output to a file instead.

Does truncation affect billing?

No. Host-level stats are always preserved and used for usage tracking.

Where should I store the output file?

The /harness/ directory is recommended. The file persists within the step execution and can be uploaded to object storage in a subsequent pipeline step.

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Related concepts

• Go to Output variables for Ansible to export data from playbooks to other pipeline steps.