Pulumi ESC (Environments, Secrets, and Configuration)

Pulumi ESC is a centralized service for managing environments, secrets, and configuration across cloud infrastructure and applications.

What is ESC?

ESC enables teams to:

• Centralize secrets and configuration in one secure location
• Compose environments by importing and layering configuration
• Generate dynamic credentials via OIDC for AWS, Azure, GCP
• Integrate external secret stores (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, Vault, 1Password)
• Version and audit all configuration changes
• Control access with fine-grained RBAC

Essential CLI Commands

# Create a new environment
pulumi env init <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Edit environment (opens in editor)
pulumi env edit <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Set values
pulumi env set <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> <key> <value>
pulumi env set <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> <key> <value> --secret

# View definition (secrets hidden)
pulumi env get <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Open and resolve (reveals secrets)
pulumi env open <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Run command with environment
pulumi env run <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> -- <command>

# Link to Pulumi stack
pulumi config env add <project-name>/<environment-name>

Key Concepts

Command Distinctions

• pulumi env get: Shows static definition, secrets appear as [secret]
• pulumi env open: Resolves and reveals all values including secrets and dynamic credentials
• pulumi env run: Executes commands with environment variables loaded
• pulumi config env add: Only takes the <project-name>/<environment-name> portion

Environment Structure

Environments are YAML documents with reserved top-level keys:

• imports: Import and compose other environments
• values: Define configuration and secrets

Reserved sub-keys under values:

• environmentVariables: Map values to shell environment variables
• pulumiConfig: Configure Pulumi stack settings
• files: Generate files with environment data

Basic Example

imports:
  - common/base-config

values:
  environment: production
  region: us-west-2

  dbPassword:
    fn::secret: super-secure-password

  environmentVariables:
    AWS_REGION: ${region}
    DB_PASSWORD: ${dbPassword}

  pulumiConfig:
    aws:region: ${region}
    app:dbPassword: ${dbPassword}

Reading Another Stack's Outputs

Use the fn::open::pulumi-stacks provider to consume another stack's outputs. The stacks and network keys below are arbitrary names you choose. Once the function resolves, it replaces stacks.network with the named stack's outputs — so the output names (vpcId, subnetIds) do not appear in the static YAML; they come from whatever the producer stack exports. Two things are easy to get wrong:

• The stack is named by a single project-qualified stack: <project>/<stackName> field — not separate projectName/stackName fields.
• Outputs resolve directly under the stack name — there is no .outputs. level (use ${stacks.network.vpcId}, not ${stacks.network.outputs.vpcId}).

Example — replace the stack name and output names with your own:

values:
  stacks:
    fn::open::pulumi-stacks:
      stacks:
        network:                 # arbitrary local name for the referenced stack
          stack: my-project/dev  # producer stack to read outputs from
  pulumiConfig:
    # vpcId / subnetIds are whatever the producer stack exports; after the function
    # resolves they are available directly under `stacks.network` (no `.outputs.`).
    vpcId: ${stacks.network.vpcId}
    subnetIds: ${stacks.network.subnetIds}

Full schema: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/providers/pulumi-stacks/

Viewing an Environment in the Pulumi Cloud Console

The console URL for an environment is https://app.pulumi.com/<org>/esc/<project>/<environment>. The route segment is esc, not environments.

Working with the User

For Simple Questions

If the user asks basic questions like "How do I create an environment?" or "What's the difference between get and open?", answer directly using the information above.

For Detailed Documentation

When users need more information, use the web-fetch tool to get content from the official Pulumi ESC documentation:

• Complete YAML syntax and functions → https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/environments/syntax/
• Provider integrations (AWS, Azure, GCP, Vault, 1Password):
  • AWS: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/aws-login/
  • Azure: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/azure-login/
  • GCP: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/gcp-login/
  • Short-term credential (OIDC) providers: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/
  • Dynamic secret providers: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-secrets/
  • Pulumi stack outputs (fn::open::pulumi-stacks): https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/providers/pulumi-stacks/
  • All providers (index): https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/providers/
• Getting started guide → https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/get-started/
• CLI reference → https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/cli/commands/
  • Prefer using the pulumi env subcommands over esc CLI.

Use the web-fetch tool with specific prompts to extract relevant information from these docs.

For Complex Tasks

When helping users:

1. Understand the goal: Are they setting up new environments, migrating from stack config, or debugging?
2. Check existing setup: Use pulumi env commands to list environments or read definitions
3. Fetch relevant documentation: Use the web-fetch to get specific examples or syntax from the official docs
4. Provide step-by-step guidance: Walk through the process with specific commands
5. Validate: Help them test with pulumi env get or pulumi preview a. Only use pulumi env open when the full resolved values are needed, but use cautiously as it reveals secrets.

