Ansible Skill

Infrastructure as Code automation for server provisioning, configuration management, and orchestration.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

# Install Ansible
pip install ansible
Or on macOS
brew install ansible
Verify

ansible --version

Run Your First Playbook

# Test connection
ansible all -i inventory/hosts.yml -m ping
Run playbook
ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/site.yml
Dry run (check mode)
ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/site.yml --check
With specific tags

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/site.yml --tags "security,nodejs"

Directory Structure

skills/ansible/
├── SKILL.md              # This file
├── inventory/            # Host inventories
│   ├── hosts.yml         # Main inventory
│   └── group_vars/       # Group variables
├── playbooks/            # Runnable playbooks
│   ├── site.yml          # Master playbook
│   ├── openclaw-vps.yml  # OpenClaw VPS setup
│   └── security.yml      # Security hardening
├── roles/                # Reusable roles
│   ├── common/           # Base system setup
│   ├── security/         # Hardening (SSH, fail2ban, UFW)
│   ├── nodejs/           # Node.js installation
│   └── openclaw/         # OpenClaw installation
└── references/           # Documentation
    ├── best-practices.md
    ├── modules-cheatsheet.md
    └── troubleshooting.md

Core Concepts

Inventory

Define your hosts in

inventory/hosts.yml

all:
  children:
    vps:
      hosts:
        eva:
          ansible_host: 217.13.104.208
          ansible_user: root
          ansible_ssh_pass: "{{ vault_eva_password }}"
        plane:
          ansible_host: 217.13.104.99
          ansible_user: asdbot
          ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_plane
openclaw:
  hosts:
    eva:

Playbooks

Entry points for automation:

# playbooks/site.yml - Master playbook
---
- name: Configure all servers
  hosts: all
  become: yes
  roles:
    - common
    - security

name: Setup OpenClaw servers
hosts: openclaw
become: yes
roles:

nodejs
openclaw

Roles

Reusable, modular configurations:

# roles/common/tasks/main.yml
---
- name: Update apt cache
  ansible.builtin.apt:
    update_cache: yes
    cache_valid_time: 3600
  when: ansible_os_family == "Debian"

name: Install essential packages
ansible.builtin.apt:
name:
- curl
- wget
- git
- htop
- vim
- unzip
state: present

Included Roles

1. common

Base system configuration:

System updates
Essential packages
Timezone configuration
User creation with SSH keys

2. security

Hardening following CIS benchmarks:

SSH hardening (key-only, no root)
fail2ban for brute-force protection
UFW firewall configuration
Automatic security updates

3. nodejs

Node.js installation via NodeSource:

Configurable version (default: 22.x LTS)
npm global packages
pm2 process manager (optional)

4. openclaw

Complete OpenClaw setup:

Node.js (via nodejs role)
OpenClaw npm installation
Systemd service
Configuration file setup

Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: New VPS Setup (OpenClaw)

# 1. Add host to inventory
cat >> inventory/hosts.yml << 'EOF'
        newserver:
          ansible_host: 1.2.3.4
          ansible_user: root
          ansible_ssh_pass: "initial_password"
          deploy_user: asdbot
          deploy_ssh_pubkey: "ssh-ed25519 AAAA... asdbot"
EOF
2. Run OpenClaw playbook
ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/openclaw-vps.yml 

--limit newserver 

--ask-vault-pass
3. After initial setup, update inventory to use key auth
ansible_user: asdbot
ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Pattern 2: Security Hardening Only

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/security.yml \
  --limit production \
  --tags "ssh,firewall"

Pattern 3: Rolling Updates

# Update one server at a time
ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/update.yml \
  --serial 1

Pattern 4: Ad-hoc Commands

# Check disk space on all servers
ansible all -i inventory/hosts.yml -m shell -a "df -h"
Restart service
ansible openclaw -i inventory/hosts.yml -m systemd -a "name=openclaw state=restarted"
Copy file

ansible all -i inventory/hosts.yml -m copy -a "src=./file.txt dest=/tmp/"

Variables & Secrets

Group Variables

# inventory/group_vars/all.yml
---
timezone: Europe/Budapest
deploy_user: asdbot
ssh_port: 22
Security
security_ssh_password_auth: false
security_ssh_permit_root: false
security_fail2ban_enabled: true
security_ufw_enabled: true
security_ufw_allowed_ports:

22
80
443

Node.js

nodejs_version: "22.x"

Vault for Secrets

# Create encrypted vars file
ansible-vault create inventory/group_vars/all/vault.yml
Edit encrypted file
ansible-vault edit inventory/group_vars/all/vault.yml
Run with vault
ansible-playbook site.yml --ask-vault-pass
Or use vault password file

ansible-playbook site.yml --vault-password-file ~/.vault_pass

Vault file structure:

# inventory/group_vars/all/vault.yml
---
vault_eva_password: "y8UGHR1qH"
vault_deploy_ssh_key: |
  -----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
  ...
  -----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----

Common Modules

Module	Purpose	Example
`apt`	Package management (Debian)	`apt: name=nginx state=present`
`yum`	Package management (RHEL)	`yum: name=nginx state=present`
`copy`	Copy files	`copy: src=file dest=/path/`
`template`	Template files (Jinja2)	`template: src=nginx.conf.j2 dest=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf`
`file`	File/directory management	`file: path=/dir state=directory mode=0755`
`user`	User management	`user: name=asdbot groups=sudo shell=/bin/bash`
`authorized_key`	SSH keys	`authorized_key: user=asdbot key="{{ ssh_key }}"`
`systemd`	Service management	`systemd: name=nginx state=started enabled=yes`
`ufw`	Firewall (Ubuntu)	`ufw: rule=allow port=22 proto=tcp`
`lineinfile`	Edit single line	`lineinfile: path=/etc/ssh/sshd_config regexp='^PermitRootLogin' line='PermitRootLogin no'`
`git`	Clone repos	`git: repo=https://github.com/x/y.git dest=/opt/y`
`npm`	npm packages	`npm: name=openclaw global=yes`
`command`	Run command	`command: /opt/script.sh`
`shell`	Run shell command	`shell: cat /etc/passwd \| grep root`

