Terraform Provider Actions Implementation Guide

Overview

Terraform Actions enable imperative operations during the Terraform lifecycle. Actions are experimental features that allow performing provider operations at specific lifecycle events (before/after create, update, destroy).

References:

• Terraform Plugin Framework
• Terraform Plugin Framework Actions

First Action Setup

When adding the first action to a provider that has never had one, several one-time scaffolding steps are required:

1. Implement ProviderWithActions — add an Actions() method to the provider that returns []func() action.Action.
2. Set ActionData in Configure — the provider's Configure method must set resp.ActionData = v alongside the existing ResourceData, DataSourceData, and EphemeralResourceData assignments.
3. Create ActionWithConfigure base type — if the provider uses embedded base types (e.g. ResourceWithConfigure), create an equivalent ActionWithConfigure type implementing action.ConfigureRequest / action.ConfigureResponse.
4. Action-schema helper variants — if the provider injects common schema attributes (e.g. namespace) via helper functions, action-schema variants are needed since action/schema types differ from resource/schema types.

File Structure

Most providers keep actions alongside resources in the provider package:

internal/provider/
├── <action_name>_action.go       # Action implementation
└── <action_name>_action_test.go  # Action tests

(Large multi-service providers use internal/service/<service>/ packages instead — follow the target repository's layout.)

Documentation lives with the other generated docs:

docs/actions/
└── <action_name>.md              # User-facing documentation

(Some older, large providers hand-write website/docs/actions/<name>.html.markdown instead — match the repo.)

Action Schema Definition

Actions use the Terraform Plugin Framework with a standard schema pattern:

func (a *actionType) Schema(ctx context.Context, req action.SchemaRequest, resp *action.SchemaResponse) {
    resp.Schema = schema.Schema{
        Attributes: map[string]schema.Attribute{
            // Required configuration parameters
            "resource_id": schema.StringAttribute{
                Required:    true,
                Description: "ID of the resource to operate on",
            },
            // Optional parameters with defaults
            "timeout": schema.Int64Attribute{
                Optional:    true,
                Description: "Operation timeout in seconds",
                Default:     int64default.StaticInt64(1800),
                Computed:    true,
            },
        },
    }
}

Common Schema Issues

Pay special attention to the schema definition - common issues after a first draft:

1. Type Mismatches

   • Model structs use types.String/types.Int64 and schemas use types.StringType from github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-framework/types — don't mix in types from other packages
   • Some large providers layer their own custom type package on top (e.g. terraform-provider-aws's internal fwtypes); inside such a repo, follow its convention consistently instead of the plain types

2. List/Map Element Types

   // WRONG - missing ElementType
   "items": schema.ListAttribute{
       Optional: true,
   }
   
   // CORRECT
   "items": schema.ListAttribute{
       Optional:    true,
       ElementType: types.StringType,
   }
   

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3. Computed vs Optional

   • Attributes with defaults must be both Optional: true and Computed: true
   • Don't mark action inputs as Computed unless they have defaults

4. Validator Imports

   // Ensure proper imports
   "github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-framework-validators/int64validator"
   "github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-framework-validators/stringvalidator"
   

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5. Region/Provider Attribute (multi-region providers, e.g. AWS)

   • Use the provider's shared region handling when it has one
   • Don't manually re-define provider-level configuration in an action schema

6. Nested Attributes

   • Use appropriate nested object types for complex structures
   • Ensure nested types are properly defined

Schema Validation Checklist

Before submitting, verify:

• All attributes have descriptions
• List/Map attributes have ElementType defined
• Validators are imported and applied correctly
• Model struct uses correct framework types
• Optional attributes with defaults are marked Computed
• Code compiles without type errors
• Run go build to catch type mismatches

Action Invoke Method

The Invoke method contains the action logic:

func (a *actionType) Invoke(ctx context.Context, req action.InvokeRequest, resp *action.InvokeResponse) {
    var data actionModel
    resp.Diagnostics.Append(req.Config.Get(ctx, &data)...)
    if resp.Diagnostics.HasError() {
        return
    }

    // a.client was stored by Configure (from req.ProviderData), the same
    // pattern resources use.
    resp.SendProgress(action.InvokeProgressEvent{Message: "Starting operation..."})

    // Implement action logic with error handling
    // Use context for timeout management
    // Poll for completion if async operation

    resp.SendProgress(action.InvokeProgressEvent{Message: "Operation completed"})
}

Key Implementation Requirements

1. Progress Reporting

• Use resp.SendProgress(action.InvokeProgressEvent{...}) for real-time updates
• Provide meaningful progress messages during long operations
• Update progress at key milestones
• Include elapsed time for long operations