Example: Helping with AWS OIDC Setup

User: "How do I set up AWS OIDC credentials in ESC?"

1. Use the web-fetch tool to get AWS OIDC documentation from "https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/aws-login/"
2. Provide the user with the configuration
3. Ask the user if they have a pre-defined role or need one created for them
4. Set up as much of the environment as possible, then guide them through any steps that you can't do for them
5. Help them test with `pulumi env get` or `pulumi env open` if necessary

Common Workflows

Creating an Environment

pulumi env init my-org/my-project/dev-config
# Edit environment (accepts new definition from a file, better for agents, more difficult for users)
pulumi env edit --file /tmp/example.yml my-org/my-project/dev-config

Linking to Stack

pulumi config env add my-project/dev-config
pulumi config  # Verify environment values are accessible

API Access (Rare)

Always prefer CLI commands. Only use the API when absolutely necessary (e.g., bulk operations, automation).

Available API endpoints include:

• GET /api/esc/environments/{orgName} - List environments
• GET /api/esc/environments/{orgName}/{projectName}/{envName} - Read environment definition
• GET /api/esc/providers?orgName={orgName} - List available providers

Use the pulumi api CLI subcommand to make requests when needed, e.g. pulumi api /api/esc/providers -F orgName={orgName}.

Best Practices

1. Always use fn::secret for sensitive values
2. Prefer OIDC over static keys
3. Use descriptive names like <org>/my-app/production-aws not <org>/app/prod
4. Layer environments: base → cloud-provider → stack-specific
5. Verify that pulumi config shows expected values after linking an environment to a stack
6. Prefer using pulumi env run for commands needing environment variables
7. Only use pulumi env open when absolutely necessary, as it reveals secrets
8. Before using an existing environment, verify its account and role and get the user's confirmation; never select one by name alone. Never link an environment to a stack (pulumi config env add) without explicit user confirmation, and never pass --yes.

Handling Credential Errors and Existing Environments

Credential errors

Start with the remediation in the error message. An expired or missing login usually just needs the user to re-authenticate, and most providers name the fix or the command:

• AWS SSO: Failed to refresh cached SSO credentials. Please refresh SSO login. → aws sso login
• AWS temporary credentials: ExpiredToken: The security token included in the request is expired → refresh the session or keys
• Azure: re-run az login
• GCP: re-run gcloud auth application-default login
• Pulumi Cloud (401 / unauthorized): pulumi login

Relay the fix and have the user retry. If the error does not name a remediation (for example a bare Unable to locate credentials, or an access-denied that may mean the wrong account or profile rather than an expired login), don't guess — identify how the project authenticates (provider config, the active profile, any linked ESC environment) and address that.

Changing where the project gets its credentials (adding or switching an ESC environment, editing provider config) is a deliberate change, not a reflexive fix for an expired session. Do it only if the user wants it, and follow the rules below.

Never select an existing environment by name

Do not pick an environment because its name looks relevant (*-aws-oidc, *-creds, *-workshop, etc.). A matching name does not mean it is the right one or that it belongs to this user's work.

Before proposing any existing environment:

1. Inspect it with pulumi env get <org>/<project>/<env>.
2. Confirm the target it authenticates to matches where the user's resources actually live. An OIDC roleArn names a specific AWS account — if it points at a different account (a shared workshop, an instructor role, another team), it is the wrong environment and will run operations against the wrong account or fail.
3. Show the candidate to the user and confirm it is theirs and correct before using it.

Linking an environment changes which credentials operations use — confirm first

pulumi config env add edits the stack config (Pulumi.<stack>.yaml) and changes the credentials Pulumi operations run under. Never run it without explicit user confirmation, and never pass --yes to skip that confirmation. Tell the user what will change and let them decide.

Verify before claiming it worked

After linking, resolved credential values often show as [unknown] until the environment is opened or run. Do not claim the error is fixed or that the next operation will succeed until you have verified it — check pulumi config, and confirm the credentials resolve to the expected account before declaring success.

Quick troubleshooting

• "Environment not found": Check permissions with pulumi env ls -o <org>
• "Secret decryption failed": Use pulumi env open not pulumi env get
• "Stack can't read values": Verify pulumi config env ls to ensure the stack is listed.
  • Ensure the environment is referenced only by the project-name/environment-name format.
  • Get the specific environment definition with pulumi env get <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>.
  • Verify the pulumiConfig key exists and is nested under the values key.