# how to run command that cannot create files? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Developer\ **Created:** [November 8, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317 "2022-11-08T16:55:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Philipp\_Ewald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Philipp\_Ewald](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Philipp_Ewald)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317/1 "2022-11-08T16:55:25Z")
I dont want to create a script placing files or removing files.... just to run one command... any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![td784](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@td784](https://forum.ansible.com/u/td784)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317/2 "2022-11-08T17:01:03Z")
The ansible file module? [https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/ansible/builtin/file\_module.html](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/ansible/builtin/file_module.html) ---
**Author:** ![Philipp\_Ewald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Philipp\_Ewald](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Philipp_Ewald)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 5:17pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317/3 "2022-11-08T17:17:41Z")
🙂 try this to explain new employees 😃 you need to place a file there, otherwise the command will be execute again :DDDDD for me this is a bug but ok i will do it with extra steps.... if everyone else is happy with that solution, i'm fine with that ---
**Author:** ![sivel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/sivel/32/1198_2.png) [@sivel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/sivel)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317/4 "2022-11-08T18:14:43Z")
- shell: cmd: do\_something && touch /etc/do\_something/done creates: /etc/do\_something\_done Easy peasy. This was recommended before, although no one explicitly wrote it out. Otherwise, do a task before, to actually evaluate whether you need to run the command in the first place, instead of relying on the existence of a file. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/1X/1882d9a01da5d8996a862359b0913cc568a39b84.svg) [@system](https://forum.ansible.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317/5 "2022-11-08T18:34:09Z")
Tracking files that are not the normal side effect of a command are a poor way to track if a command was executed, the best way is to track the expected side effect of such a command (creates/removes does this by assuming those files are created/removed by the command's execution). There are other side effects that you can track, but hard to build them all into the command/shell modules (open port/service running/package installed/etc) but there are plenty of other actions that can query this. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/1X/1882d9a01da5d8996a862359b0913cc568a39b84.svg) [@system](https://forum.ansible.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 6:35pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317/6 "2022-11-08T18:35:45Z")
Also, if the built in command does not do exactly what you want, you are free to create your own custom version, it just not make sense for this in the core offering. ---
**Author:** ![Philipp\_Ewald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Philipp\_Ewald](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Philipp_Ewald)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 9:46am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-command-that-cannot-create-files/37317/7 "2022-11-09T09:46:40Z")
> - shell: >      cmd: do\_something && touch /etc/do\_something/done >      creates: /etc/do\_something\_done This is the best solution. But why does i need to ask the Mailing list do get this? why ansible cant do this by itself? or why is this solution not in documentation? > Otherwise, do a task before, to actually evaluate whether you need to run > the command in the first place, instead of relying on the existence of a > file. for me its funny how complicated it is to just run a command... (known workarounds are not easy to access...) But OK, everybody + developer are fine with that bug