Ansible in a Minute · Ansible Core · September 17, 2026

Use changed_when so a task can notify a handler

Short answer

Handlers run only when a task reports changed. Use changed_when to control whether notify fires.

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copy httpd.conf, mark the task changed, and notify Restart apache

Example

A quick heads-up: Every environment is different. Review and test this example before you run it on systems you care about.

YAML

---
- name: Restart apache when the copy reports changed
  hosts: all
  become: true
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: Copy httpd configuration
      ansible.builtin.copy:
        src: ./new_httpd.conf
        dest: /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
      changed_when: true
      notify: Restart apache

  handlers:
    - name: Restart apache
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: httpd
        state: restarted

How it works

notify queues a handler only when the task reports changed. changed_when true forces a changed result so the handler runs after this copy. Use a real condition when change depends on command output.

When to use it

Forcing a handler after a task that would otherwise report ok
Pairing command modules with notify

Requirements

Ansible: >=2.14

Validation

Syntax validated
Not execution-tested
Last verified 2026-09-17

Notes

changed_when: true always notifies. Prefer a condition such as "'updated' in result.stdout" when the module already returns useful output. See Defining changed for more changed_when examples.

Reference

Defining when tasks change (Ansible docs)

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