# Connection refused when sending mail with ansible **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [June 2, 2016, 12:58pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/connection-refused-when-sending-mail-with-ansible/21642 "2016-06-02T12:58:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colin\_MacKenzie\_III](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Colin\_MacKenzie\_III](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Colin_MacKenzie_III)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 12:58pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/connection-refused-when-sending-mail-with-ansible/21642/1 "2016-06-02T12:58:06Z")
I am running ansible on a macbook pro. when i use mail Mod like this… - name: Send Emails local\_action: mail subject=“Company WFI Report – Automated email” body=“This email is automated contact Colin Mackenzie if you have problems” [from="Colin.Mackenzie@company.com](mailto:from=%22Colin.Mackenzie@company.com)" [to="Blah0.Blah0@company.com](mailto:to=%22Blah0.Blah0@company.com), [Blah1.Blah1@company.com](mailto:Blah1.Blah1@company.com), [Blah1.Blah1@company.com](mailto:Blah1.Blah1@company.com)" [cc="Colin.Mackenzie@company.com](mailto:cc=%22Colin.Mackenzie@company.com)" attach=‘/Users/mackc/ansible/reports/{{ inventory\_hostname }}-WFIActiveViewers-{{ filename\_date\_part }}.txt’ charset=utf8 I get this error: fatal: [WEBNODE1 → localhost]: FAILED! =\> {“changed”: false, “failed”: true, “invocation”: {“module\_args”: {“attach”: “/Users/mackc/ansible/reports/WEBNODE1-WFIActiveViewers-20160602124241UTC.txt”, “bcc”: null, “body”: “This email is automated contact Colin Mackenzie if you have problems”, “cc”: “[Colin.Mackenzie@company.com](mailto:Colin.Mackenzie@company.com)”, “charset”: “utf8”, “from”: “[Colin.Mackenzie@company.com](mailto:Colin.Mackenzie@company.com)”, “headers”: null, “host”: “localhost”, “password”: null, “port”: “25”, “sender”: “[blah.Blah@company.com](mailto:blah.Blah@company.com)”, “subject”: Compnay WFI Report – Automated email", “subtype”: “plain”, “to”: “[Blah2.Blah0@company.com](mailto:Blah2.Blah0@company.com), [Blah1.Blah1@company.com](mailto:Blah1.Blah1@company.com), [Blah2.Blah2@company.com](mailto:Blah2.Blah2@company.com)”, “username”: null}, “module\_name”: “mail”}, “msg”: “Failed to send mail to server localhost on port 25: [Errno 61] Connection refused”, “rc”: 1} I can send email fine from the command line like this: uuencode /Users/mackc/ansible/reports/areport areport | mail -s “Company Report” [colin.mackenzie@company.com](mailto:colin.mackenzie@company.com) What am i missing so i can send email from ansible playbook i have? Thanks for anyone taking the time to respond. -cm3 ---
**Author:** ![Johannes\_Kastl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Johannes\_Kastl](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Johannes_Kastl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/connection-refused-when-sending-mail-with-ansible/21642/2 "2016-06-02T15:06:29Z")
I think you are using ansible's mail module as a local action, while on the command line you are using the mail executable. And I guess the latter works without a fully configured SMTP-server on your macbook... Can you use the full path to the mail executable in the local\_action? I'll have a look at the docs. Johannes ---
**Author:** ![Johannes\_Kastl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Johannes\_Kastl](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Johannes_Kastl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/connection-refused-when-sending-mail-with-ansible/21642/3 "2016-06-02T15:11:02Z")
I guess not. What happens when you test the following: - hosts: localhost   become: no   tasks:     - mail: ... This should send a mail via ansible from your localhost. If this works, the local\_action should also work, I guess. (Untested) Johannes ---
**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:** [June 2, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/connection-refused-when-sending-mail-with-ansible/21642/4 "2016-06-02T17:17:06Z")
The mail command can invoke /usr/bin/sendmail directly and queue w/o having an MTA listening on port 25. The mail module needs a network accessible MTA (mail transfer agent, the software that actually accepts and delivers email).