2. Timeout Management

• Always include configurable timeout parameter (default: 1800s)
• Use context.WithTimeout() for API calls
• Handle timeout errors gracefully
• Validate timeout ranges (typically 60-7200 seconds)

3. Error Handling

• Add diagnostics with resp.Diagnostics.AddError()
• Provide clear error messages with context
• Include API error details when relevant
• Map provider error types to user-friendly messages
• Document all possible error cases

Example error handling:

// Handle specific errors
var notFound *types.ResourceNotFoundException
if errors.As(err, &notFound) {
    resp.Diagnostics.AddError(
        "Resource Not Found",
        fmt.Sprintf("Resource %s was not found", resourceID),
    )
    return
}

// Generic error handling
resp.Diagnostics.AddError(
    "Operation Failed",
    fmt.Sprintf("Could not complete operation for %s: %s", resourceID, err),
)

4. Provider SDK Integration

• Use the API client stored at Configure time (a.client), shared with resources and data sources
• Handle pagination for list operations
• Implement retry logic for transient failures
• Use appropriate error types

5. Parameter Validation

• Use framework validators for input validation
• Validate resource existence before operations
• Check for conflicting parameters
• Validate against provider naming requirements

6. Polling and Waiting

For operations that require waiting for completion, poll on a ticker under a context deadline, reporting progress as you go. (Alternatively use retry.StateChangeConf from github.com/hashicorp/terraform-plugin-sdk/v2/helper/retry, the same waiter primitive resources use.)

ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, timeout)
defer cancel()

ticker := time.NewTicker(5 * time.Second)
defer ticker.Stop()

// Poll fast, report slow: progress events cross the plugin protocol, so
// throttle them instead of emitting one per poll.
start := time.Now()
var lastProgress time.Time
for {
    res, err := findResource(ctx, a.client, id)
    if err != nil {
        resp.Diagnostics.AddError("Error polling operation", fmt.Sprintf("checking status of %s: %s", id, err))
        return
    }
    switch res.Status {
    case "AVAILABLE", "COMPLETED":
        resp.SendProgress(action.InvokeProgressEvent{Message: "Operation completed"})
        return
    case "CREATING", "PENDING":
        if time.Since(lastProgress) >= 30*time.Second {
            lastProgress = time.Now()
            resp.SendProgress(action.InvokeProgressEvent{
                Message: fmt.Sprintf("Status: %s, Elapsed: %v", res.Status, time.Since(start).Round(time.Second)),
            })
        }
    default:
        resp.Diagnostics.AddError("Operation Failed", fmt.Sprintf("%s entered unexpected status %q", id, res.Status))
        return
    }

    select {
    case <-ctx.Done():
        resp.Diagnostics.AddError("Operation Timed Out", fmt.Sprintf("%s did not complete within %v", id, timeout))
        return
    case <-ticker.C:
    }
}

Common Action Patterns

Batch Operations

• Process items in configurable batches
• Report progress per batch
• Handle partial failures gracefully
• Support prefix/filter parameters

Command Execution

• Submit command and get operation ID
• Poll for completion status
• Retrieve and report output
• Handle timeout during polling
• Validate resources exist before execution

Service Invocation

• Invoke service with parameters
• Wait for completion (if synchronous)
• Return output/results
• Handle service-specific errors

Resource State Changes

• Validate current state
• Apply state change
• Poll for target state
• Handle transitional states

Async Job Submission

• Submit job with configuration
• Get job ID
• Optionally wait for completion
• Report job status

Action Triggers

Actions are invoked via action_trigger lifecycle blocks in Terraform configurations. A standalone action block without a corresponding trigger is declared but never executed.

HCL Syntax

Action parameters must be wrapped in a config {} block. Trigger references use the action. prefix, and actions is a list. Events are bare identifiers, not quoted strings.

action "provider_service_action" "name" {
  config {
    parameter = value
  }
}

resource "terraform_data" "trigger" {
  lifecycle {
    action_trigger {
      events  = [after_create]
      actions = [action.provider_service_action.name]
    }
  }
}

Available Trigger Events

Supported events (as of Terraform 1.14):

• before_create - Before resource creation
• after_create - After resource creation
• before_update - Before resource update
• after_update - After resource update

Not supported (as of Terraform 1.14; check current release notes):

• before_destroy - Not available (will cause validation error)
• after_destroy - Not available (will cause validation error)

Testing Actions

Acceptance Tests

• Test action invocation with valid parameters
• Test timeout scenarios
• Test error conditions
• Verify provider state changes
• Test progress reporting
• Test with custom parameters
• Test trigger-based invocation

