Solved: Most automation tools don’t fail they’re just the wrong fit

🚀 Executive Summary TL;DR: Automation tools often appear to fail because they are misapplied to the wrong problem category, such as using configuration management for infrastructure provisioning. Resolving this requires correctly identifying the problem (e.g., IaC, config management, CI/CD) and implementing strategic fixes, from temporary CLI wrappers to phased migrations or a complete rebuild with the appropriate tool. 🎯 Key Takeaways Before selecting an automation tool, clearly define the problem as either Infrastructure as Code/Provisioning, Configuration Management, or CI/CD to ensure tool-to-task alignment. For immediate needs with a mismatched tool, use shell scripts or CLI commands to wrap existing automation, handling stateful operations externally while acknowledging technical debt. For permanent solutions, systematically transition to the correct tool by isolating small infrastructure pieces, importing their existing state (e.g., “terraform import”), validating configurations