# combining set\_fact with --start-at-task

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/combining-set-fact-with-start-at-task/22770>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [October 11, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/combining-set-fact-with-start-at-task/22770 "2016-10-11T18:04:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jan.warchol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f1d935/32.png) [@jan.warchol](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jan.warchol)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/combining-set-fact-with-start-at-task/22770/1 "2016-10-11T18:04:34Z")

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Hi,

I have a play that sets some facts at the very beginning, using set\_fact (I cannot use group\_vars for defining these variables). Now, if this playbook fails and I rerun it using --start-at-task=something, the set\_fact won’t be ran and the playbook will fail.

Is there any way of forcing “set\_fact” tasks to always run? (using “tags: always” doesn’t help). Or some other way that would allow me to define special variables but at the same time be able to start the playbook at any task?

thanks,  
Janek

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**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 4:27am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/combining-set-fact-with-start-at-task/22770/2 "2016-10-20T04:27:14Z")

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The ‘always’ tag only affects the --tags option, there is currently no way to override --start-at-task.

I would recommend using --step to run the set\_fact tasks and then skip the others.