# fatal error when skipping includes **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [August 13, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013 "2015-08-13T22:55:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![senorsmile](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/senorsmile/32/9024_2.png) [@senorsmile](https://forum.ansible.com/u/senorsmile)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/1 "2015-08-13T22:55:05Z")
Error: ` fatal: [myhost] =\> with\_items expects a list or a set ` I have a role with the following tasks(snippets included): tasks/main.yml ` ---
**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:** [August 14, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/2 "2015-08-14T00:22:29Z")
the include itself is not skippable, the when gets added to the included tasks. ---
**Author:** ![senorsmile](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/senorsmile/32/9024_2.png) [@senorsmile](https://forum.ansible.com/u/senorsmile)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/3 "2015-08-14T00:26:57Z")
I’m not sure I follow you. The include is being skipped since the when: condition isn’t met. All other tasks above the one that errs out shows skipped. It’s just that specific task that makes everything fail for that host. I have attempted to add a ‘default’ filter to the when:, but it seems like it is always defined, even though it’s being skipped ?!?!? ---
**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:** [August 14, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/4 "2015-08-14T00:46:03Z")
try:   with\_items: "{{ ((the\_files|default()).stdout\_lines|default()) | list }}" ---
**Author:** ![senorsmile](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/senorsmile/32/9024_2.png) [@senorsmile](https://forum.ansible.com/u/senorsmile)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/5 "2015-08-14T01:09:06Z")
Ah, great catch. That actually works. Now, to convince ansible not to evaluate anything in included files which are skipped… ---
**Author:** ![senorsmile](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/senorsmile/32/9024_2.png) [@senorsmile](https://forum.ansible.com/u/senorsmile)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/6 "2015-08-19T16:47:04Z")
And I’ve run into this bug yet again! I have the following which fails on skipped hosts: ` - name: Check all other host certs connection: local sudo: false stat: path: “{{ role\_path }}/templates/ca/{{ item }}.crt” with\_items: “{{ (nagios\_host\_fqdns\_flat|default()).split(‘,’)|default() }}” register: stat\_host\_certs ` This is becoming quite time consuming to insert for every with\_\* on skipped files!!! ---
**Author:** ![senorsmile](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/senorsmile/32/9024_2.png) [@senorsmile](https://forum.ansible.com/u/senorsmile)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/7 "2015-08-19T17:02:30Z")
@Brian, According to your comment in this issue: [https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/11961](https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/11961) the when: of the include: gets run AFTER the with\_xxx of the child file? This doesn’t make any sense to me. If you are conditionally including a file, NOTHING in that file should be processed. I am not being combative, but am I missing something here? That seems like a real bug; the specific bug that I’m running into over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![Serge\_van\_Ginderacht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@Serge\_van\_Ginderacht](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Serge_van_Ginderacht)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/8 "2015-08-19T17:09:07Z")
​You are not conditionally including. you are applying the condition to all tasks in the include. ​ ---
**Author:** ![senorsmile](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/senorsmile/32/9024_2.png) [@senorsmile](https://forum.ansible.com/u/senorsmile)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/9 "2015-08-19T17:20:37Z")
Ahhhh! Thanks Serge. So it is applying in the same manner as roles apply args (e.g. tags: ). So, now to figure out how to default a split(). ---
**Author:** ![senorsmile](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/senorsmile/32/9024_2.png) [@senorsmile](https://forum.ansible.com/u/senorsmile)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/fatal-error-when-skipping-includes/19013/10 "2015-08-19T21:08:10Z")
Ultimately fixed this by simply putting this into the role’s defaults/main.yml ` nagios\_host\_fqdns\_flat: () `