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File and Folder Dependencies

· One min read
Erik Osterman
Erik Osterman
Founder @ Cloud Posse

Atmos now supports dependencies.files and dependencies.folders as first-class sibling keys for declaring path-based dependencies. Use them to mark a component as affected when shared files, generated assets, schemas, Lambda source, or other external paths change.

What Changed​

Previously, path-based dependencies had to be declared inside dependencies.components with inline kind: file or kind: folder entries. That still works for backward compatibility, but the new sibling keys make the intent clearer:

components:
  terraform:
    lambda:
      dependencies:
        components:
          - component: vpc
        files:
          - configs/lambda-settings.json
          - schemas/event.json
        folders:
          - src/lambda/handler

When any listed file or folder changes, atmos describe affected includes the declaring component in its results, even if the component directory and stack manifest did not change.

Why This Matters​

Component dependencies and path watch rules now live in separate lists:

  • dependencies.components declares component ordering and impact propagation.
  • dependencies.files declares individual files that affect the component.
  • dependencies.folders declares directories that affect the component.

This makes stack manifests easier to scan and keeps CI/CD change detection rules close to the component they affect.

Get Started​

See the Dependencies documentation and Component Dependencies reference for examples and migration details.