tessl install github:hashicorp/agent-skills --skill refactor-modulegithub.com/hashicorp/agent-skills
Transform monolithic Terraform configurations into reusable, maintainable modules following HashiCorp's module design principles and community best practices.
Review Score
51%
Validation Score
12/16
Implementation Score
42%
Activation Score
40%
This skill guides AI agents in transforming monolithic Terraform configurations into reusable, maintainable modules following HashiCorp's module design principles and community best practices.
The agent will analyze existing Terraform code and systematically refactor it into well-structured modules with:
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
source_directory | string | Yes | Path to existing Terraform configuration |
module_name | string | Yes | Name for the new module |
abstraction_level | string | No | "simple", "intermediate", "advanced" (default: intermediate) |
preserve_state | boolean | Yes | Whether to maintain state compatibility |
target_registry | string | No | Target module registry (local, private, public) |
**Identify Refactoring Candidates**
- Group resources by logical function
- Identify repeated patterns
- Map resource dependencies
- Detect configuration coupling
- Analyze variable usage patterns
**Complexity Assessment**
- Count resource relationships
- Measure variable propagation depth
- Identify cross-resource references
- Evaluate state migration complexity# Define clear input contract
variable "network_config" {
description = "Network configuration parameters"
type = object({
cidr_block = string
availability_zones = list(string)
enable_nat = bool
})
validation {
condition = can(cidrhost(var.network_config.cidr_block, 0))
error_message = "CIDR block must be valid IPv4 CIDR."
}
}
# Define output contract
output "vpc_id" {
description = "ID of the created VPC"
value = aws_vpc.main.id
}
output "private_subnet_ids" {
description = "List of private subnet IDs"
value = { for k, v in aws_subnet.private : k => v.id }
}**What to Include in Module:**
- Tightly coupled resources (VPC + subnets)
- Resources with shared lifecycle
- Configuration with clear boundaries
**What to Keep Separate:**
- Cross-cutting concerns (monitoring, tagging)
- Resources with different lifecycles
- Provider-specific configurations# main.tf (monolithic)
resource "aws_vpc" "main" {
cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
enable_dns_hostnames = true
tags = {
Name = "production-vpc"
Environment = "prod"
}
}
resource "aws_subnet" "public_1" {
vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id
cidr_block = "10.0.1.0/24"
availability_zone = "us-east-1a"
tags = {
Name = "public-subnet-1"
Type = "public"
}
}
resource "aws_subnet" "public_2" {
vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id
cidr_block = "10.0.2.0/24"
availability_zone = "us-east-1b"
tags = {
Name = "public-subnet-2"
Type = "public"
}
}
resource "aws_internet_gateway" "main" {
vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id
tags = {
Name = "production-igw"
}
}
# ... more repetitive subnet and routing resources# modules/vpc/main.tf
locals {
subnet_count = length(var.availability_zones)
}
resource "aws_vpc" "main" {
cidr_block = var.cidr_block
enable_dns_hostnames = var.enable_dns_hostnames
enable_dns_support = var.enable_dns_support
tags = merge(
var.tags,
{
Name = var.name
}
)
}
resource "aws_subnet" "public" {
for_each = var.create_public_subnets ? toset(var.availability_zones) : []
vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id
cidr_block = cidrsubnet(var.cidr_block, 8, index(var.availability_zones, each.value))
availability_zone = each.value
map_public_ip_on_launch = true
tags = merge(
var.tags,
{
Name = "${var.name}-public-${each.value}"
Type = "public"
}
)
}
resource "aws_internet_gateway" "main" {
count = var.create_public_subnets ? 1 : 0
vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id
tags = merge(
var.tags,
{
Name = "${var.name}-igw"
}
)
}
# modules/vpc/variables.tf
variable "name" {
description = "Name prefix for all resources"
type = string
}
variable "cidr_block" {
description = "CIDR block for the VPC"
type = string
validation {
condition = can(cidrhost(var.cidr_block, 0))
error_message = "Must be a valid IPv4 CIDR block."
}
}
variable "availability_zones" {
description = "List of availability zones"
type = list(string)
}
variable "create_public_subnets" {
description = "Whether to create public subnets"
type = bool
default = true
}
variable "enable_dns_hostnames" {
description = "Enable DNS hostnames in the VPC"
type = bool
default = true
}
variable "enable_dns_support" {
description = "Enable DNS support in the VPC"
type = bool
default = true
}
variable "tags" {
description = "Tags to apply to all resources"
type = map(string)
default = {}
}
# modules/vpc/outputs.tf
output "vpc_id" {
description = "ID of the VPC"
value = aws_vpc.main.id
}
output "vpc_cidr_block" {
description = "CIDR block of the VPC"
value = aws_vpc.main.cidr_block
}
output "public_subnet_ids" {
description = "Map of availability zones to public subnet IDs"
value = { for k, v in aws_subnet.public : k => v.id }
}
output "internet_gateway_id" {
description = "ID of the internet gateway"
value = try(aws_internet_gateway.main[0].id, null)
}
# Root configuration using module
module "vpc" {
source = "./modules/vpc"
name = "production"
cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
availability_zones = ["us-east-1a", "us-east-1b", "us-east-1c"]
tags = {
Environment = "production"
ManagedBy = "Terraform"
}
}# migration.tf
# Use moved blocks for state refactoring (Terraform 1.1+)
moved {
from = aws_vpc.main
to = module.vpc.aws_vpc.main
}
moved {
from = aws_subnet.public_1
to = module.vpc.aws_subnet.public["us-east-1a"]
}
moved {
from = aws_subnet.public_2
to = module.vpc.aws_subnet.public["us-east-1b"]
}
moved {
from = aws_internet_gateway.main
to = module.vpc.aws_internet_gateway.main[0]
}# Generate state migration commands
terraform state mv aws_vpc.main module.vpc.aws_vpc.main
terraform state mv aws_subnet.public_1 'module.vpc.aws_subnet.public["us-east-1a"]'
terraform state mv aws_subnet.public_2 'module.vpc.aws_subnet.public["us-east-1b"]'
terraform state mv aws_internet_gateway.main 'module.vpc.aws_internet_gateway.main[0]'# VPC Module
## Overview
Creates a VPC with configurable public and private subnets across multiple availability zones.