Test Pattern

func TestAccExampleAction_basic(t *testing.T) {
    resource.ParallelTest(t, resource.TestCase{
        PreCheck:                 func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
        ProtoV6ProviderFactories: testAccProtoV6ProviderFactories,
        TerraformVersionChecks: []tfversion.TerraformVersionCheck{
            tfversion.SkipBelow(tfversion.Version1_14_0),
        },
        Steps: []resource.TestStep{
            {
                Config: testAccActionConfig_basic(),
                ConfigStateChecks: []statecheck.StateCheck{
                    // assert the observable effect of the action on the
                    // triggering resource
                },
            },
        },
    })
}

Test Cleanup with Sweep Functions

Actions invoked in tests can leave real resources behind; register sweepers (list → filter test-prefixed names → delete) so leaked resources are cleanable. Sweepers are not action-specific — use the provider-test-patterns skill (if available) for the sweep function pattern, registration, TestMain, and dependency ordering.

Using terraform_data as a No-Op Trigger

terraform_data can serve as a no-op trigger resource for action tests that don't need real infrastructure. This is valuable for error-case and validation tests:

resource "terraform_data" "trigger" {
  lifecycle {
    action_trigger {
      events  = [after_create]
      actions = [action.provider_service_action.test]
    }
  }
}

action "provider_service_action" "test" {
  config {
    param = "invalid-value"
  }
}

Using PostApplyFunc to Verify Side Effects

Actions don't produce state that can be checked with resource.TestCheckResourceAttr. Use PostApplyFunc on resource.TestStep to query the API after apply and confirm the action produced the expected side effect:

Steps: []resource.TestStep{
    {
        Config: testConfig,
        PostApplyFunc: func() {
            // query the API to verify the action's side effect occurred
        },
    },
},

Testing Best Practices

Service-Specific Prerequisites

• Always check for service-specific prerequisites that must be met before actions can succeed
• Document prerequisites in action documentation and test configurations

Error Pattern Matching

• Terraform wraps action errors with additional context
• Use flexible regex patterns: regexp.MustCompile(\(?s)Error Title.*key phrase`)`

Test Patterns Not Applicable to Actions

1. Actions trigger on lifecycle events, not config reapplication
2. Before/After Destroy Tests: Not supported as of Terraform 1.14

Running Tests

Compile-check first, then run the focused acceptance test:

go test -c -o /dev/null ./internal/provider
TF_ACC=1 go test ./internal/provider -run TestAccExampleAction_ -timeout 60m

Use the run-acceptance-tests skill (if available) for environment variable setup, debugging failing tests, and sweeper runs.

Documentation Standards

Generate action documentation with tfplugindocs where the provider uses it (use the provider-docs skill, if available, for that workflow). Each action documentation page must include:

1. Front Matter (hand-written legacy layouts only)

   ---
   subcategory: "Service Name"
   layout: "provider"
   page_title: "Provider: provider_service_action"
   description: |-
     Brief description of what the action does.
   ---
   

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2. Header with Warnings

   • Beta/Alpha notice about experimental status
   • Warning about potential unintended consequences
   • Link to provider documentation

3. Example Usage

   • Basic usage example
   • Advanced usage with all options
   • Trigger-based example with terraform_data
   • Real-world use case examples

4. Argument Reference

   • List all required and optional arguments
   • Include descriptions and defaults
   • Note any validation rules

5. Documentation Linting (optional tooling)

   • If the repo uses terrafmt, run terrafmt fmt before submission and verify with terrafmt diff

Changelog Entry Format (provider-specific convention)

Some providers (e.g. terraform-provider-aws) track release notes with go-changelog: one file per PR in a .changelog/ directory. Check the target repo's CONTRIBUTING guide; skip this if the repo doesn't use it.

.changelog/<pr_number>.txt

Content format:

action/provider_service_action: Brief description of the action

Pre-Submission Checklist

Before submitting your action implementation:

• Code compiles: go build -o /dev/null .
• Tests compile: go test -c -o /dev/null ./internal/provider
• Code formatted: gofmt (or the repo's make fmt)
• Documentation generated or formatted per the repo's convention
• Changelog entry created (if the repo uses one)
• Schema uses correct types
• All List/Map attributes have ElementType
• Progress updates implemented for long operations
• Error messages include context and resource identifiers
• Documentation includes multiple examples
• Documentation includes prerequisites and warnings

References

• Terraform Plugin Framework Documentation
• Terraform Provider Development
• terraform-plugin-framework GitHub
• terraform-plugin-testing
• Writing a Terraform Action (blog)
• Reference implementations: terraform-provider-tfe (action_query_run.go, action_query_run_test.go), terraform-provider-vault (action_rotate_root.go)