Terraform Infrastructure Skill

Installation

The skill invokes the Terraform CLI. Install:

• macOS: brew tap hashicorp/tap && brew install hashicorp/tap/terraform
• Windows: choco install terraform or download from HashiCorp
• Linux (apt): Add HashiCorp repo then sudo apt update && sudo apt install terraform (see HashiCorp install)

Verify: terraform --version

Cheat Sheet & Best Practices

Workflow: terraform init → terraform fmt → terraform validate → terraform plan -out=tfplan → review → terraform apply tfplan. Use terraform show tfplan to inspect.

Hacks: Always run plan before apply; never apply blind. Use remote state (e.g. S3 + lock) for team work. Prefer -auto-approve only in CI with reviewed plans. Use terraform state list and terraform state show <resource> to debug. Use service accounts / workload identity in pipelines; avoid static keys.

Certifications & Training

HashiCorp Terraform Associate (004): IaC concepts, Terraform fundamentals, state, modules, Terraform Cloud. Learning path. Skill data: init → fmt → validate → plan -out → apply; remote state; no blind apply.

Hooks & Workflows

Suggested hooks: Pre-apply: run terraform plan -out=tfplan and gate on review. CI: apply only after plan approval. Use with devops (primary).

Workflows: Use with devops (primary). Flow: init → plan → review → apply; use state commands for debugging. See ci-cd-implementation-rule for pipeline integration.

Overview

Provides 90%+ context savings vs raw Terraform MCP server. Includes critical safety controls for infrastructure operations.

Requirements

• Terraform CLI (v1.0+)
• Cloud provider credentials configured
• Working directory with .tf files

Tools (Progressive Disclosure)

Planning & Validation

State Operations

Workspace Operations

Execution (⚠️ Dangerous)

Blocked Operations

Quick Reference

# Initialize
terraform init

# Plan changes
terraform plan -out=tfplan

# Validate
terraform validate

# Apply (requires -auto-approve for automation)
terraform apply tfplan

Configuration

• Working directory: Must contain terraform files
• TFVAR*: Variable values via environment
• TF_WORKSPACE: Active workspace

Safety Controls

⚠️ terraform apply ALWAYS requires confirmation ⚠️ terraform destroy is BLOCKED by default ⚠️ State modifications require confirmation ⚠️ Review plan output before apply

Agent Integration

• devops (primary): Infrastructure management
• architect (secondary): Infrastructure design
• cloud-integrator (secondary): Cloud provisioning

Troubleshooting

Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)

Before starting: Read .claude/context/memory/learnings.md

After completing:

• New pattern -> .claude/context/memory/learnings.md
• Issue found -> .claude/context/memory/issues.md
• Decision made -> .claude/context/memory/decisions.md

ASSUME INTERRUPTION: If it’s not in memory, it didn’t happen.