hashicorp/terraform · error

input is disabled

Error message

input is disabled

What it means

Returned by `Meta.confirm` when it is asked to show a yes/no prompt but `m.Input()` is false (i.e. the process was started with `-input=false` or input was otherwise disabled). The function refuses to prompt and surfaces this error so callers can report that a required confirmation could not be obtained.

Solutions

1. Pass `-auto-approve` (for apply) or supply the missing approval flag so the command does not need to prompt.
2. Remove `-input=false` to allow the prompt if you are in an interactive terminal.
3. Pre-resolve the decision the prompt was going to ask about (e.g. `terraform apply -auto-approve`, or `-force` for migrations).

Example fix

# before
terraform apply -input=false   # needs approval -> error
# after
terraform apply -input=false -auto-approve

// Equivalent of what callers should check before relying on confirm():
if !m.Input() {
    return errors.New("input is disabled; pass -auto-approve or remove -input=false")
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any code path that calls `m.confirm(&terraform.InputOpts{...})` while `m.input == false` — typically because the user passed `-input=false` to a command that needs interactive confirmation.

Common situations: Running `terraform apply`/`plan`/`destroy`/state migration in CI with `-input=false` when the command would normally ask for approval; forgetting `-auto-approve` on apply.

Related errors

• errInteractiveInputDisabled
• Can't ask approval for state migration when interactive…
• Login cancelled
• backendDiags.Err()
• can't show a saved cloud plan unless the current root…

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/terraform@d32a084675 (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9569b942f2087811. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at internal/command/meta.go:660

	if m.View != nil {
		m.View.Configure(&arguments.View{
			CompactWarnings: m.compactWarnings,
			NoColor:         !m.Color,
		})
	}

	return args
}

// uiHook returns the UiHook to use with the context.
func (m *Meta) uiHook() *views.UiHook {
	return views.NewUiHook(m.View)
}

// confirm asks a yes/no confirmation.
func (m *Meta) confirm(opts *terraform.InputOpts) (bool, error) {
	if !m.Input() {
		return false, errors.New("input is disabled")
	}

	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
		v, err := m.UIInput().Input(context.Background(), opts)
		if err != nil {
			return false, fmt.Errorf(
				"Error asking for confirmation: %s", err)
		}

		switch strings.ToLower(v) {
		case "no":
			return false, nil
		case "yes":
			return true, nil
		}
	}
	return false, nil
}

View on GitHub (pinned to d32a084675)