Unable to set environment variables for use in ansible roles - ansible

Question

I have playbook running fine when I have environment variables and tasks defined in one single playbook without roles.
But when I structure my project into roles, I see that running tasks is not finding the environment variables that are set from the original playbook.
Any hint how to set env variables so they are available for all roles inside a playbook?
Do I need to specify the environment variables in tasks/main.yaml file?, if yes how should do this exactly?
cat playbook.yaml
-
name: Deploy Team Services Playbook
hosts: all
environment:
PATH: "{{ ansible_env.PATH }}:/usr/local/bin"
KUBECONFIG: "{{ ansible_env.HOME }}/.kube/config/{{ ansible_env.USER }}.kubeconfig"
roles:
- prereq1_setup
- prereq2_k8s
prereq1_setup\tasks\main.yaml
- name: "Validate kubeconfig set?"
shell: echo {{ ansible_env.KUBECONFIG }}
failed_when: "'KUBECONFIG' not in ansible_env"
Above works if I don't use roles and directly add tasks below. currently, am getting error as
output:
|TASK [prereq1_setup : Validate kubeconfig set?] *****************************************************
fatal: [target1]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: 'dict object' has no attribute 'KUBECONFIG'\n\nThe error appears to be in '/Users/testu/ansible/ansible-team/team_deploy/roles/prereq1_setup/tasks/main.yaml': line 57, column 9, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n\n - name: \"Validate kubeconfig set?\"\n ^ here\n"}

Answer 1

Any hint how to set env variables so they are available for all roles inside a playbook?
The mechanism you are using is correct, and that environment variable is being correctly set, but it is set in the environment, and not in the ansible facts. Those facts are gathered before the playbook boots up, and thus your environment: happens after fact gathering, which explains why ansible_env does not contain it
You have a few paths forward, depending on what you prefer:
Explicitly re-gather facts inside the playbook (or even change your playbook to gather_facts: no and invoke setup: manually)
Stop looking for the environment in ansible_env, with the trust that it is actually there, and just use the commands which need the environment variable
Explicitly declare a separate fact to make that variable available to both the environment: and to the ansible tasks
If you want the first one, it would look like:
-
name: Deploy Team Services Playbook
hosts: all
gather_facts: no
environment:
whatever: goes here
pre_tasks:
- setup:
roles:
- and so forth
You can confirm the second via:
- name: ensure $KUBECONFIG is set
shell: echo $KUBECONFIG
And the third would look like:
- hosts: all
environment:
alpha: beta
vars:
alpha: beta
roles:
- # now {{ alpha }} is available to ansible and as $alpha in `commands:`