{"record":{"id":"ff66b45713330195","repo":"hashicorp/terraform","slug":"attempted-to-encode-a-malformed-backend-state-file-ff66b4","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"attempted to encode a malformed backend state file; data is empty","messagePattern":"attempted to encode a malformed backend state file; data is empty","errorType":"validation","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"internal/command/workdir/statestore_config_state.go","lineNumber":46,"sourceCode":"\tType               string                          `json:\"type\"`                 // State store type name\n\tProvider           *ProviderConfigState            `json:\"provider\"`             // Details about the state-storage provider\n\tConfigRaw          json.RawMessage                 `json:\"config\"`               // state_store block raw config, barring provider details\n\tHash               uint64                          `json:\"hash\"`                 // Hash of the state_store block's configuration, including the nested provider block\n\tProviderSupplyMode getproviders.ProviderSupplyMode `json:\"provider_supply_mode\"` // How the provider was supplied to Terraform during the init operation that created this config state.\n}\n\n// Empty returns true if there is no active state store.\nfunc (s *StateStoreConfigState) Empty() bool {\n\treturn s == nil || s.Type == \"\"\n}\n\n// Validate returns true if there are no missing expected values, and\n// important values have been validated, e.g. FQNs. When the config is\n// invalid an error will be returned.\nfunc (s *StateStoreConfigState) Validate() error {\n\t// Are any bits of data totally missing?\n\tif s.Empty() {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"attempted to encode a malformed backend state file; data is empty\")\n\t}\n\tif s.Type == \"\" {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"attempted to encode a malformed backend state file; state store type is missing\")\n\t}\n\tif s.Provider == nil {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"attempted to encode a malformed backend state file; provider data is missing\")\n\t}\n\tif s.ConfigRaw == nil {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"attempted to encode a malformed backend state file; state_store configuration data is missing\")\n\t}\n\n\t// Validity of data that is there\n\terr := s.Provider.Source.Validate()\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn fmt.Errorf(\"state store is not valid: %w\", err)\n\t}\n\n\t// Version information is required if the provider isn't builtin or unmanaged by Terraform","sourceCodeStart":28,"sourceCodeEnd":64,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/blob/d32a084675427f5ac3f7d2868578ef8b2c1dc525/internal/command/workdir/statestore_config_state.go#L28-L64","documentation":"StateStoreConfigState.Validate() returned immediately because the receiver is empty (nil or Type==\"\"). Validate is called during EncodeBackendStateFile's state_store branch, so the message uses the backend-state framing: the file is being encoded with a non-nil StateStore pointer whose content is empty.","triggerScenarios":"Code constructs a BackendStateFile with StateStore != nil but the StateStoreConfigState has no Type set (or is the zero value). Indicates an internal construction bug rather than user config.","commonSituations":"Custom tooling that builds a BackendStateFile programmatically without populating StateStore fields; a partially-initialised state object after a failed migration.","solutions":["If writing tooling, always populate Type (and other required fields) before encoding, or leave StateStore nil.","In normal use, delete the malformed file and `terraform init` to rebuild it.","Audit the code path that allocates StateStoreConfigState — it should fully populate or remain nil."],"exampleFix":"// before\nf := &BackendStateFile{StateStore: &StateStoreConfigState{}}\nEncodeBackendStateFile(f) // -> data is empty\n\n// after — populate or omit\nf.StateStore = nil\n// or\nf.StateStore = &StateStoreConfigState{Type: \"kubernetes\", Provider: ..., ConfigRaw: ...}","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"// pre-flight: skip encode when there's nothing to encode\nif s != nil && s.Empty() {\n    return errors.New(\"StateStoreConfigState is empty; set fields or leave StateStore nil\")\n}","typeGuard":"func (s *StateStoreConfigState) isPopulated() bool {\n    return s != nil && s.Type != \"\" && s.Provider != nil && s.ConfigRaw != nil\n}","tryCatchPattern":null,"preventionTips":["When building BackendStateFile in code, either fully populate StateStore or leave it nil.","Add a constructor that enforces required fields."],"tags":["backend","state-store","validate","encode","malformed"],"backgroundTag":null,"analyzedSha":"d32a084675427f5ac3f7d2868578ef8b2c1dc525","analyzedAt":"2026-08-11T18:43:52.779Z","contentChangedAt":null,"schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-09-23T08:17:48.524Z"}