Best Practices

1. Always Name Tasks

# Good
- name: Install nginx web server
  apt:
    name: nginx
    state: present
Bad

apt: name=nginx

2. Use FQCN (Fully Qualified Collection Names)

# Good
- ansible.builtin.apt:
    name: nginx
Acceptable but less clear

apt:
name: nginx

3. Explicit State

# Good - explicit state
- ansible.builtin.apt:
    name: nginx
    state: present
Bad - implicit state

ansible.builtin.apt:
name: nginx

4. Idempotency

Write tasks that can run multiple times safely:

# Good - idempotent
- name: Ensure config line exists
  ansible.builtin.lineinfile:
    path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    regexp: '^PasswordAuthentication'
    line: 'PasswordAuthentication no'
Bad - not idempotent

name: Add config line
ansible.builtin.shell: echo "PasswordAuthentication no" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config

5. Use Handlers for Restarts

# tasks/main.yml
- name: Update SSH config
  ansible.builtin.template:
    src: sshd_config.j2
    dest: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
  notify: Restart SSH
handlers/main.yml

name: Restart SSH
ansible.builtin.systemd:
name: sshd
state: restarted

6. Tags for Selective Runs

- name: Security tasks
  ansible.builtin.include_tasks: security.yml
  tags: [security, hardening]

name: App deployment
ansible.builtin.include_tasks: deploy.yml
tags: [deploy, app]

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

# Test SSH connection manually
ssh -v user@host
Debug Ansible connection
ansible host -i inventory -m ping -vvv
Check inventory parsing

ansible-inventory -i inventory --list

Common Errors

"Permission denied"

Check SSH key permissions:
```
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_*
```
Verify user has sudo access
Add
```
become: yes
```
to playbook

"Host key verification failed"

Add to ansible.cfg:
```
host_key_checking = False
```

Or add host key:

ssh-keyscan -H host >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts

"Module not found"

Use FQCN:
```
ansible.builtin.apt
```
instead of
```
apt
```

Install collection:

ansible-galaxy collection install community.general

Debugging Playbooks

# Verbose output
ansible-playbook site.yml -v    # Basic
ansible-playbook site.yml -vv   # More
ansible-playbook site.yml -vvv  # Maximum
Step through tasks
ansible-playbook site.yml --step
Start at specific task
ansible-playbook site.yml --start-at-task="Install nginx"
Check mode (dry run)

ansible-playbook site.yml --check --diff

Integration with OpenClaw

From OpenClaw Agent

# Run playbook via exec tool
exec command="ansible-playbook -i skills/ansible/inventory/hosts.yml skills/ansible/playbooks/openclaw-vps.yml --limit eva"
Ad-hoc command

exec command="ansible eva -i skills/ansible/inventory/hosts.yml -m shell -a 'systemctl status openclaw'"

Storing Credentials

Use OpenClaw's Vaultwarden integration:

# Get password from vault cache
PASSWORD=$(.secrets/get-secret.sh "VPS - Eva")
Use in ansible (not recommended - use ansible-vault instead)
ansible-playbook site.yml -e "ansible_ssh_pass=$PASSWORD"

Better: Store in Ansible Vault and use

--ask-vault-pass

References

```
references/best-practices.md
```
- Detailed best practices guide
```
references/modules-cheatsheet.md
```
- Common modules quick reference
```
references/troubleshooting.md
```
- Extended troubleshooting guide

External Resources

Ansible Documentation
Ansible Galaxy - Community roles
geerlingguy roles - High quality roles
Ansible for DevOps - Book by Jeff Geerling

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Ansible Skill

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Or on macOS

Verify

Run Your First Playbook

Run playbook

Dry run (check mode)

With specific tags

Directory Structure

Core Concepts

Inventory

Playbooks

Roles

Included Roles

1. common

2. security

3. nodejs

4. openclaw

Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: New VPS Setup (OpenClaw)

2. Run OpenClaw playbook

3. After initial setup, update inventory to use key auth

ansible_user: asdbot

ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Pattern 2: Security Hardening Only

Pattern 3: Rolling Updates

Pattern 4: Ad-hoc Commands

Restart service

Copy file

Variables & Secrets

Group Variables

Security

Node.js

Vault for Secrets

Edit encrypted file

Run with vault

Or use vault password file

Common Modules

Best Practices

1. Always Name Tasks

Bad

2. Use FQCN (Fully Qualified Collection Names)

Acceptable but less clear

3. Explicit State

Bad - implicit state

4. Idempotency

Bad - not idempotent

5. Use Handlers for Restarts

handlers/main.yml

6. Tags for Selective Runs

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Debug Ansible connection

Check inventory parsing

Common Errors

Debugging Playbooks

Step through tasks

Start at specific task

Check mode (dry run)

Integration with OpenClaw

From OpenClaw Agent

Ad-hoc command

Storing Credentials

Use in ansible (not recommended - use ansible-vault instead)

References

External Resources

Quick Start

Manual Installation

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