Agent skills
localsetup-ansible-skill

Agent skill

localsetup-ansible-skill

Infrastructure automation with Ansible. Use for server provisioning, configuration management, application deployment, and multi-host orchestration. Includes example playbooks for VPS setup, security hardening, and common server configurations. Bundled examples may reference one platform; adapt paths and commands for your environment.

View SKILL.md on GitHub Repository

Stars 163

Forks 31

Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/other/other/localsetup-ansible-skill

Metadata

Additional technical details for this skill

version: 1.1

SKILL.md

Ansible Skill

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

Quick Start

Prerequisites

bash

# Install Ansible
pip install ansible

# Or on macOS
brew install ansible

# Verify
ansible --version

Run Your First Playbook

bash

# 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  # Example VPS/agent-host playbook (adapt as needed)
│   └── security.yml      # Security hardening
├── roles/                # Reusable roles
│   ├── common/           # Base system setup
│   ├── security/         # Hardening (SSH, fail2ban, UFW)
│   ├── nodejs/           # Node.js installation
│   └── openclaw/         # Example agent-host role (adapt as needed)
└── references/           # Documentation
    ├── best-practices.md
    ├── modules-cheatsheet.md
    └── troubleshooting.md

Core Concepts

Inventory

Define your hosts in inventory/hosts.yml:

yaml

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:              # Example agent-host group; rename in inventory as needed
      hosts:
        eva:

Playbooks

Entry points for automation:

yaml

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

- name: Setup agent-host servers (example playbook uses openclaw group/role)
  hosts: openclaw
  become: yes
  roles:
    - nodejs
    - openclaw

Roles

Reusable, modular configurations:

yaml

# 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 (example agent-host role)

Example role for one platform; adapt for your setup:

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

Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: New VPS setup (example: agent host)

Bundled playbook openclaw-vps.yml is one example; adapt or rename for your setup.

bash

# 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 VPS/agent-host playbook (example: openclaw-vps.yml)
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

bash

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

Pattern 3: Rolling Updates

bash

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

Pattern 4: Ad-hoc Commands

bash

# Check disk space on all servers
ansible all -i inventory/hosts.yml -m shell -a "df -h"

# Restart service (openclaw is example service/group name; use your inventory)
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

yaml

# 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

bash

# 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:

yaml

# 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

yaml

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

# Bad
- apt: name=nginx

2. Use FQCN (Fully Qualified Collection Names)

yaml

# Good
- ansible.builtin.apt:
    name: nginx

# Acceptable but less clear
- apt:
    name: nginx

3. Explicit State

yaml

# 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:

yaml

# 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

yaml

# 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

yaml

- 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

bash

# 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

bash

# 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

Running playbooks from an agent

Use your platform's command or terminal tool to run ansible-playbook (or the skill's main commands). Paths in examples are relative to the skill directory or repo root; adjust for your layout.

Running playbooks: Invoke the playbook via your platform's shell/exec/run capability (e.g. terminal, exec tool, or run command). Example: ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/site.yml --limit <host>.
Secrets: Store credentials in your platform's secret store or use Ansible Vault; pass vault password via --ask-vault-pass or a vault password file. Do not hardcode secrets in the skill or inventory.

Some platforms offer secret managers; use them if available, otherwise Ansible Vault is the standard approach.

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

Maintainer

majiayu000 Core maintainer

Source details

Full Name: majiayu000/claude-skill-registry
Branch: main
Path in repo: skills/other/other/localsetup-ansible-skill
License: MIT License

Featured Tools

Join Our Newsletter

Stay updated with the latest AI tools, news, and offers by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

Recommended Agent Skills

Expand your agent's capabilities with these related and highly-rated skills.

majiayu000/claude-skill-registry

agent-ops-spec

Manage specification documents in .agent/specs/. Use when user provides requirements, acceptance criteria, or feature descriptions that need to be tracked and validated against implementation.

163 31

Explore

majiayu000/claude-skill-registry

agent-ops-state

Maintain .agent state files. Use at session start, after meaningful steps, and before concluding: read/update constitution/memory/focus/issues/baseline consistently.

163 31

Explore

majiayu000/claude-skill-registry

agent-ops-spec

Manage specification documents in .agent/specs/. Use when user provides requirements, acceptance criteria, or feature descriptions that need to be tracked and validated against implementation.

163 31

Explore

majiayu000/claude-skill-registry

agent-ops-testing

Test strategy, execution, and coverage analysis. Use when designing tests, running test suites, or analyzing test results beyond baseline checks.

163 31

Explore

majiayu000/claude-skill-registry

agent-ops-testing

Test strategy, execution, and coverage analysis. Use when designing tests, running test suites, or analyzing test results beyond baseline checks.

163 31

Explore

majiayu000/claude-skill-registry

agent-ops-state

Maintain .agent state files. Use at session start, after meaningful steps, and before concluding: read/update constitution/memory/focus/issues/baseline consistently.

163 31

Explore

Didn't find tool you were looking for?

Search AI Tools

Install this agent skill to your Project

Metadata

SKILL.md

Ansible Skill

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Run Your First Playbook

Directory Structure

Core Concepts

Inventory

Playbooks

Roles

Included Roles

1. common

2. security

3. nodejs

4. openclaw (example agent-host role)

Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: New VPS setup (example: agent host)

Pattern 2: Security Hardening Only

Pattern 3: Rolling Updates

Pattern 4: Ad-hoc Commands

Variables & Secrets

Group Variables

Vault for Secrets

Common Modules

Best Practices

1. Always Name Tasks

2. Use FQCN (Fully Qualified Collection Names)

3. Explicit State

4. Idempotency

5. Use Handlers for Restarts

6. Tags for Selective Runs

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Common Errors

Debugging Playbooks

Running playbooks from an agent

References

External Resources

Recommended Agent Skills

agent-ops-spec

agent-ops-state

agent-ops-spec

agent-ops-testing

agent-ops-testing

agent-ops-state