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An approved catalog operation's inputs are Ansible-templated on the management host #181
Description
Found while fixing #174 (PR #179).
The problem
An approved catalog operation's inputs reach the team's own playbook as --extra-vars JSON (sdk/src/cloudfall/decision.py:874, run_command), and Ansible templates extra-var values. An input holding {{ lookup('pipe', '...') }} is evaluated on the management host when the playbook starts, with the operator's rights.
Why it matters
The proposal is approved before it runs, so a person sees the input; but an approver reads it as a value, not as code, and an agent proposing the operation chooses it. It also breaks an honest input holding {{.
Why it isn't in #179
The inputs aren't Cloudfall config: marking them unsafe changes what the team's playbook receives (a playbook that templates an input on purpose would stop working), and the replay code in sdk/src/cloudfall/recording.py would need to read the marked form.
Activity
shipmill-romamo commentedon Oct 30, 2026
Triage: implement. Waits on your decision below.
Checked on main (745c129):
run_commandinsdk/src/cloudfall/decision.pypassesinvocation.inputsas--extra-varsJSON unmarked, and Ansible templates extra-var values, the same class of bug as #174.The plan, once decided:
{"__ansible_unsafe": ...}) in the--extra-varsJSON, the form Hand declared config strings to Ansible as data, never as templates (#174) #179 uses for the inventorysdk/src/cloudfall/recording.pyread the marked form, so recorded runs replay as beforeansible-playbookwith an input holding{{ lookup('pipe', 'touch <marker>') }}: the marker is never created and the playbook sees the literal textBehaviour change: a team playbook that relied on an input being evaluated as Jinja would get the literal text. I'll link the PR here.
shipmill-romamo commentedon Oct 30, 2026
@romamo Decision needed: should the inputs of an approved catalog operation reach the team's playbook as plain text, never evaluated as
{{ ... }}?{{in an input works; a team playbook that wanted an input evaluated as a template gets the literal text instead{{or{%when the operation is proposed: nothing changes for the playbook, but such inputs can't be given at allReply here with a number or your own answer; shipmill takes this up on the tick after your reply.
shipmill-romamo commentedon Oct 31, 2026
Decision by @romamo, relayed by Claude Code
shipmill-romamo commentedon Oct 31, 2026
PR: #189, on the maintainer's answer (1, plain text).
run_commandinsdk/src/cloudfall/decision.py, the one place that builds a catalog operation's--extra-vars, now marks every input string withas_ansible_datafrom #179, so check mode,decisions approveandagent investigatehand an input holding{{ ... }}to the team's playbook as written; integers and booleans keep their types. The replay inrecording.pyreads the marked argv back unmarked, so recordings made before the change still match. The decision record'sinputsand its schema are unchanged.Behaviour change: a team playbook that relied on an input being evaluated as Jinja gets the literal text. Proof: a real
ansible-playbookrun with{{ lookup('pipe', 'touch <marker>') }}as an input creates the marker on main and not on the PR.shipmill-romamo commentedon Oct 31, 2026
Released in v0.8.0rc14 (pre-release).
A plain install gets it with the next stable release.
If you filed this: react 👍 on this comment once it works for you, or reply if it doesn't.