# debug module needs tag to operate

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/debug-module-needs-tag-to-operate/18658>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [July 2, 2015, 11:41am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/debug-module-needs-tag-to-operate/18658 "2015-07-02T11:41:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jens\_Debergh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b782af/32.png) [@Jens\_Debergh](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jens_Debergh)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 11:41am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/debug-module-needs-tag-to-operate/18658/1 "2015-07-02T11:41:05Z")

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When trying to debug a particular play I’m using the --tags flag to narrow down on my complete playbook.  
I was using the debug module to output some set variables but couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that the debug module wasn’t firing.  
A moment later I realised I hadn’t included a tag reference so it didn’t get hit when using the play.

Behaviour like this for debugging purposes is strange, shouldn’t the debug be evaluated even if I don’t supply a tag to reference?

Am I debugging plays in the wrong manner, which completely obsoletes the statement above?

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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:** [July 4, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/debug-module-needs-tag-to-operate/18658/2 "2015-07-04T03:25:03Z")

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debug is really an 'echo' module (originally it only ran in verbose  
mode), but it works like any other task, in current stable and devel  
you can add the 'always' tag which makes tasks always run even when  
not tagged with the specific tags you target.