--- - hosts: localhost gather_facts: false tasks: - name: Hi ping: - hosts: [localhost, nonexistent] ignore_unreachable: true gather_facts: false tasks: - name: Hi ping: - hosts: nonexistent ignore_unreachable: true gather_facts: false tasks: - name: Hi ping: - name: This should print anyway debug: msg: This should print worked even though host was unreachable - name: Hi ping: register: should_fail - assert: that: - 'should_fail is unreachable' - 'not (should_fail is skipped)' - 'not (should_fail is failed)'