kubernetes/kops · error

Missing VPC task from target group: %v %v

Error message

Missing VPC task from target group:
%v
%v

What it means

RenderTerraform for a TargetGroup requires the VPC task reference to emit the terraform resource, and returns this error when e.VPC is nil. (Note the message prints %v twice for e and e.VPC, so the second value is always <nil> — a known cosmetic wart.) For shared target groups it returns early, so only managed target groups hit this.

Source

Thrown at upup/pkg/fi/cloudup/awstasks/targetgroup.go:473

	HealthCheck           terraformTargetGroupHealthCheck `cty:"health_check"`
}

type terraformTargetGroupHealthCheck struct {
	Interval           int32                   `cty:"interval"`
	HealthyThreshold   int32                   `cty:"healthy_threshold"`
	UnhealthyThreshold int32                   `cty:"unhealthy_threshold"`
	Protocol           elbv2types.ProtocolEnum `cty:"protocol"`
	Path               *string                 `cty:"path"`
}

func (_ *TargetGroup) RenderTerraform(t *terraform.TerraformTarget, a, e, changes *TargetGroup) error {
	shared := fi.ValueOf(e.Shared)
	if shared {
		return nil
	}

	if e.VPC == nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("Missing VPC task from target group:\n%v\n%v", e, e.VPC)
	}

	tf := &terraformTargetGroup{
		Name:     *e.Name,
		Port:     *e.Port,
		Protocol: e.Protocol,
		VPCID:    e.VPC.TerraformLink(),
		Tags:     e.Tags,
		HealthCheck: terraformTargetGroupHealthCheck{
			Interval:           *e.Interval,
			HealthyThreshold:   *e.HealthyThreshold,
			UnhealthyThreshold: *e.UnhealthyThreshold,
			Protocol:           e.HealthCheckProtocol,
			Path:               e.HealthCheckPath,
		},
	}

	for attr, val := range e.Attributes {

View on GitHub (pinned to 4c8573c808)

Solutions

1. Ensure the task-building code sets TargetGroup.VPC from the cluster's VPC task
2. Regenerate the cluster spec with the stock kOps version for your release
3. If shared (existing) target group, set Shared=true so the terraform path is skipped

Example fix

// before (task building)
tg := &awstasks.TargetGroup{Name: name, Port: &port}
// after
tg := &awstasks.TargetGroup{Name: name, Port: &port, VPC: vpcTask}

// before terraform target
if e.VPC == nil && !fi.ValueOf(e.Shared) {
  return errors.New("target group has no VPC task; set VPC or mark Shared")
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `kops update cluster --target=terraform` where the TargetGroup task was constructed without its VPC field populated — typically a wiring bug or a spec where the load balancer has no VPC association.

Common situations: Custom code or patched kOps building TargetGroup tasks manually without setting VPC; spec/feature changes that dropped the VPC assignment during task building; using terraform output on a cluster whose NLB spec is incomplete.

Related errors

• FindVPCInfo not implemented on azureCloud, use FindVNetInfo
• reconcile is not supported with terraform
• error deleting Subnet %q: %v
• error listing subnets: %v
• error detaching InternetGateway %q: %v

AI-assisted analysis of kubernetes/kops@4c8573c808 (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cd836a414fa642d6. Report an issue: GitHub.