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Selective YAML Function Bypass with --skip on `atmos list`

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

Every atmos list subcommand that processes stack manifests now accepts --skip <yaml-function> and the matching ATMOS_SKIP env var, mirroring the surface already exposed by atmos describe affected, atmos describe component, and atmos describe stacks. Use it to bypass a single YAML function while leaving the rest of YAML function processing — including !template — fully enabled.

What Changed​

Five commands gained the flag:

  • atmos list instances
  • atmos list components
  • atmos list metadata
  • atmos list sources
  • atmos list stacks

atmos list affected already had --skip; with this release, the flag surface lines up across the family. The existing ATMOS_AFFECTED_SKIP env var continues to work on list affected for backward compatibility.

Why This Matters​

--process-functions=false is a blunt instrument. It turns off all YAML function evaluation — including !template, which many users rely on to compute settings like settings.pro.enabled to a real boolean.

The concrete motivating failure: atmos list instances --upload in CI, against a repo where a few component sections include !terraform.state calls. The upload itself doesn't need those backends to resolve, but it does need settings.pro.enabled (computed via !template) to be a real boolean so Atmos Pro accepts the payload. Before this release, that was a stuck combination:

  • --process-functions=true (default) → the upload tries to talk to a remote backend and fails.
  • --process-functions=false → !template stops evaluating, so settings.pro.enabled arrives as a literal string and Atmos Pro rejects it with expected boolean but received invalid value (string).

With --skip, you can name the single function you want to bypass and leave everything else on:

atmos list instances --upload --skip terraform.state

How to Use It​

Skip a single function:

atmos list instances --upload --skip terraform.state

Skip multiple:

atmos list stacks --skip terraform.state --skip terraform.output

Or via env var (handy in CI workflows):

ATMOS_SKIP=terraform.state atmos list instances --upload

The flag accepts the same function names as atmos describe stacks --skip. The value is the YAML function name without the leading ! (for example terraform.state, terraform.output, store).

Docs for each command list the flag in full: atmos list instances, atmos list components, atmos list metadata, atmos list sources, and atmos list stacks.

For usage and configuration, see List Command Configuration.

Get Involved​

Found an issue or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub.