Atmos Modernization

Use this skill when updating older Atmos projects to current conventions. "Atmos Modernization" is the umbrella term for replacing legacy patterns with supported, current patterns.

Modernization Checklist

Legacy pattern	Replace with
`name_pattern`	`name_template` or explicit stack `name`
`settings.depends_on`	`dependencies.components`
`cloudposse/github-action-atmos*` wrapper actions	Native CI with direct `atmos` commands
`cloudposse/github-action-atmos-component-updater`	`atmos vendor update --pull-request` with native GitHub PR publishing
`cloudposse/github-action-setup-atmos` as default	GitHub Actions container `ghcr.io/cloudposse/atmos:<version>`
`apt-get install docker.io` in an Atmos container job	Remove it: the official Atmos image already ships with `docker.io`
GitHub Actions `concurrency` around jobs or workflows that invoke `atmos`	An explicit promotion workflow or deployment controller — environments and merge queues are approval/merge-order controls, not deployment-order guarantees; a concurrency group evicts its pending run regardless of `cancel-in-progress`
`hashicorp/setup-terraform` / `opentofu/setup-opentofu` in Atmos jobs	Atmos `dependencies.tools` and toolchain
Manual `atmos toolchain install <tool>` preinstall steps for Atmos-owned tools	Declarative `dependencies.tools` at the owning component, workflow, hook, or custom command
Large inline workflow/custom-command shell scripts, repeated `echo`, shell loops, ad hoc sleeps	Native step types such as `atmos`, `toast`, `table`, `parallel`, `matrix`, `wait`, `container`, `emulator`, and `http`
Hand-rolled scheduled drift GitHub Actions	Atmos Pro drift detection
`cloudposse/github-action-atmos-terraform-drift-*`	`settings.pro.drift_detection` plus `atmos terraform plan --upload-status`
Secret values through raw store calls	Declared `secrets.vars` plus `!secret`
Legacy hook event spelling	Modern dotted lifecycle events such as `after.terraform.plan`
Static GitHub tokens in URLs	Atmos Auth `github/sts` through Atmos Pro
`cloudposse/terraform-aws-components` sources	Repos in the `cloudposse-terraform-components` organization
Parser-specific doubled double quotes (`""`) in `!terraform.state` or `!terraform.output` expressions	Direct YQ expressions; quote only as required by YAML

Process

Inspect current project behavior with atmos describe stacks, atmos list components, and atmos validate stacks.
Replace one class of legacy pattern at a time.
Preserve resolved stack output unless the modernization intentionally changes behavior.
Validate with atmos describe component <component> -s <stack> before changing CI.
Update CI last, after stack config and auth patterns are current.

YAML Function Quoting

Older stack manifests may wrap an entire YQ expression in double quotes and double its inner double quotes. That parser-specific escaping is obsolete: !terraform.state and !terraform.output parse the component, optional stack, and remaining expression directly.

Replace legacy string-default quoting:

# Before
username: !terraform.output config ".username // ""default-user"""

# After
username: !terraform.output config .username // "default-user"

Replace legacy string-concatenation quoting:

# Before
postgres_url: !terraform.state aurora-postgres ".master_hostname | ""jdbc:postgresql://"" + . + "":5432/events"""

# After
postgres_url: !terraform.state 'aurora-postgres .master_hostname | "jdbc:postgresql://" + . + ":5432/events"'

The outer single quotes in the concatenation example are YAML quoting, not function-parser escaping. Use YAML quoting only when the scalar requires it; for complete YAML and YQ quoting guidance, see the atmos-yaml-functions skill.

Native CI Direction

New CI should run Atmos directly, preferably in the Atmos container image:

jobs:
  plan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    container:
      image: ghcr.io/cloudposse/atmos:${{ vars.ATMOS_VERSION }}
    permissions:
      contents: read
      id-token: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - run: atmos terraform plan vpc -s prod

The official Atmos image includes docker.io, so do not add an apt-get install docker.io step to containerized Atmos jobs. Docker-backed commands use the runner-provided Docker daemon/socket.

Use atmos describe affected --format=matrix for PR matrices and atmos list instances --format=matrix for full estate operations.

Component Updater Migration

Replace the legacy Component Updater action with checkout plus atmos vendor update --pull-request. Keep update selection under vendor.update (including named groups) and PR/summary policy under vendor.ci. Grant only contents: write, pull-requests: write, and issues: write where needed. Atmos writes a native GitHub step summary for every vendor update; it links to any created or reused PR. Do not use third-party actions for update, commit, push, or PR creation. For exact configuration and staged migration, use the vendoring component-updater reference and migration from-component-updater reference.

Drift Direction

Atmos Pro is the product path for drift detection. Enable drift per stack/component:

settings:
  pro:
    enabled: true
    drift_detection:
      enabled: true

Then upload plan status:

atmos terraform plan vpc -s prod --upload-status

Dependencies Direction

Use dependencies.components for component, file, and folder dependencies:

dependencies:
  components:
    - component: vpc
    - component: dns-zone
      stack: plat-ue2-prod
    - kind: file
      path: configs/service.yaml
    - kind: folder
      path: src/lambda

Treat settings.depends_on as migration-only syntax.

Component Source Repository Direction

Check source, vendor.yaml, component.yaml, Terraform module sources, and documentation examples for cloudposse/terraform-aws-components. That monorepo is deprecated; components moved to individual repositories in the cloudposse-terraform-components organization.

For example, migrate VPC references from the old monorepo form:

source: "github.com/cloudposse/terraform-aws-components.git//modules/vpc?ref=1.450.0"

to the component repository form:

source: "github.com/cloudposse-terraform-components/aws-vpc.git?ref=1.450.0"

Keep versions pinned when changing sources, and validate the target repository/tag exists before updating production stacks.

SKILL.md