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Fixed: !terraform.state with Disabled Workspaces

· 2 min read
Andriy Knysh
Andriy Knysh
Principal Architect @ Cloud Posse

The !terraform.state YAML function now correctly reads Terraform state when workspaces are disabled (components.terraform.workspaces_enabled: false in atmos.yaml). Previously, Atmos looked for state files in the wrong location, causing the function to fail.

The Problem​

When workspaces_enabled: false is set in atmos.yaml, Atmos sets the workspace name to default. However, Terraform stores state differently for the default workspace compared to named workspaces:

BackendDefault WorkspaceNamed Workspace
S3<key><workspace_key_prefix>/<workspace>/<key>
Localterraform.tfstateterraform.tfstate.d/<workspace>/terraform.tfstate
Azure<key><key>env:<workspace>

Atmos was incorrectly looking for state at the named workspace path even when using the default workspace. For example:

# atmos.yaml
components:
  terraform:
    workspaces_enabled: false  # Uses "default" workspace
# Stack manifest
components:
  terraform:
    my-component:
      vars:
        vpc_id: !terraform.state vpc output_id  # Failed to find state!

The !terraform.state function would look for state at workspace_key_prefix/default/key (S3) or terraform.tfstate.d/default/terraform.tfstate (local) instead of the correct location.

The Fix​

Atmos now correctly handles the default workspace for all backend types:

  • S3 backend: Uses <key> directly instead of <workspace_key_prefix>/default/<key>
  • Local backend: Uses terraform.tfstate instead of terraform.tfstate.d/default/terraform.tfstate
  • Azure backend: Already worked correctly

Example​

With workspaces disabled, the !terraform.state function now works as expected:

# atmos.yaml
components:
  terraform:
    workspaces_enabled: false

# Stack manifest
components:
  terraform:
    networking:
      metadata:
        component: vpc
      vars:
        cidr: "10.0.0.0/16"

    application:
      metadata:
        component: app
      vars:
        # Now correctly reads from terraform.tfstate (not terraform.tfstate.d/default/terraform.tfstate)
        vpc_id: !terraform.state networking vpc_id
        subnet_ids: !terraform.state networking private_subnet_ids

Upgrade​

Upgrade Atmos to get this fix. No configuration changes are required. The !terraform.state function will automatically use the correct state file paths based on your workspace configuration.

References​