Ansible in a Minute · Ansible Core ·
Use truthy to test whether a value is true
Short answer
Use the truthy test in when to treat a non-empty or true-like value as true.
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Request
run debug when feature_flag is truthy
Example
A quick heads-up: Every environment is different. Review and test this example before you run it on systems you care about.
---
- name: Run debug when feature_flag is truthy
hosts: all
gather_facts: true
tasks:
- name: Check if feature_flag is truthy
ansible.builtin.set_fact:
feature_flag_is_truthy: "{{ feature_flag | default(false) }}"
- name: Run debug if feature_flag is truthy
ansible.builtin.debug:
msg: "Feature flag is truthy"
when: feature_flag_is_truthyHow it works
default(false) makes an undefined feature_flag evaluate as false. when then treats a non-empty or true-like value as true. The truthy test follows Python truth rules. A non-empty string is true. An empty string, 0, none, and an empty list are false. Use is falsy for the inverse.
When to use it
- Branching on extra vars that arrive as strings
- Skipping work when a flag is empty
Requirements
- Ansible: >=2.14
Validation
- Syntax validated
- Not execution-tested
- Last verified 2026-09-16
Notes
is truthy(convert_bool=True) converts strings such as yes, on, true, no, and off before the test. Without convert_bool, the string off is still truthy because it is not empty. Use Jinja test syntax (is truthy), not a filter.
Reference
- Testing truthiness (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.