Ansible: Failed to set permissions on the temporary files Ansible needs
This happens with become_user set to an unprivileged account such as postgres. Ansible uploads the module as the SSH user, and that account then has to read it. Ansible tries setfacl first, then other methods, and refuses to make the file world readable unless you tell it to. Installing the acl package on the target is almost always the right fix.
Quick fix
Read the commands before running them. Anything that restarts a service, deletes data or changes permissions should be tried on a non-production system first.
# Is setfacl available on the target?
ansible db1 -m command -a 'which setfacl'
# Install it (Debian/Ubuntu shown; dnf install acl on RHEL)
ansible db1 -b -m ansible.builtin.apt -a 'name=acl state=present'
# Pipelining avoids the temp files entirely (ansible.cfg)
# requires that requiretty is not set in sudoers
[connection]
pipelining = True
# Then retry the task
ansible-playbook site.yml --limit db1How to diagnose Ansible errors
Ansible errors split cleanly between transport problems (it cannot reach or authenticate to the host) and execution problems (it reached the host but the play failed). The message header tells you which: UNREACHABLE! is transport, FAILED! is execution. Transport issues are SSH issues wearing an Ansible hat and should be debugged with plain ssh first.
If the quick fix above does not resolve it, work through these steps. They apply to this whole class of error, not just to this one message, which is usually what saves the time.
- Run
ansible -m ping allbefore running any playbook. It isolates connectivity and privilege escalation from your task logic. - Raise verbosity progressively:
-vshows results,-vvvshows the SSH command line,-vvvvshows connection debugging. Most unreachable errors are solved at-vvv. - Use
--check --diffto see what a play would change without changing it. This turns a destructive debugging loop into a safe one. - For undefined-variable errors, dump the actual scope with a
debugtask (var: hostvars[inventory_hostname]) rather than reasoning about precedence from the docs. - Remember variable precedence order: extra vars (
-e) beat everything, role defaults lose to everything. Surprising values are nearly always a precedence surprise.
Tools worth reaching for
ansible -m pingansible-playbook --check --diffansible-lintssh -vvv
Authoritative references
Primary documentation for this error, worth reading before applying any fix in production.
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Something missing or wrong?
This entry is maintained by hand. If the fix is out of date, incomplete, or you have a better one, email a correction and it will be reviewed.