# Unable to get value of variable from another Play in Ansible **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [August 22, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unable-to-get-value-of-variable-from-another-play-in-ansible/31104 "2019-08-22T19:26:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Easy\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Easy\_King](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Easy_King)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unable-to-get-value-of-variable-from-another-play-in-ansible/31104/1 "2019-08-22T19:26:00Z")
I wish to obtain the value of “f\_APP” variable of Play 2 into Play 3. Below is my playbook which case be used as a testcase: ` - name: “Play 1” hosts: localhost tasks: - add\_host: name={{ item }} groups=dest\_nodes ansible\_user={{ USER }} with\_items: “{{ Dest\_IP.split(‘,’) }}” - name: “Play 2” hosts: dest\_nodes user: “{{ USER }}” tasks: - set\_fact: f\_APP: “Yellow” - name: “Play 3” hosts: localhost user: “{{ USER }}” vars: dbfiledet: “{{ hostvars[‘dest\_nodes’][‘f\_APP’] }}” tasks: - debug: msg=“{{ dbfiledet.stdout }}” ` I get the below error for my attempt: playbook RUN command: ansible-playbook variabletest.yml -e “USER=user1 Dest\_IP=10.17.44.26,10.17.54.26” [WARNING]: provided hosts list is empty, only localhost is available. Note that the implicit localhost does not match ‘all’ PLAY [Play 1] TASK [Gathering Facts] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [localhost] TASK [add\_host] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* changed: [localhost] =\> (item=10.17.44.26) changed: [localhost] =\> (item=10.17.54.26) PLAY [Play 2] TASK [Gathering Facts] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [10.17.54.26] ok: [10.17.44.26] TASK [set\_fact] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [10.17.44.26] ok: [10.17.54.26] PLAY [Play 3] TASK [Gathering Facts] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [localhost] TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! =\> {“msg”: “The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: "hostvars[‘dest\_nodes’]" is undefined\n\nThe error appears to be in ‘variabletest.yml’: line 36, column 6, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n\n - debug: msg="{{ dbfiledet.stdout }}"\n ^ here\nWe could be wrong, but this one looks like it might be an issue with\nmissing quotes. Always quote template expression brackets when they\nstart a value. For instance:\n\n with\_items:\n - {{ foo }}\n\nShould be written as:\n\n with\_items:\n - "{{ foo }}"\n”} PLAY RECAP 10.17.44.26 : ok=2 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0 10.17.54.26 : ok=2 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0 localhost : ok=3 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=1 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0 I’m on the latest version of ansible and python 2.7.5 Can someone suggest what is wrong and how can i get the value for the variable in Play 3 please ? ---
**Author:** ![Zolvaring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ce73a5/32.png) [@Zolvaring](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Zolvaring)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unable-to-get-value-of-variable-from-another-play-in-ansible/31104/2 "2019-08-22T19:50:14Z")
Unfortunately play variables do not persist in between plays by design in Ansible, generally I would try and group the tasks in a play together but you can write your vars to files on the local Host or remote node in play 2 and then read that file in play 3. One thing I can also suggest although I don’t have a laptop to test currently is: Play2: Hosts: test Tasks: set\_fact: myvar: foo Play3 Hosts: test Tasks: set\_fact: myvar: “{{ hostvars[‘test’][‘myvar’] }}” ^ that might work as I believe hostvars once defined will be carried throughout execution ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Eggleston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@Mike\_Eggleston](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mike_Eggleston)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unable-to-get-value-of-variable-from-another-play-in-ansible/31104/3 "2019-08-22T20:57:47Z")
I’ve read variables don’t survive across “hosts” lines. Mike ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unable-to-get-value-of-variable-from-another-play-in-ansible/31104/4 "2019-08-22T21:23:37Z")
They do. Variables is register to the host and is available in subsequent plays. But to read variables from another host you always need to use hostvars to access them. ---
**Author:** ![vbotka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/vbotka/32/359_2.png) [@vbotka](https://forum.ansible.com/u/vbotka)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unable-to-get-value-of-variable-from-another-play-in-ansible/31104/5 "2019-08-22T21:35:19Z")
"dest\_nodes" is the group of hosts. "hostvars" requires a host as an index. This is the reason of the error:     The error was: "hostvars['dest\_nodes']" is undefined Cheers,   -vlado