Resources · Make integration

Terraform Cloud Make integrationAutomate Terraform Cloud with Make.

What if your Terraform runs could start, stop and report without anyone opening the dashboard? The Terraform Cloud Make integration gives you 6 modules: one scheduled trigger, four actions and one search. This page shows platform and DevOps teams how to link an API token and build a first scenario step by step.

Try the Terraform Cloud integration on MakeSee the 6 modules

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What you can automate

What can the Terraform Cloud Make integration do for you?

The Terraform Cloud Make integration links your HCP Terraform account to Make, a visual tool where you chain apps together without writing code. Make can spot new workspace runs, start a run, cancel one, fetch a single run or pull the whole list, then pass the result to any other app you use.

Know when infrastructure changes. The Watch Runs trigger notices each new workspace run, and Get a Run fetches its details so the next module can post them to your chat tool or log them in a sheet. Your team hears about a plan without refreshing the dashboard.

Start a run from somewhere else. Create a Run lets an event in another app kick off Terraform: a form approved by a manager, a ticket moved to a given column. The run starts from Make, with the connection you set up once.

Stop what should not go through. Cancel a Run halts a run you no longer want, and List Runs gives you every run so a filter can pick the ones to review. For anything these modules skip, Make an API Call reaches the rest of the Terraform Cloud API with the same token.

What Make does not do here: there is no instant trigger, so new runs are picked up on the scenario's schedule, not the second they appear. The same app also has an n8n node; if you are weighing both tools, read the n8n vs Make comparison. Stuck on a failing scenario? The Make troubleshooting guide covers the usual errors, and the Make training takes you further.

Connect

How do you connect Terraform Cloud to Make?

  1. 01

    Copy your API token

    In the Terraform Cloud dashboard, open your user menu, go to User Settings, then the API Tokens section. Copy the token shown on screen. You need an active HCP Terraform account for this.

  2. 02

    Add a module and create the connection

    In your Make scenario, add any Terraform Cloud module and click Create a connection. A connection is your Terraform account linked to Make once, then reused by every Terraform Cloud module.

  3. 03

    Name it and paste the token

    The Connection name field is optional, but a clear name helps when you manage several organizations. Paste the API token you copied, or follow the instructions Make shows, and save.

First scenario

Your first scenario: follow new Terraform runs

GoalWhen a new run is created in a Terraform Cloud workspace, Make fetches that run so you can send it to another app.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario, the automation you build in Make, and click the big + to add the first module, one brick of the chain.

  2. 02

    Add Watch Runs

    Search for Terraform Cloud, pick Watch Runs and select your connection. Fill in the fields; Make lists what it can read from your account once the connection works.

  3. 03

    Fetch the run with Get a Run

    Click the + on the right of the trigger, add Get a Run and map the run from the previous module. Each new run arrives as a bundle, one item passed from module to module.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once and read the bundles each module received. Every module that runs on a bundle counts as an operation, the unit Make counts on your plan.

  5. 05

    Schedule and switch it on

    Open the clock on the first module. A new scenario checks every 15 minutes by default, which is also the shortest interval on the Free plan. Then switch the scenario on.

Triggers

What starts a Terraform Cloud scenario?

1 module starts a scenario when something happens in Terraform Cloud. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by Terraform Cloud as soon as it happens.

Terraform Cloud1Watch Runs

Watch Runs

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new workspace run is created.”

Watch Runs hands your scenario every new run created in a workspace, so the rest of the flow can react to a plan or apply without anyone checking the dashboard. It is the only trigger of the app, and the natural first module for alerts and logs.

How it fires
scheduled. Make checks the app on the scenario's schedule, shown by the clock badge on the module, rather than waiting for Terraform Cloud to call it.
When to use it
when your team wants a message or a record each time someone queues a run in a shared workspace.
Watch out
runs are picked up at the next scheduled check, so do not build a flow that expects a reaction the second a run appears.
Modules

What can Make do in Terraform Cloud?

Terraform Cloud gives you 5 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

Terraform Cloud1

Cancel a Run

Action

In Make“Cancels a run.”

Cancel a Run stops a run you no longer want, straight from a scenario, so a rejected change never reaches your infrastructure. It acts on one run at a time.

