Should we use ansible to create the packer images for macos ORKA templates?

At the moment the images which we deploy in orka are generated in packer using the code in https://github.com/nodejs/build/tree/main/orka/templates

This does not utilise the nodejs playbooks which means we have a different approach to machine setup on macos vs everything else, and also that the macos roles in the playbook will become increasingly out of date and potentially not work if we ever wanted to set up on a macos machine outside orka.

How feasible would it be to run the node.js ansible playbooks within the packer files instead of duplicating all of the setup within the packer files? The last project I worked on ran ansible locally within the packer files so in theory it could work ...

Noting that we state: "All machines in the clusters are managed using Ansible" which perhaps need clarified as it is not the case for macos.

FYI @UlisesGascon (since I think you put some of this in place originally) and @ryanaslett

Review the ORKA templates in orka/templates and the Node.js Ansible playbooks, then compare how macOS machine setup is handled in each. Check doc/jenkins-guide.md#ansible for the claim that all machines are managed with Ansible. Done means establishing a clear approach for creating macOS ORKA images and clarifying the documentation if needed.