hashicorp/terraform · error

Error parsing provider ID from Registry: %s

Error message

Error parsing provider ID from Registry: %s

What it means

Raised in registryClient.legacyProviderDefaultNamespace (internal/getproviders/didyoumean.go:245). When looking up a legacy/default-namespace provider, the registry returns a JSON body whose 'id' field should be a parseable provider source string. If addrs.ParseProviderSourceString reports diagnostics on that 'id', this error wraps them. It is returned from the lookup and, in the normal MissingProviderSuggestion flow, swallowed (the suggestion falls back to the original address).

Source

Thrown at internal/getproviders/didyoumean.go:245

		return "", "", c.errUnauthorized(placeholderProviderAddr.Hostname)
	default:
		return "", "", c.errQueryFailed(placeholderProviderAddr, errors.New(resp.Status))
	}

	type ResponseBody struct {
		Id      string `json:"id"`
		MovedTo string `json:"moved_to"`
	}
	var body ResponseBody

	dec := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body)
	if err := dec.Decode(&body); err != nil {
		return "", "", c.errQueryFailed(placeholderProviderAddr, err)
	}

	provider, diags := addrs.ParseProviderSourceString(body.Id)
	if diags.HasErrors() {
		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("Error parsing provider ID from Registry: %s", diags.Err())
	}

	if provider.Type != typeName {
		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("Registry returned provider with type %q, expected %q", provider.Type, typeName)
	}

	var movedTo addrs.Provider
	if body.MovedTo != "" {
		movedTo, diags = addrs.ParseProviderSourceString(body.MovedTo)
		if diags.HasErrors() {
			return "", "", fmt.Errorf("Error parsing provider ID from Registry: %s", diags.Err())
		}

		if movedTo.Type != typeName {
			return "", "", fmt.Errorf("Registry returned provider with type %q, expected %q", movedTo.Type, typeName)
		}
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to c9def3e214)

Solutions

1. Use a fully-qualified provider address (namespace/type) so the legacy lookup is never invoked.
2. Verify the registry implementation conforms to the Terraform registry protocol for the legacy-provider endpoint.
3. If calling the client directly, treat a lookup error as 'no suggestion' and fall back to the original address (as MissingProviderSuggestion already does).
4. Check the registry server logs / response body for a malformed 'id'.

Example fix

// before
provider "consul" {}   // unqualified -> triggers legacy lookup
// after
provider {
  source = "hashicorp/consul"
}

// MissingProviderSuggestion already swallows this; if you call the client
// directly, treat a legacy-lookup error as 'no suggestion'.
suggested := getproviders.MissingProviderSuggestion(ctx, addr, source, reqs)
// 'suggested' is always a valid address; suggestion failures never propagate.

When it happens

Trigger: A custom or misconfigured registry responds to the legacy-provider endpoint with an 'id' that is not a valid provider source (e.g. 'foo/bar/baz/qux' with too many parts, empty segments, or illegal characters). Direct callers of the registry client would observe the error directly.

Common situations: Using a private registry that returns non-standard provider IDs; registry API version mismatch; a registry bug returning malformed JSON for the 'id' field.

Related errors

• Registry returned provider with type %q, expected %q
• can't use local directory %q as a module registry address
• checksum list has invalid SHA256 hash %q: %s
• failed to retrieve credentials for %s: %s
• must be two words separated by an underscore

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/terraform@c9def3e214 (2026-08-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0618d40121946620. Report an issue: GitHub.