| name | watchdog |
| description | Maintains the ansible/roles/watchdog Ansible role that configures the systemd hardware/software watchdog (runtime/reboot/kexec timeouts and device), as part of the Linux SOE. Use when checking or fixing systemd watchdog configuration. |
watchdog
Maintains ansible/roles/watchdog/. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the shared
conventions (role layout, audit vs. remediate via --check --diff, safety
rules, branch + PR contribution workflow).
ansible/roles/watchdog/README.md documents this role's full
configuration surface (every defaults/main.yml variable, with its
original inline comments, rendered as a single reference). Read it
before proposing or explaining how to configure this role — it
reflects the role's actual current defaults even if a variable summary
elsewhere in this file has drifted out of sync with the role.
What the role actually does
Encoded in ansible/roles/watchdog/defaults/main.yml:
watchdog_enable (default true) branches into enable.yml/disable.yml.watchdog_runtime_sec (default 60s) is the only timeout set by default;
watchdog_reboot_sec, watchdog_kexec_sec, watchdog_device are unset.- Configuration file location is version-dependent: RHEL 10+ writes a drop-in
at
/etc/systemd/system.conf.d/95-ansible.conf; earlier releases edit
/etc/systemd/system.conf directly.
This role is sourced from the myllynen/rhel-ansible-roles import
(see git log -- ansible/roles/watchdog) rather than hand-authored for this
repo. Unlike the original reference domains (e.g. timesync, usbguard_setup),
it applies state declaratively via standard Ansible modules and does not
add its own assert-based drift checks on top — an audit here is exactly
what --check --diff reports from the underlying modules, nothing more.
What to do
Audit (read-only, safe to run any time):
ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml --tags watchdog --check --diff
Summarize the diff output and any failed tasks in plain language.
Remediate (modifies the system — only after the user explicitly asks):
first summarize what will change from the --check --diff output, then run
the same command without --check:
ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml --tags watchdog
Propose a change to the role itself: never edit and commit directly. On a
branch named soe/watchdog/<short-desc>, edit ansible/roles/watchdog/, validate
locally (--syntax-check, ansible-lint roles/watchdog/, and
--check --diff against a real/test host if available), then push and open a
PR titled [watchdog] <what changed> with the --check --diff output in the
body. Then stop — a human reviews and merges; see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md's
"Contribution workflow".
Wiring into the SOE
This role is in configure_rhel_domains's default value in
ansible/configure_rhel.yml (see .claude/skills/configure_rhel/SKILL.md)
and has a row in .claude/skills/soe/SKILL.md's domain table, so it runs as
part of both ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml --tags watchdog ... and
a full, untagged ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml run. This repo
no longer uses ansible/site.yml as the baseline entrypoint — see
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.
