floci-io/floci · error · AwsException

ValidationError

ValidationError

Error message

Stack with id {} does not exist

What it means

DescribeStacks was called with a non-blank StackName (or stack id) that resolves to no stack in this region — resolveStackForDescribe returned null. Real AWS also answers ValidationError ('Stack with id ... does not exist') here, so Floci mirrors it. A blank StackName does not throw; it lists all stacks.

Source

Thrown at src/main/java/io/github/hectorvent/floci/services/cloudformation/CloudFormationService.java:129

    /**
     * Sets a stack's termination protection (CloudFormation {@code UpdateTerminationProtection}).
     * Returns the stack so the caller can echo its {@code StackId}.
     */
    public Stack updateTerminationProtection(String stackName, boolean enabled, String region) {
        Stack stack = getStackOrThrow(stackName, region);
        stack.setEnableTerminationProtection(enabled);
        persistStack(stack);
        return stack;
    }

    // ── DescribeStacks ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

    public List<Stack> describeStacks(String stackName, String region) {
        if (stackName != null && !stackName.isBlank()) {
            Stack stack = resolveStackForDescribe(stackName, region);
            if (stack == null) {
                throw new AwsException("ValidationError",
                        "Stack with id " + stackName + " does not exist", 400);
            }
            return List.of(stack);
        }
        return stacks.values().stream()
                .filter(s -> region.equals(s.getRegion()))
                .sorted(Comparator.comparing(Stack::getCreationTime))
                .toList();
    }

    // ── CreateChangeSet ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

    public ChangeSet createChangeSet(String stackName, String changeSetName, String changeSetType,
                                     String templateBody, String templateUrl,
                                     Map<String, String> parameters, List<String> capabilities,
                                     Map<String, String> tags, String region) {
        String resolvedTemplate = resolveTemplate(templateBody, templateUrl);

View on GitHub (pinned to 62ff490619)

Solutions

  1. List what actually exists: aws cloudformation describe-stacks (no name) or list-stacks, and compare names.
  2. Check the region matches where the stack was created (the emulator keys stacks per region).
  3. If the stack was recently deleted, it is gone immediately in Floci (expired stacks are purged) — recreate it.
  4. For scripts, first call list-stacks and branch on presence instead of assuming.

Example fix

# before
aws cloudformation describe-stacks --stack-name my-stak   # typo
# after
aws cloudformation list-stacks --query 'StackSummaries[].StackName'
aws cloudformation describe-stacks --stack-name my-stack
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

const exists = await cfn.listStacks({StackStatusFilter: ['CREATE_COMPLETE','UPDATE_COMPLETE','UPDATE_ROLLBACK_COMPLETE']})
    .StackSummaries.some(s => s.StackName === name);
if (!exists) return; // nothing to describe

Type guard

const stackExists = (summaries, name) => summaries.some(s => s.StackName === name);

Try / catch

try {
    const d = await cfn.describeStacks({StackName: name}).promise();
} catch (e) {
    if (e.code === 'ValidationError' && /does not exist/.test(e.message)) return null;
    throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: aws cloudformation describe-stacks --stack-name my-stack where my-stack was never created, was deleted (and purged), or exists in a different region; passing a stack id after the emulator's storage was reset.

Common situations: Scripts assuming a stack exists after a failed create; wrong AWS_DEFAULT_REGION / endpoint region against the emulator; persistence wiped (memory storage mode restart); typo in the stack name.

Understand the failure class

Background: ValidationError explained: why open-source libraries reject your input — file uploads, YAML manifests, unique fields, and query permissions — this error's family across 13 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of floci-io/floci@62ff490619 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/58c889785dcca8a4. Report an issue: GitHub.