json-ify environment values

changelogs/fragments/environment-dict.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+- Setting an environment value on a task that is a dict or list will be converted to JSON - https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/60956

lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py

@@ -238,9 +238,17 @@ def _compute_environment_string(self, raw_environment_out=None):
             for environment in environments:
                 if environment is None or len(environment) == 0:
                     continue
+
                 temp_environment = self._templar.template(environment)
                 if not isinstance(temp_environment, dict):
                     raise AnsibleError("environment must be a dictionary, received %s (%s)" % (temp_environment, type(temp_environment)))
+
+                # Ensure any env values that are dicts are converted to JSON
+                # https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/60956
+                for env_key, env_val in temp_environment.items():
+                    if isinstance(env_val, dict) or isinstance(env_val, list):
+                        temp_environment[env_key] = json.dumps(env_val)
+
                 # very deliberately using update here instead of combine_vars, as
                 # these environment settings should not need to merge sub-dicts
                 final_environment.update(temp_environment)

test/integration/targets/command_shell/tasks/main.yml

@@ -444,3 +444,27 @@
   file:
     path: "{{ output_dir_test }}/afile.txt"
     state: absent
+
+# https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/60956
+- set_fact:
+    some_var: some_value
+
+- set_fact:
+    bla:
+      foo: bar
+      aaa: '{{ some_var }}'
+
+- name: test out dict/list as json var
+  shell: env | grep testvar
+  register: shell_dict_env
+  environment:
+    testvar: '{{ item }}'
+  loop:
+  - '{{ bla }}'
+  - [ '{{ bla }}' ]
+
+- name: assert test var was passed through correctly
+  assert:
+    that:
+    - 'shell_dict_env.results[0].stdout_lines == [''testvar={"foo": "bar", "aaa": "some_value"}'']'
+    - 'shell_dict_env.results[1].stdout_lines == [''testvar=[{"foo": "bar", "aaa": "some_value"}]'']'

test/integration/targets/win_shell/tasks/main.yml

@@ -314,3 +314,27 @@
     win_file:
       path: C:\ansible test link
       state: absent
+
+# https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/60956
+- set_fact:
+    some_var: some_value
+
+- set_fact:
+    bla:
+      foo: bar
+      aaa: '{{ some_var }}'
+
+- name: test out dict/list as json var
+  win_shell: $env:testvar
+  register: shell_dict_env
+  environment:
+    testvar: '{{ item }}'
+  loop:
+  - '{{ bla }}'
+  - [ '{{ bla }}' ]
+
+- name: assert test var was passed through correctly
+  assert:
+    that:
+    - 'shell_dict_env.results[0].stdout_lines == [''{"foo": "bar", "aaa": "some_value"}'']'
+    - 'shell_dict_env.results[1].stdout_lines == [''[{"foo": "bar", "aaa": "some_value"}]'']'