Global `ignore_missing_template_values` for Stack Imports

Atmos now supports a global templates.settings.ignore_missing_template_values option in atmos.yaml, eliminating the need to set ignore_missing_template_values: true on every individual catalog import.

What Changed

Previously, if you used Go templates in imported stack manifests (e.g. for dynamic component generation or external systems like Datadog), you had to annotate every import:

import:
  - path: "catalog/datadog-monitors"
    ignore_missing_template_values: true
  - path: "catalog/eks-cluster-tmpl"
    ignore_missing_template_values: true
  - path: "catalog/rds-cluster-tmpl"
    ignore_missing_template_values: true
  # ... repeat for every catalog import

For teams with hundreds of catalog imports, this was a maintenance burden.

The Fix

Set it once, globally, in atmos.yaml:

templates:
  settings:
    ignore_missing_template_values: true

That's it. All imports across your entire project will now silently skip missing template values instead of failing.

Why This Matters

Many teams use Go templates in stack manifests to dynamically generate Atmos components (e.g. multi-flavor clusters, per-region replicas), or to pass configuration to external monitoring/observability systems (e.g. Datadog, Grafana). In these cases, not every template variable needs to be provided by Atmos — some are resolved later by the external system.

The ignore_missing_template_values setting instructs Atmos to replace any missing template variable with an empty string rather than returning an error. Setting this globally removes the friction of adding it to every import.

Per-Import Override Still Works

The global setting is a default. Individual imports can still override it in either direction:

# atmos.yaml
templates:
  settings:
    ignore_missing_template_values: true  # global default

# stacks/prod.yaml
import:
  - path: "catalog/strict-config"
    ignore_missing_template_values: false  # override: fail on missing values for this import

Difference from skip_templates_processing

Setting	Behavior
skip_templates_processing: true	Skips template processing entirely — templates are preserved as-is
ignore_missing_template_values: true	Processes templates but silently ignores missing variables

Use skip_templates_processing when an import contains Go template syntax meant for another system. Use ignore_missing_template_values when you want Atmos to process your templates but tolerate missing variables.

Get Involved

We'd love to hear your feedback! Please open an issue if you have questions or suggestions.