Ansible in a Minute · Ansible Core ·
Use loop_control pause between loop items
Short answer
Set loop_control pause so Ansible waits a number of seconds after each loop item before it starts the next one.
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Request
loop server1 and server2 with debug and pause 3 seconds between items
Example
A quick heads-up: Every environment is different. Review and test this example before you run it on systems you care about.
---
# Prompt: loop server1 and server2 with debug and pause 3 seconds between items
- name: Loop through servers and print names
hosts: all
gather_facts: false
tasks:
- name: Loop through servers
ansible.builtin.debug:
msg: "{{ item }}"
loop:
- server1
- server2
loop_control:
pause: 3How it works
loop_control.pause is a delay in seconds between items. This task prints server1, waits 3 seconds, then prints server2. The delay is not the ansible.builtin.pause module.
When to use it
- Slowing API or provision calls so a service is not flooded
- Spacing restarts or rollouts inside one looped task
Requirements
- Ansible: >=2.14
Validation
- Syntax validated
- Not execution-tested
- Last verified 2026-10-02
Notes
pause under loop_control waits after each item in that task. It does not pause between hosts. Use the pause module when you must wait once, not once per item.
Reference
- Pausing within a loop (Ansible docs)
Built for every Ansible use case in every organization
BacklogZero can generate this kind of automation in your environment, just like it did here.