Ansible Module Assist

Dot-triggered IntelliSense for Ansible playbooks and task files. Type a namespace, hit ., and drill down through what's actually installed on your machine:

ansible.            →  ansible.builtin, ansible.posix, ansible.netcommon …
ansible.builtin.    →  copy, file, template, apt, service, user …
pfsensible.         →  pfsensible.core
pfsensible.core.    →  pfsense_rule, pfsense_alias, pfsense_interface …

It reads ansible.builtin from your ansible-core install and every collection you've installed with ansible-galaxy, so new collections show up after a re-scan.

Features

• Namespace → collection → module suggestions, triggered by ., each with its short description.
• Short names expand to FQCN — type copy and pick ansible.builtin.copy.
• Required options inserted for you — picking pfsensible.core.pfsense_rule drops in name: and interface: as tab stops.
• Inline ghost-text parameters (like inline AI suggestions) — finish a module line or press Enter inside its block and the next required parameter appears in grey; press Tab to accept. Typing part of a name (dest) completes it, and action: / backup show the default value.
• Module option suggestions inside a module block, required ones first, already-used ones hidden.
• Choice values — after state: or action: you get the allowed values; booleans offer true / false.
• Hover docs on modules (description, options, first example, docs link) and on options (type, default, choices, aliases).
• Task keywords (name, when, register, loop, become, notify …).
• Commands: Ansible Modules: Re-scan installed collections, Show installed collections, Insert module…
• Status bar shows how many collections were found; click it to re-scan.

Where modules come from

In order (first match wins, like Ansible's own precedence):

1. ansible --version → the ansible-core install, for ansible.builtin
2. ansible-galaxy collection list → respects your ansible.cfg and ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATH
3. A disk scan of ansibleModules.collectionsPaths, collections_path in the workspace ansible.cfg, ./collections, ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATH, ~/.ansible/collections, /usr/share/ansible/collections, and the ansible_collections folder next to ansible-core (the full ansible pip package)

Module options are read straight from each module's DOCUMENTATION block, including shared doc fragments (extends_documentation_fragment), so suggestions are instant. This matched ansible-doc exactly on all 947 modules tested across ansible.builtin, ansible.posix, ansible.windows, community.general, community.docker, kubernetes.core, amazon.aws and pfsensible.core. ansible-doc is used as a fallback.

If Ansible isn't installed where VS Code can see it (e.g. editing on Windows), you still get a bundled ansible.builtin list plus anything found on disk. For WSL or a remote box, use the Remote – WSL / Remote – SSH extension so this runs where Ansible lives.

Ansible in a virtualenv? It checks .venv/bin, venv/bin in the workspace and ~/.local/bin (pipx) automatically, or set ansibleModules.ansibleBinPath.

Settings

Install

code --install-extension ansible-module-assist-0.3.0.vsix

Or download the .vsix from the latest GitHub Release.

Develop

npm install
npm run build      # bundle to dist/
npm test           # unit + integration tests against your local ansible install
npm run package    # build the .vsix

Press F5 in VS Code with this folder open to launch an Extension Development Host.

Releases are automatic when a version bump is merged to main. See RELEASING.md.