Terraform Check Command

Comprehensive validation of Terraform configurations including formatting, syntax, security, and best practices.

Usage

/tf-check [path] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Type	Default	Description
path	string	.	Directory containing Terraform files

Options

Option	Short	Description
--format	-f	Run terraform fmt check
--validate	-v	Run terraform validate
--lint	-l	Run tflint static analysis
--security	-s	Run security scans (tfsec/checkov)
--all	-a	Run all checks (default)
--fix		Auto-fix formatting issues
--json	-j	Output results in JSON format

Input Validation

validation {
  path_exists     = true
  contains_tf     = true  # Must have *.tf files
  readable        = true
  max_file_size   = "10MB"
}

Exit Codes

Code	Status	Description
0	SUCCESS	All checks passed
1	FORMAT_ERROR	Formatting issues found
2	VALIDATE_ERROR	Syntax/validation errors
3	LINT_ERROR	Linting warnings/errors
4	SECURITY_ERROR	Security vulnerabilities found
5	NOT_INITIALIZED	Terraform not initialized
126	PERMISSION_ERROR	Cannot access path
127	TOOL_NOT_FOUND	Required tool not installed

Examples

Basic Validation

# Check current directory
/tf-check

# Check specific module
/tf-check modules/vpc

Format Check with Auto-Fix

# Check formatting only
/tf-check --format

# Auto-fix formatting issues
/tf-check --format --fix

Security Scan

# Run security checks
/tf-check --security

# Full security audit with JSON output
/tf-check --security --json > security-report.json

CI/CD Pipeline

# Complete check for pipelines
/tf-check --all --json

# Quick validation only
/tf-check --validate --format

Check Details

1. Format Check (--format)

terraform fmt -check -recursive -diff

• Verifies HCL formatting standards
• Reports files requiring formatting
• Optional auto-fix with --fix

2. Validation (--validate)

terraform validate

• Syntax verification
• Provider schema validation
• Resource attribute checking

3. Linting (--lint)

tflint --recursive

• AWS/Azure/GCP rule validation
• Deprecated syntax detection
• Best practice enforcement

4. Security Scan (--security)

tfsec .
checkov -d .

• Misconfiguration detection
• CIS benchmark compliance
• OWASP vulnerability scanning

Output Format

Standard Output

Terraform Check Results
=======================
Path: ./modules/vpc

✓ Format Check    PASSED
✓ Validation      PASSED
⚠ Linting         2 warnings
✗ Security        1 high, 3 medium

Summary: 2 checks passed, 1 warning, 1 failed

JSON Output

{
  "path": "./modules/vpc",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "checks": {
    "format": {"status": "passed", "files_checked": 12},
    "validate": {"status": "passed"},
    "lint": {"status": "warning", "warnings": 2},
    "security": {"status": "failed", "high": 1, "medium": 3}
  },
  "exit_code": 4
}

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
No .tf files found	Empty or wrong path	Verify path contains Terraform files
terraform not found	CLI not installed	Install Terraform CLI
tflint not found	Linter not installed	brew install tflint or skip with --validate
Backend not initialized	Missing init	Run /tf-init first
Provider schema missing	Old lock file	Run terraform init -upgrade

Related

• Command: tf-init (initialize before checking)
• Agent: 01-terraform-fundamentals
• Skill: terraform-fundamentals