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Improve default task failure email template for readability and operational clarity #61667
Description
Activity
I’ve attached the template files I created. Feel free to reuse or adapt them if helpful.
Hi, I like to work on this. Thanks
@sarth-akvaish - feel free to create a PR for this issue!
Just to clarify for annyone who come across this issue. You can use any template you'd like with SmtpNotifier(html_content=...) regardless if Airflow changes the default template.
It's very hard to find template that works for everyone.
Hi maintainers, I would like to work on this cleaner default task failure email template layout.
Hi! I'd like to pick this up as a contribution. From the issue, my understanding is
the goal is to replace the raw object dump in the default failure email
(subject + body) with something readable — clearly showing which DAG, which task,
the failure time, and a direct link to the logs.
A couple of scoping questions before I start:
- Should this stay as the existing Jinja template (just rewritten for readability),
or are you open to adding new template variables/context if the current ones
aren't enough to build a clean message? - Is there a specific format/example you'd like the final email to roughly follow,
or is this open-ended as long as it drops the raw repr() dump?
Happy to open a PR once I'm clear on scope. Could I get assigned to this?
Description
The default Airflow task failure email is difficult to read and not optimized for operators.
Currently the subject and body contain a raw Python object dump (UUIDs, repr(), internal fields), which makes it hard to quickly understand:
This is noisy and not human-friendly for production operations.
What is proposed
Replace the current default task failure email with a cleaner, human-readable template.
Instead of exposing a raw Python object dump (UUIDs, internal fields, repr()), the email should present structured, actionable information: DAG, task, run ID, attempt, timestamps, host, and a direct link to logs.
Provide a simple, modern HTML + text layout optimized for quick scanning and mobile readability, while keeping advanced/debug details optional.
This change improves the out-of-the-box operator experience without requiring users to create custom templates, and remains fully backward compatible since templates can still be overridden.
I’ve attached the template files I created. Feel free to reuse or adapt them if helpful.
Use case/motivation
In real deployments:
Today this requires fully custom templates to get a usable format.
A better default template would improve UX out-of-the-box and reduce customization overhead.
Related issues
No response
Are you willing to submit a PR?
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