generate-playbook

name	generate-playbook
description	Generate an Ansible playbook for network automation. Use when the user asks to automate a network task, create a playbook, deploy changes across multiple devices, or build network automation.

Ansible Playbook Generation

Generate production-ready Ansible playbooks for network automation.

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Requirements

Ask the user for:

• Task — what to automate (e.g., deploy VLANs, backup configs, upgrade firmware)
• Target devices — how many, what type (e.g., 3x Arista 7050X, 10x Cisco C9300)
• Platform — determines Ansible collection (cisco.ios, arista.eos, junipernetworks.junos)
• Variables — any parameters (VLAN IDs, interface names, IP ranges)

Step 2: Verify Module Syntax

Call damira_search_vendor_docs to verify:

• Correct Ansible collection and module names for the platform
• Module parameters and syntax
• Any version-specific considerations

Use the correct collections:

• Cisco IOS/IOS-XE: cisco.ios
• Cisco NX-OS: cisco.nxos
• Arista EOS: arista.eos
• Juniper Junos: junipernetworks.junos
• Palo Alto: paloaltonetworks.panos
• Fortinet: fortinet.fortios

Step 3: Generate Playbook

Write a complete playbook including:

• Inventory file — example hosts file with device groups
• Group vars — platform-specific connection settings (ansible_network_os, ansible_connection)
• Playbook — tasks with proper module usage, handlers, tags
• Error handling — rescue blocks for critical operations
• Idempotency — playbook should be safe to run multiple times

Step 4: Save to Workspace

Save files:

• Playbook: playbooks/{task-name}.yml
• Inventory: playbooks/inventory/{group-name}.yml (if not existing)
• Group vars: playbooks/group_vars/{group}.yml (if needed)

Step 5: Provide Run Instructions

Show the user how to run it:

ansible-playbook -i playbooks/inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/{task-name}.yml --check
# Review output, then run for real:
ansible-playbook -i playbooks/inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/{task-name}.yml

Include --check (dry run) before the actual run.