Sudo: timed out reading password error

[bmohanraj]

shell module hangs and fails with timed out reading password error.

• I am trying to run a command that requires sudo, I could run manually and it works fine.
• when tried to run from the shell module, the tasks hangs and fails with timed out reading password error.
• provided below the playbook used and the error response.
• playbook used

- name: Get machine info.
  vars:
    ansible_python_interpreter: /usr/bin/python
  hosts:  all
  gather_facts: yes
  tasks:
    - name: Run pvs command
      shell: |
        sudo pvs

ansible command used:

ansible-playbook com.yml -i hosts -u rmdev -k -K


Error response: 
fatal: [swhdev3456]: FAILED! => {
    "changed": true,
    "cmd": "echo \"---------------------- date --------------------------------\"\nsudo pvs\n",
    "delta": "0:05:02.321612",
    "end": "2025-08-14 07:58:17.859787",
    "invocation": {
        "module_args": {
            "_raw_params": "echo \"---------------------- date --------------------------------\"\nsudo pvs\n",
            "_uses_shell": true,
            "argv": null,
            "chdir": null,
            "creates": null,
            "executable": null,
            "removes": null,
            "stdin": null,
            "stdin_add_newline": true,
            "strip_empty_ends": true,
            "warn": false
        }
    },
    "msg": "non-zero return code",
    "rc": 1,
    "start": "2025-08-14 07:53:15.538175",
    "stderr": "sudo: timed out reading password\nsudo: a password is required",
    "stderr_lines": [
        "sudo: timed out reading password",
        "sudo: a password is required"
    ],
    "stdout": "---------------------- date --------------------------------",
    "stdout_lines": [
        "---------------------- date --------------------------------"
    ]
}



I updated the playbook like this, but still same error

- name: Get machine info.
  vars:
    ansible_python_interpreter: /usr/bin/python
  hosts:  all
  gather_facts: yes
  become: yes
  become_user: rmdev
  become_method: sudo
  tasks:
    - name: Run pvs command
      shell: |
        sudo pvs

how to fix this issue?

Thanks,

Mohan

[vbotka (Vladimir Botka)]

The option -K quote: “ask for privilege escalation password”. SeeUnderstanding privilege escalation: become. Instead of executing sudo in the command, escalate the privilege on the task level

- name: Run pvs command
  become: true
  shell: pvs

Then, the option -K works as expected.

Note: The option -k quote: “ask for connection password” has nothing to do with the escalation.

[bmohanraj]

Thanks vbotka 

I updated the playbook as

- name: Get machine info.
  vars:
    ansible_python_interpreter: /usr/bin/python
  hosts:  all
  gather_facts: yes
  tasks:
    - name: Run pvs command
      shell: pvs
      become: true

now getting below error

fatal: [swhdev3456]: FAILED! => {
    "changed": false,
    "module_stderr": "Shared connection to swhdev3456 closed.\r\n",
    "module_stdout": "\r\n",
    "msg": "MODULE FAILURE\nSee stdout/stderr for the exact error",
    "rc": 1
}

[vbotka (Vladimir Botka)]

@bmohanraj

"module_stderr": "Shared connection to swhdev3456 closed.\r\n",

This is a connection problem. See man ansible-playbook :

-v, --verbose
   ... connection debugging might require -vvvv.

[bmohanraj]

with -vvvv
fatal: [swhdev3456]: FAILED! => {
    "changed": false,
    "module_stderr": "OpenSSH_8.0p1, OpenSSL 1.1.1k  FIPS 25 Mar 2021\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh_config\r\ndebug3: /etc/ssh/ssh_config line 52: Including file /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf depth 0\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf\r\ndebug2: checking match for 'final all' host swhdev3456 originally swhdev3456\r\ndebug3: /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf line 3: not matched 'final'\r\ndebug2: match not found\r\ndebug3: /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf line 5: Including file /etc/crypto-policies/back-ends/openssh.config depth 1 (parse only)\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /etc/crypto-policies/back-ends/openssh.config\r\ndebug3: gss kex names ok: [gss-curve25519-sha256-,gss-nistp256-sha256-,gss-group14-sha256-,gss-group16-sha512-,gss-gex-sha1-,gss-group14-sha1-]\r\ndebug3: kex names ok: [curve25519-sha256,curve25519-sha256@libssh.org,ecdh-sha2-nistp256,ecdh-sha2-nistp384,ecdh-sha2-nistp521,diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256,diffie-hellman-group14-sha256,diffie-hellman-group16-sha512,diffie-hellman-group18-sha512,diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha1,diffie-hellman-group14-sha1]\r\ndebug1: configuration requests final Match pass\r\ndebug1: re-parsing configuration\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh_config\r\ndebug3: /etc/ssh/ssh_config line 52: Including file /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf depth 0\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf\r\ndebug2: checking match for 'final all' host swhdev3456 originally swhdev3456\r\ndebug3: /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf line 3: matched 'final'\r\ndebug2: match found\r\ndebug3: /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/05-redhat.conf line 5: Including file /etc/crypto-policies/back-ends/openssh.config depth 1\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /etc/crypto-policies/back-ends/openssh.config\r\ndebug3: gss kex names ok: [gss-curve25519-sha256-,gss-nistp256-sha256-,gss-group14-sha256-,gss-group16-sha512-,gss-gex-sha1-,gss-group14-sha1-]\r\ndebug3: kex names ok: [curve25519-sha256,curve25519-sha256@libssh.org,ecdh-sha2-nistp256,ecdh-sha2-nistp384,ecdh-sha2-nistp521,diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256,diffie-hellman-group14-sha256,diffie-hellman-group16-sha512,diffie-hellman-group18-sha512,diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha1,diffie-hellman-group14-sha1]\r\ndebug1: auto-mux: Trying existing master\r\ndebug2: fd 4 setting O_NONBLOCK\r\ndebug2: mux_client_hello_exchange: master version 4\r\ndebug3: mux_client_forwards: request forwardings: 0 local, 0 remote\r\ndebug3: mux_client_request_session: entering\r\ndebug3: mux_client_request_alive: entering\r\ndebug3: mux_client_request_alive: done pid = 152294\r\ndebug3: mux_client_request_session: session request sent\r\ndebug3: mux_client_read_packet: read header failed: Broken pipe\r\ndebug2: Received exit status from master 1\r\nShared connection to swhdev3456 closed.\r\n",
    "module_stdout": "\r\n",
    "msg": "MODULE FAILURE\nSee stdout/stderr for the exact error",
    "rc": 1
}

[vbotka (Vladimir Botka)]

@bmohanraj

"module_stderr": ...

debug3: mux_client_request_session: session request sent\r\n

debug3: mux_client_read_packet: read header failed: Broken pipe\r\n

debug2: Received exit status from master 1\r\n

Shared connection to swhdev3456 closed.\r\n",

Your mux session is losing connection. To proceed, try to isolate the Ansible problem, if any, and provide Minimal reproducible example.

[bcoca (Brian Coca)]

FYI, fact gathering already gathers LVM information

[bmohanraj]

with -c paramiko, I could identify that my user does have permission to run the Ansible python script as root user. I wonder why openssh error were not clear.
thanks for all the troubleshooting help.

Sorry, user rmdev is not allowed to execute '/bin/sh -c echo BECOME-SUCCESS-asdfewqvocjyxzasddoikqezkdsseijok ; /usr/bin/python /home/rmdev/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1755186449.9872587-12357-118527423543084/AnsiballZ_command.py' as root on swhdev3456.