call_includes.yml

- name: Demonstrate memory growth as tasks are included
  hosts: localhost
  gather_facts: false

  tasks:

  - include: foo/some_tasks.yml
    with_sequence: start=1 end=10

  - include: foo/some_tasks.yml
    with_sequence: start=1 end=10

  - include: foo/some_tasks.yml
    with_sequence: start=1 end=10

inventory.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

import json
import sys
from pprint import pprint

INV = {}
INV['_meta'] = {'hostvars': {}}

groups = ['group_one', 'group_two', 'group_three']
hosts = ['host' + str(x) for x in range(0, 600)]

for idx, group in enumerate(groups):
    INV[group] = {}
    INV[group]['children'] = []
    INV[group]['vars'] = {}
    INV[group]['hosts'] = hosts[:]

for host in hosts:
    INV['_meta']['hostvars'][host] = {}
    INV['_meta']['hostvars'][host]['ansible_connection'] = 'local'

print json.dumps(INV, indent=2)

profileme.py

import datetime
import gc
import os
import psutil

from ansible.plugins.action.normal import ActionModule as _ActionModule

class ActionModule(_ActionModule):
    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):

        # http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17990227/whats-the-unit-of-rss-in-psutil-process-get-memory-info

        version = os.environ.get('PROFILE_KEY')
        if '/' in version:
            version = version.split('/')[-1]

        result = {
            'failed': False,
            'changed': False,
            'ppid': None,
            'cpids': []
        }

        process = psutil.Process(os.getpid())

        parent = process.parent()
        ppid = parent.pid
        result['ppid'] = ppid
        children = parent.children()

        mem = []
        mem.append(parent.memory_info().rss)
        for child in children:
            try:
                mem.append(child.memory_info().rss)
                result['cpids'].append(child.pid)
            except Exception:
                pass

        result['memory'] = mem
        result['memory_total'] = sum(mem)

        ts = datetime.datetime.now().isoformat()

        fn = os.path.join('/tmp', 'ansible-{}-profileme-data.csv'.format(version))
        with open(fn, 'ab') as f:
            f.write('%s,%s\n' % (ts, str(result['memory_total'])))

        if result['memory_total'] >= 4000000000:
            gc.disable()
            import epdb; epdb.serve()

        return result

some_tasks.yml

- name: Get timestamp
  set_fact:
    timestamp: "{{ lookup('pipe', 'date +%s.%3N') }}"
  delegate_to: localhost
  register: task_result

- debug:
    var: task_result

- profileme:

test_profile.sh

#!/bin/bash
export SSH_AUTH_SOCK=0
VERSION=$(ansible --version | head -n1 | awk '{print $2}')
export PROFILE_KEY=$VERSION
ANSIBLEDIR=$(which ansible)
CHECKOUTDIR=$(dirname $(dirname $ANSIBLEDIR))
export PROFILE_KEY=$CHECKOUTDIR

ansible-playbook -vvvv -i inventory.py call_includes.yml
RC=$?
exit $RC