How do I exit Ansible play without error on a condition

Question

I want to exit without an error (I know about assert and fail modules) when I meet a certain condition. The following code exits but with a failure:

  tasks:      - name: Check if there is something to upgrade       shell: if apt-get --dry-run upgrade | grep -q "0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded"; then echo "no"; else echo "yes"; fi       register: upgrading      - name: Exit if nothing to upgrade       fail: msg="Nothing to upgrade"       when: upgrading.stdout == "no" 

Answer 1

Since Ansible 2.2, you can use end_play with the meta module:

- meta: end_play 

You can also specify when for conditionally ending the play:

- meta: end_play   when: upgrading.stdout == "no" 

Note, though, that the task is not listed in the output of ansible-playbook, regardless of whether or not the play actually ends. Also, the task is not counted in the recap. So, you could do something like:

- block:     - name: "end play if nothing to upgrade"       debug:         msg: "nothing to upgrade, ending play"      - meta: end_play   when: upgrading.stdout == "no" 

which will announce the end of the play right before ending it, only when the condition is met. If the condition is not met, you'll see the task named end play if nothing to upgrade appropriately skipped, which would provide more info to the user as to why the play is, or is not, ending.

Of course, this will only end the current play and not all remaining plays in the playbook.

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UPDATE June 20 2019:

As reto mentions in comments, end_play ends the play for all hosts. In Ansible 2.8, end_host was added to meta:

end_host (added in Ansible 2.8) is a per-host variation of end_play. Causes the play to end for the current host without failing it.

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UPDATE Feb 2021: fixed broken link to meta module

Answer 2

Just a little note: meta: end_play ends just the play, not a playbook. So this playbook:

--- - name: 1st play with end play   hosts: localhost   connection: local   gather_facts: no   tasks:     - name: I'll always be printed       debug:         msg: next task terminates first play      - name: Ending the 1st play now       meta: end_play      - name: I want to be printed!       debug:         msg: However I'm unreachable so this message won't appear in the output  - name: 2nd play   hosts: localhost   connection: local   gather_facts: no   tasks:     - name: I will also be printed always       debug:         msg: "meta: end_play ended just the 1st play. This is 2nd one." 

will produce this output:

$ ansible-playbook -i localhost, playbooks/end_play.yml   PLAY [1st play with end play] **************************************************  TASK [I'll always be printed] ************************************************** ok: [localhost] => {     "msg": "next task terminates first play" }  PLAY [2nd play] ****************************************************************  TASK [I will also be printed always] ******************************************* ok: [localhost] => {     "msg": "meta: end_play ended just the 1st play. This is 2nd one." }  PLAY RECAP ********************************************************************* localhost                  : ok=2    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0