Why doesn't my destroy command see my var-file arguments in Spacelift?

When using environment variables to pass arguments to Terraform/OpenTofu commands in Spacelift, it's important to understand how variable scoping works across different phases of execution.

Understanding Variable Scoping

Variables prefixed with ro_ (read-only) are only available during read-only phases like plan. When a run switches to write phases (apply or destroy), these variables are dropped for security reasons.

For example, if you set:

ro_TF_CLI_ARGS = -var-file env/production.tfvars

This will work for plan but not for destroy operations.

Solutions

There are several ways to ensure your var-file is available during destroy operations:

1. Use unscoped variables: Remove the ro_ prefix to make the variable available in all phases:

   TF_CLI_ARGS = -var-file env/production.tfvars

2. Use phase-specific variables: Set variables specifically for destroy operations:

   TF_CLI_ARGS_destroy = -var-file env/production.tfvars

   or

   wo_TF_CLI_ARGS = -var-file env/production.tfvars

3. Use auto-loaded tfvars files: Rename your variables file to either:

   • terraform.tfvars

   • *.auto.tfvars

   These files are automatically loaded for all commands (init, plan, destroy, etc.)