What causes "discarded using the UI or API" in hashicorp/terraform?

Confirm the discard was intentional by checking the run history in the UI/API.

hashicorp/terraform · warning · errRunDiscarded

discarded using the UI or API

Error message

discarded using the UI or API

What it means

errRunDiscarded is a sentinel returned by confirm() when the run's status becomes RunDiscarded while the CLI awaited input — i.e. the run was discarded externally through the UI or API rather than via the CLI prompt. It differs from errApplyDiscarded in that the discard originated out-of-band; errApplyDiscarded is the rewritten form surfaced to the apply caller.

Source

Thrown at internal/cloud/errors.go:20

// SPDX-License-Identifier: BUSL-1.1

package cloud

import (
	"errors"
	"fmt"
	"strings"

	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/internal/tfdiags"
	"github.com/zclconf/go-cty/cty"
)

// String based errors
var (
	errApplyDiscarded                    = errors.New("Apply discarded.")
	errDestroyDiscarded                  = errors.New("Destroy discarded.")
	errRunApproved                       = errors.New("approved using the UI or API")
	errRunDiscarded                      = errors.New("discarded using the UI or API")
	errRunOverridden                     = errors.New("overridden using the UI or API")
	errApplyNeedsUIConfirmation          = errors.New("Cannot confirm apply due to -input=false. Please handle run confirmation in the UI.")
	errPolicyOverrideNeedsUIConfirmation = errors.New("Cannot override soft failed policy checks when -input=false. Please open the run in the UI to override.")
)

// Diagnostic error messages
var (
	invalidWorkspaceConfigMissingValues = tfdiags.AttributeValue(
		tfdiags.Error,
		"Invalid workspaces configuration",
		fmt.Sprintf("Missing workspace mapping strategy. Either workspace \"tags\" or \"name\" is required.\n\n%s", workspaceConfigurationHelp),
		cty.Path{cty.GetAttrStep{Name: "workspaces"}},
	)

	invalidWorkspaceConfigMisconfiguration = tfdiags.AttributeValue(
		tfdiags.Error,
		"Invalid workspaces configuration",
		fmt.Sprintf("Only one of workspace \"tags\" or \"name\" is allowed.\n\n%s", workspaceConfigurationHelp),

View on GitHub (pinned to c9def3e214)

Solutions

Confirm the discard was intentional by checking the run history in the UI/API.
Re-run 'terraform plan'/'apply' to produce a new run if the changes are still desired.
Coordinate with team members to avoid concurrent manual and CLI-driven run management on the same workspace.

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Try / catch

// errRunDiscarded means an out-of-band discard; surface as cancellation.
err := b.confirm(ctx, op, opts, run, "yes")
if err != nil && (errors.Is(err, cloud.ErrRunDiscarded) || strings.Contains(err.Error(), "discarded using the UI or API")) {
    return errRunCancelled
}

Prevention

Lock concurrent run management to a single channel (CLI xor UI) per workspace.
Surface discard events to stakeholders so a discard isn't mistaken for an apply.
In CI, prefer -auto-approve or fully UI-driven flows, not both.

When it happens

Trigger: Cloud.confirm (backend_common.go:469,477): the poll loop sees Status == tfe.RunDiscarded and returns errRunDiscarded for both 'override' and 'yes' keywords; backend_common.go:490 then maps it to errApplyDiscarded for the apply path.

Common situations: A teammate discards the run in the HCP Terraform UI while you sit at the CLI confirmation prompt; an automation pipeline discards the run via API on a failed upstream check.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/terraform@c9def3e214 (2026-08-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a04cf0ff3710567a. Report an issue: GitHub.