# ansible python interpreter discovery failing with what appears to be a SIGPIPE return code

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-python-interpreter-discovery-failing-with-what-appears-to-be-a-sigpipe-return-code/38075>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [June 8, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-python-interpreter-discovery-failing-with-what-appears-to-be-a-sigpipe-return-code/38075 "2023-06-08T21:45:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Joanne\_Martel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joanne\_Martel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Joanne_Martel)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-python-interpreter-discovery-failing-with-what-appears-to-be-a-sigpipe-return-code/38075/1 "2023-06-08T21:45:00Z")

</div>

I am seeing occasional problems where ansible-playbook fails during python interpreter discovery, and would appreciate any and all advice.  
The only diagnostics I can find in ansible debug output is what appears to be a SIGPIPE return code.

Background: I am running rocky8, (Rocky Linux release 8.4 (Green Obsidian)), and using ansible-7.2.0-1.el8.noarch, ansible-core-2.14.2-3.el8.x86\_64  
with python 3.11.2 on one node and deploying to many other nodes also running rocky8 with python 3.6 installed. I have an application  
the is installing and configuring software on all the nodes using ansible playbooks. Usually this runs without a problem but occasionally  
I get a failures in a playbook when it is attempting python interpreter discovery. The playbooks are run multiple times on each node to  
install/configure different services so the falling playbook is executed 1 or more times before an execution instance fails. If I execute  
the playbook again after the failure it runs ok. I verified that /usr/bin/python3.6, /usr/bin/python3 and /usr/libexec/platform-python  
all exist on each node before I start the application

Debug output:

This is the output, with -vvvvv, when one of the playbooks fails.

Attempting python interpreter discovery  
\<10.42.3.199\> ESTABLISH SSH CONNECTION FOR USER: root  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ansible.cfg set ssh\_args: (-C)(-o)(ControlMaster=auto)(-o)(ControlPersist=60s)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_HOST\_KEY\_CHECKING/host\_key\_checking disabled: (-o)(StrictHostKeyChecking=no)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_REMOTE\_PORT/remote\_port/ansible\_port set: (-o)(Port=22)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_PRIVATE\_KEY\_FILE/private\_key\_file/ansible\_ssh\_private\_key\_file set: (-o)(IdentityFile=“/root/.ssh/id\_rsa”)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ansible\_password/ansible\_ssh\_password not set:  
(-o)(KbdInteractiveAuthentication=no)(-o)(PreferredAuthentications=gssapi-with-mic,gssapi-keyex,hostbased,publickey)(-o)(PasswordAuthentication=no)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_REMOTE\_USER/remote\_user/ansible\_user/user/-u set: (-o)(User=“root”)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_TIMEOUT/timeout set: (-o)(ConnectTimeout=10)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: Set ssh\_common\_args: ()  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: Set ssh\_extra\_args: ()  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: found only ControlPersist; added ControlPath: (-o)(ControlPath=“/root/.ansible/cp/1a125e8154”)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: EXEC ssh -vvv -C -o ControlMaster=auto -o ControlPersist=60s -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o Port=22 -o ‘IdentityFile=“/root/.ssh/id\_rsa”’ -o  
KbdInteractiveAuthentication=no -o PreferredAuthentications=gssapi-with-mic,gssapi-keyex,hostbased,publickey -o PasswordAuthentication=no -o ‘User=“root”’ -o ConnectTimeout=10 -o  
‘ControlPath=“/root/.ansible/cp/1a125e8154”’ 10.42.3.199 ‘/bin/sh -c ‘"’“'echo PLATFORM; uname; echo FOUND; command -v '”’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.10’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.9’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.8’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.7’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.6’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.5’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘/usr/bin/python3’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘/usr/libexec/platform-python’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python2.7’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘/usr/bin/python’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; echo ENDFOUND && sleep 0’“'”‘’  
\<10.42.3.199\> (-13, b’', b"OpenSSH\_8.0p1, OpenSSL 1.1.1k FIPS 25 Mar 2021

My reading of the ansible source code indicates that the output of the last line is (rcode=-13, stdout, stderr).

The return code is from the subprocess.Popen call in the run\_cmd. A return of a negative number indicates a the process was terminated by  
a signal: “13 SIGPIPE Terminate Write to pipe with no readers”.

Here is the output from a successful run of the playbook with the same arguments:

Attempting python interpreter discovery  
\<10.42.3.199\> ESTABLISH SSH CONNECTION FOR USER: root  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ansible.cfg set ssh\_args: (-C)(-o)(ControlMaster=auto)(-o)(ControlPersist=60s)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_HOST\_KEY\_CHECKING/host\_key\_checking disabled: (-o)(StrictHostKeyChecking=no)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_REMOTE\_PORT/remote\_port/ansible\_port set: (-o)(Port=22)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_PRIVATE\_KEY\_FILE/private\_key\_file/ansible\_ssh\_private\_key\_file set: (-o)(IdentityFile=“/root/.ssh/id\_rsa”)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ansible\_password/ansible\_ssh\_password not set:  
(-o)(KbdInteractiveAuthentication=no)(-o)(PreferredAuthentications=gssapi-with-mic,gssapi-keyex,hostbased,publickey)(-o)(PasswordAuthentication=no)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_REMOTE\_USER/remote\_user/ansible\_user/user/-u set: (-o)(User=“root”)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: ANSIBLE\_TIMEOUT/timeout set: (-o)(ConnectTimeout=10)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: Set ssh\_common\_args: ()  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: Set ssh\_extra\_args: ()  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: found only ControlPersist; added ControlPath: (-o)(ControlPath=“/root/.ansible/cp/7dfa49af55”)  
\<10.42.3.199\> SSH: EXEC ssh -vvv -C -o ControlMaster=auto -o ControlPersist=60s -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o Port=22 -o ‘IdentityFile=“/root/.ssh/id\_rsa”’ -o  
KbdInteractiveAuthentication=no -o PreferredAuthentications=gssapi-with-mic,gssapi-keyex,hostbased,publickey -o PasswordAuthentication=no -o ‘User=“root”’ -o ConnectTimeout=10 -o  
‘ControlPath=“/root/.ansible/cp/1a125e8154”’ 10.42.3.199 ‘/bin/sh -c ‘"’“'echo PLATFORM; uname; echo FOUND; command -v '”’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.10’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.9’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.8’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.7’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.6’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python3.5’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘/usr/bin/python3’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘/usr/libexec/platform-python’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python2.7’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v  
‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘/usr/bin/python’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; command -v ‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’“‘python’”‘"’“'”‘"’“'”‘"’; echo ENDFOUND && sleep 0’“'”‘’  
\<10.42.3.199\> (0, b’PLATFORM\nLinux\nFOUND\n/usr/bin/python3.6\n/usr/bin/python3\n/usr/libexec/platform-python\nENDFOUND\n’, b"OpenSSH\_8.0p1, OpenSSL 1.1.1k FIPS 25 Mar  
2021