Skills Guide

Validate Ansible Syntax

VerifiedSafe

Validate Ansible playbook syntax and run ansible-lint to detect issues.

Download and use
Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevOpsBeginner
7/22/2026
Claude Code
#ansible#linting#syntax-check#infrastructure-as-code#playbooks

Recommended for

Backend developerClaude CodeDevOps engineerGit automation

Automated summary

Checks Ansible playbook syntax and then runs ansible-lint on the full playbook, a named role, or a specific file.

Strengths

  • Chains syntax checking and linting in a single run
  • Scopes the lint step based on the argument passed (site.yml, a role under local-roles/, or a file path)
  • Activates the project venv automatically and respects the production profile in .ansible-lint

Limitations

  • Assumes a fixed layout: venv at ~/.ansible-venv, inventory at tests/inventory, and tests/test.yml
  • Does not fix issues; it only surfaces errors and suggests possible fixes
  • External roles under roles/ are excluded from linting, so they go unchecked
When to use it

Run it before committing or executing a playbook to catch syntax errors and Ansible style violations.

When not to use it

Not useful for testing actual playbook runtime behavior, or on projects that don't follow this venv and file layout.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score88/100

The skill only activates a local Ansible virtualenv and runs ansible-playbook --syntax-check plus ansible-lint against project files. It does not fetch remote content, exfiltrate secrets, delete files, or disable safety mechanisms. Bash usage is limited to legitimate Ansible validation commands.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Lint du playbook complet
Validate the Ansible syntax and run ansible-lint on site.yml.
Lint d'un rôle précis
Run ansible-validate on the vagrant role to check it before I commit.
Vérifier un fichier modifié
Can you syntax-check my playbook and lint local-roles/webserver/tasks/main.yml?

name: ansible-validate description: Validate Ansible playbook syntax and run ansible-lint allowed-tools: Bash(source ~/.ansible-venv/bin/activate*), Bash(ansible*), Read, Grep, Glob

Validate Ansible syntax and lint for this project.

Steps

  1. Activate the project venv and run syntax check:

    source ~/.ansible-venv/bin/activate && ansible-playbook -vv -i tests/inventory tests/test.yml --syntax-check

  2. Run ansible-lint on the target scope:

    • If $ARGUMENTS is empty, lint the full playbook: 
      source ~/.ansible-venv/bin/activate && ansible-lint site.yml
    • If $ARGUMENTS specifies a role name (e.g., vagrant), lint that role: 
      source ~/.ansible-venv/bin/activate && ansible-lint local-roles/<role_name>/
    • If $ARGUMENTS specifies a file path, lint that file: 
      source ~/.ansible-venv/bin/activate && ansible-lint <file_path>

  3. Report results clearly:

    • If both pass: confirm success
    • If either fails: show the errors and suggest fixes based on the project's .ansible-lint config (production profile, see skip_list for tolerated rules)

Notes

  • The venv is at ~/.ansible-venv
  • The lint config is in .ansible-lint (production profile)
  • External roles in roles/ are excluded from linting
  • All working paths are relative to the project root

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/download' --output '.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

Tools declared by the author (check availability in your agent): Bash(source ~/.ansible-venv/bin/activate*), Bash(ansible*), Read, Grep, Glob

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/ansible-validate' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv' '.claude/skills/ansible-validate'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv'

openskills read 'validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/validate-ansible-syntax-mrwak9hv/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

Related skills

Configure a Chat Channel with SecretRefs

DevOps

Set up chat channels using non-interactive commands, with secrets only as SecretRefs. Covers gather, mutate, repair, and prove steps for reliable delivery.

Claude CodeCodexintermediateSafe 387,940
Skills Guide Bot

Investigate ClickHouse CI Failures

DevOps

Investigate a ClickHouse CI failure end-to-end from a PR or S3 report URL. Fetches failed tests, classifies flaky vs real regression, and checks for existing issues/fixes.

Claude CodeadvancedSafe 49,516
Skills Guide Bot

Ansible PR Review

DevOps

Reviews an Ansible PR following the project's standardized process, including changelog checks, test coverage validation, and feedback tracking.

Claude CodeintermediateSafe 70,491
Skills Guide Bot