When to use it
when a reviewer rejects a change in your ticketing tool and the matching run should not go further.
Watch out
none of the modules undoes a cancel (you would have to start a new run with Create a Run), so place a filter before this module and test it with Run once on a harmless workspace.
Terraform Cloud2

Create a Run

Action

In Make“Creates a run. It can be accessed with a User Token or a Team Token.”

Create a Run starts a new Terraform run from any event Make can see, which turns an approval in another app into an actual plan. The run starts with the connection you already set up.

When to use it
when a form, a ticket or a message should kick off infrastructure work without someone opening Terraform Cloud.
Watch out
this module accepts a User Token or a Team Token, so make sure the token behind your connection is allowed to start runs.
Terraform Cloud3

Get a Run

Action

In Make“Gets a run.”

Get a Run returns the details of one run you already know, giving the next modules fresh data to post or store. It pairs well with Watch Runs or Create a Run, which hand you the run to look up.

When to use it
when you need the latest state of one specific run, for example before sending a summary to your team.
Watch out
it needs a run to point at, so map it from an earlier module instead of typing it by hand.
Terraform Cloud4

Make an API Call

Action

In Make“Performs an arbitrary authorized API call.”

Make an API Call opens the rest of the Terraform Cloud API to your scenario, reusing the connection you already set up. It is your fallback whenever the ready-made modules stop short.

When to use it
when you need an endpoint that none of the five other modules covers, such as something outside runs.
Watch out
you write the request yourself, so keep the Terraform Cloud API reference open and test the call with Run once before you switch the scenario on.
Terraform Cloud5

List Runs

Search

In Make“Gets all runs.”

List Runs pulls every run it finds and sends each one down the scenario as its own bundle, which is handy for reviews and reports. Unlike Get a Run, you do not need to know a run in advance.

When to use it
when you want to sort through runs, keep the ones that match a filter and act on them one by one.
Watch out
a search can return zero, one or many bundles, and each following module then uses one operation per bundle.
Need help

Need help automating Terraform Cloud with Make?

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FAQ

Questions about the Terraform Cloud Make integration

01Is the Terraform Cloud Make integration free?
Yes, on the Make side. Terraform Cloud is a standard app, so it is available from the Free plan. That plan allows 2 active scenarios, a minimum of 15 minutes between two scheduled runs, 5 minutes of execution at most, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of data transfer. Paid plans lower the interval to 1 minute and lift the limit on active scenarios. Your Terraform Cloud subscription is separate: you still need an active HCP Terraform account, and its pricing is on the Terraform Cloud side.
02What do you need to connect Terraform Cloud to Make?
You need an active HCP Terraform account and a valid API token. To find it, open your user menu in the Terraform Cloud dashboard, click User Settings, go to the API Tokens section and copy the token shown. In Make, add a Terraform Cloud module, click Create a connection, give it a name if you like and paste the token. The connection is then shared by every Terraform Cloud module in your scenarios, so you only do this once per account.
03Does the Terraform Cloud trigger in Make fire instantly?
No. Watch Runs is a scheduled trigger: Make checks Terraform Cloud on the scenario's schedule and picks up the runs created since the last check. A new scenario checks every 15 minutes by default, which is also the shortest interval on the Free plan; paid plans go down to 1 minute. The app has no instant trigger, so if you need a quicker reaction, shorten the schedule on a paid plan rather than expecting Terraform Cloud to call Make on its own.
04What if a Terraform Cloud module is missing in Make?
Use Make an API Call. It sends any request to the Terraform Cloud API with the connection you already created, so you can reach endpoints that the six listed modules do not cover. You write the request yourself from the Terraform Cloud API reference, then test it with Run once. The Make documentation for this app is partly AI-generated from the official Terraform Cloud docs, so check anything important against the vendor documentation or contact Terraform Cloud directly.
05Should you use Make or n8n for Terraform Cloud?
It depends on the tool your team already runs. Make covers Terraform Cloud with six modules: Watch Runs, Create a Run, Cancel a Run, Get a Run, List Runs and Make an API Call for the rest of the API. Terraform Cloud also has an n8n node, so compare the actions each tool offers against the flow you have in mind, and pick the one where you already keep your other automations. The n8n vs Make comparison linked above goes through the criteria.
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