hashicorp/terraform · error

preparing identity values for %s: %w

Error message

preparing identity values for %s: %w

What it means

Wraps an error from marshalIdentityValues while serializing the current (non-deposed) resource instance's identity blob in state. The %w carries the underlying cause; the resource address is included so the failing instance can be identified. This is the identity counterpart of error 628.

Source

Thrown at internal/command/jsonstate/state.go:464

				}

				var value cty.Value
				var sensitivePaths []cty.Path
				value, current.AttributeValues, sensitivePaths, err = marshalAttributeValues(riObj.Value)
				if err != nil {
					return nil, fmt.Errorf("preparing attribute values for %s: %w", current.Address, err)
				}
				sensitivePaths = append(sensitivePaths, schema.Body.SensitivePaths(value, nil)...)
				s := SensitiveAsBool(marks.MarkPaths(value, marks.Sensitive, sensitivePaths))
				v, err := ctyjson.Marshal(s, s.Type())
				if err != nil {
					return nil, err
				}
				current.SensitiveValues = v

				current.IdentityValues, err = marshalIdentityValues(riObj.Identity)
				if err != nil {
					return nil, fmt.Errorf("preparing identity values for %s: %w", current.Address, err)
				}

				if len(riObj.Dependencies) > 0 {
					dependencies := make([]string, len(riObj.Dependencies))
					for i, v := range riObj.Dependencies {
						dependencies[i] = v.String()
					}
					current.DependsOn = dependencies
				}

				if riObj.Status == states.ObjectTainted {
					current.Tainted = true
				}
				ret = append(ret, current)
			}

			for _, deposedKey := range slices.Sorted(maps.Keys(ri.Deposed)) {
				rios := ri.Deposed[states.DeposedKey(deposedKey)]

View on GitHub (pinned to c9def3e214)

Solutions

1. Inspect the wrapped (%w) inner error to find the true serialization cause.
2. Re-apply with the current provider so the identity blob is rewritten under the current schema.
3. Upgrade Terraform Core and provider to versions with stable identity schema support.
4. If unrecoverable, remove the resource from state and re-import to regenerate its identity data.

if _, err := jsonstate.MarshalIdentity(riObj.Identity); err != nil {
    // Wrapped identity error — re-apply to rewrite identity under the current schema.
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Raised in jsonstate when marshalIdentityValues(riObj.Identity) returns a non-nil error for the current instance. Triggered during JSON state rendering when a resource has identity data (ri.Current.IdentityJSON != nil) that fails to marshal/decode.

Common situations: Occurs when the identity value in state is malformed, has an unsupported cty mark, or the identity schema has changed shape. Often accompanies provider/identity schema migrations that did not run cleanly.

Related errors

• preparing attribute values for %s: %w
• %s: cannot serialize value marked as %#v for inclusion in a
• The builtin provider does not support provider upgrades sinc
• failed to read state: %w
• cannot serialize updated credentials file: %s

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/terraform@c9def3e214 (2026-08-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/afcc5a4e95522502. Report an issue: GitHub.