## Features
- Multi-AZ subnet deployment
- Optional NAT gateway configuration
- VPC Flow Logs integration
- Customizable CIDR allocation
## Usage
\`\`\`hcl
module "vpc" {
source = "./modules/vpc"
name = "my-vpc"
cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
availability_zones = ["us-east-1a", "us-east-1b"]
create_public_subnets = true
create_private_subnets = true
enable_nat_gateway = true
tags = {
Environment = "production"
}
}
\`\`\`
## Requirements
| Name | Version |
|------|---------|
| terraform | >= 1.5.0 |
| aws | ~> 5.0 |
## Inputs
| Name | Description | Type | Default | Required |
|------|-------------|------|---------|----------|
| name | Name prefix for resources | `string` | n/a | yes |
| cidr_block | VPC CIDR block | `string` | n/a | yes |
| availability_zones | List of AZs | `list(string)` | n/a | yes |
## Outputs
| Name | Description |
|------|-------------|
| vpc_id | VPC identifier |
| public_subnet_ids | Map of public subnet IDs |
| private_subnet_ids | Map of private subnet IDs |
## Examples
See [examples/](./examples/) directory for complete usage examples.Use skill terraform-test
Test File: A .tftest.hcl or .tftest.json file containing test configuration and run blocks that validate your Terraform configuration.
Test Block: Optional configuration block that defines test-wide settings (available since Terraform 1.6.0).
Run Block: Defines a single test scenario with optional variables, provider configurations, and assertions. Each test file requires at least one run block.
Assert Block: Contains conditions that must evaluate to true for the test to pass. Failed assertions cause the test to fail.
Mock Provider: Simulates provider behavior without creating real infrastructure (available since Terraform 1.7.0).
Test Modes: Tests run in apply mode (default, creates real infrastructure) or plan mode (validates logic without creating resources).
Terraform test files use the .tftest.hcl or .tftest.json extension and are typically organized in a tests/ directory. Use clear naming conventions to distinguish between unit tests (plan mode) and integration tests (apply mode):
my-module/
├── main.tf
├── variables.tf
├── outputs.tf
└── tests/
├── unit_test.tftest.hcl # Unit test (plan mode)
└── integration_test.tftest.hcl # Integration test (apply mode - creates real resources)Extract related resources into cohesive modules:
# Base module with defaults
module "vpc_base" {
source = "./modules/vpc-base"
# Minimal required inputs
}
# Environment-specific wrapper
module "vpc_prod" {
source = "./modules/vpc-production"
# Inherits from base, adds prod-specific config
}# Small, focused modules
module "vpc" {
source = "./modules/vpc"
}
module "security_groups" {
source = "./modules/security-groups"
vpc_id = module.vpc.vpc_id
}
module "application" {
source = "./modules/application"
vpc_id = module.vpc.vpc_id
subnet_ids = module.vpc.private_subnet_ids
sg_ids = module.security_groups.app_sg_ids
}# ❌ Don't create overly generic modules
variable "resources" {
type = map(map(any)) # Too flexible, hard to validate
}
# ✅ Do use specific, typed interfaces
variable "database_config" {
type = object({
engine = string
instance_class = string
})
}# ❌ Don't couple modules through direct references
# module A
output "instance_id" { value = aws_instance.app.id }
# module B (in same config)
resource "aws_eip" "app" {
instance = module.a.instance_id # Tight coupling
}
# ✅ Do pass dependencies through root module
module "compute" {
source = "./modules/compute"
}
resource "aws_eip" "app" {
instance = module.compute.instance_id
}Always test migration in non-production first:
# Create plan to verify no changes after migration
terraform plan -out=migration.tfplan
# Review carefully
terraform show migration.tfplan
# Apply only if plan shows no changes
terraform apply migration.tfplan# Use semantic versioning for modules
module "vpc" {
source = "git::https://github.com/org/terraform-modules.git//vpc?ref=v1.2.0"
version = "~> 1.2"
}
# Pin to specific versions in production
# Use version ranges in development| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | 2025-11-07 | Initial skill definition |