Cannot find text_plan_path file in steps outside of plan

[mennlo]

My use case is that I want to be able to run TerraCost on my TF plan. I am using Terraform Cloud with agent execution mode. This rules out the json_plan_path, so I was going to parse the TFC run_id out of the file provided by text_plan_path. I would then use the json-output feature of the TFC api to retrieve the json plan. However when I try to reference the file provided by that output, It is unreachable by subsequent steps.

During plan-terraform step text_plan_path is set to .dflook-terraform-github-actions/zgmnthba/plan.txt :

Subsequent job cannot view that path:

[dflook]

Hello @mennlo, the path should be accessible from later steps in the same job, It won't be available from subsequent jobs though.
You could try uploading it as an artefact in the plan job and then download it in the terracost job.

It sounds like the tfc run_id would be a useful output to add to the plan/apply actions. In fact I don't see a reason that the actions couldn't retrieve the json plan using the TFC API like you suggest, so that the json_plan_path always works.

[mennlo]

Thanks for the quick response, I am doing it within the same job, just a later step. It seems that is only available within the image / plan step. See below for the steps (plan and a debug step):

See below for the output:

[mennlo]

In fact I don't see a reason that the actions couldn't retrieve the json plan using the TFC API like you suggest, so that the json_plan_path always works.

This would be a great enhancement.

[mennlo]

Thanks for the quick response, I am doing it within the same job, just a later step. It seems that is only available within the image / plan step. See below for the steps (plan and a debug step):

See below for the output:

This seems to be solved by referencing it as ${{ github.workspace }}/${{ steps.plan-terraform.outputs.text_plan_path }}. Unfortunately the url of the TFC run is not in that file. I wanted to use regex on that url to get the run_id and use that to retrieve the json-output from the TFC api.

[dflook]

dflook/terraform-plan@v1.25.0 creates the json_plan_path output for remote plans 🎉

[dflook]

The path outputs are relative to the actions workspace - usually that is the working directory. I can see in your output that the working-directory is being overwritten, which would be why you have to use an absolute path.