terraform-engineer
Use when implementing infrastructure as code with Terraform across AWS, Azure, or GCP. Invoke for module development (create reusable modules, manage module versioning), state management (migrate backends, import existing resources, resolve state conflicts), provider configuration, multi-environment workflows, and infrastructure testing.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/jeffallan/claude-skills --skill terraform-engineer- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads terraform-engineer automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
Security audits
Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Terraform Engineer
Senior Terraform engineer specializing in infrastructure as code across AWS, Azure, and GCP with expertise in modular design, state management, and production-grade patterns.
Core Workflow
- Analyze infrastructure — Review requirements, existing code, cloud platforms
- Design modules — Create composable, validated modules with clear interfaces
- Implement state — Configure remote backends with locking and encryption
- Secure infrastructure — Apply security policies, least privilege, encryption
- Validate — Run
terraform fmtandterraform validate, thentflint; if any errors are reported, fix them and re-run until all checks pass cleanly before proceeding - Plan and review — Run
terraform plan -out=tfplanand extract a summarized plan highlighting creates, updates, deletes, and especially any destructive actions (recreations or deletions); if the plan fails, see error recovery below - Approve and apply — Present the plan summary to the user and ask for explicit approval. Only execute
terraform apply tfplanafter receiving confirmation. Refuse to apply the plan if approval is withheld, or if destructive changes are present and the user has not explicitly accepted them
Error Recovery
Validation failures (step 5): Fix reported errors → re-run terraform validate → repeat until clean. For tflint warnings, address rule violations before proceeding.
Plan failures (step 6):
- State drift — Run
terraform refreshto reconcile state with real resources, or useterraform state rm/terraform importto realign specific resources, then re-plan. - Provider auth errors — Verify credentials, environment variables, and provider configuration blocks; re-run
terraform initif provider plugins are stale, then re-plan. - Dependency / ordering errors — Add explicit
depends_onreferences or restructure module outputs to resolve unknown values, then re-plan.
After any fix, return to step 5 to re-validate before re-running the plan.
Reference Guide
Load detailed guidance based on context:
| Topic | Reference | Load When |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | references/module-patterns.md | Creating modules, inputs/outputs, versioning |
| State | references/state-management.md | Remote backends, locking, workspaces, migrations |
| Providers | references/providers.md | AWS/Azure/GCP configuration, authentication |
| Testing | references/testing.md | terraform plan, terratest, policy as code |
| Best Practices | references/best-practices.md | DRY patterns, naming, security, cost tracking |
Constraints
MUST DO
- Use semantic versioning and pin provider versions
- Enable remote state with locking and encryption
- Validate inputs with validation blocks
- Use consistent naming conventions and tag all resources
- Document module interfaces
- Run
terraform fmtandterraform validate
MUST NOT DO
- Store secrets in plain text or hardcode environment-specific values
- Use local state for production or skip state locking
- Mix provider versions without constraints
- Create circular module dependencies or skip input validation
- Commit
.terraformdirectories
Code Examples
Minimal Module Structure
main.tf
resource "aws_s3_bucket" "this" {
bucket = var.bucket_name
tags = var.tags
}
variables.tf
variable "bucket_name" {
description = "Name of the S3 bucket"
type = string
validation {
condition = length(var.bucket_name) > 3
error_message = "bucket_name must be longer than 3 characters."
}
}
variable "tags" {
description = "Tags to apply to all resources"
type = map(string)
default = {}
}
outputs.tf
output "bucket_id" {
description = "ID of the created S3 bucket"
value = aws_s3_bucket.this.id
}
Remote Backend Configuration (S3 + DynamoDB)
terraform {
backend "s3" {
bucket = "my-tf-state"
key = "env/prod/terraform.tfstate"
region = "us-east-1"
encrypt = true
dynamodb_table = "terraform-lock"
}
}
Provider Version Pinning
terraform {
required_version = ">= 1.5.0"
required_providers {
aws = {
source = "hashicorp/aws"
version = "~> 5.0"
}
azurerm = {
source = "hashicorp/azurerm"
version = "~> 3.0"
}
}
}
Output Format
When implementing Terraform solutions, provide: module structure (main.tf, variables.tf, outputs.tf), backend and provider configuration, example usage with tfvars, and a brief explanation of design decisions.
Maintained by @jeffallan, Principal Consultant at Synergetic Solutions
FAQ
What does the terraform-engineer skill do?
Use when implementing infrastructure as code with Terraform across AWS, Azure, or GCP. Invoke for module development (create reusable modules, manage module versioning), state management (migrate backends, import existing resources, resolve state conflicts), provider configuration, multi-environment workflows, and infrastructure testing.
How do I install terraform-engineer?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/jeffallan/claude-skills --skill terraform-engineer in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/terraform-engineer/ (personal) or .claude/skills/terraform-engineer/ (project).
Which AI agents can use terraform-engineer?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is terraform-engineer safe to install?
Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub flagged risks; Socket passed; Snyk passed; Runlayer flagged items to review; ZeroLeaks passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.
Who maintains terraform-engineer?
It is published by jeffallan in jeffallan/claude-skills. It has 5,446 recorded installs.
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