Variable sets API reference

A variable set is a resource that allows you to reuse the same variables across multiple workspaces and projects. For example, you could define a variable set of provider credentials and automatically apply it to a selection of workspaces, all workspaces in a project, or all workspaces in an organization.

To create, edit, or apply organization-owned variable sets, you must on a team with Manage all workspaces or Manage all projects permissions.

To create, edit, or apply project-owned variable sets, you must be part of a team with one of the following:

Write project permissions
Maintain project permissions
Admin project permissions
Manage all projects organization permissions

To view the variables applied from a variable set on a particular workspace, you must have Read variables permission on that workspace.

Create a Variable Set

POST organizations/:organization_name/varsets

Parameter	Description
`:organization_name`	The name of the organization the variable set belongs to.

Request Body

Properties without a default value are required.

Key path	Type	Default	Description
`data.attributes.name`	string		The name of the variable set.
`data.attributes.description`	string	`""`	Text displayed in the UI to contextualize the variable set and its purpose.
`data.attributes.global`	boolean	`false`	When true, HCP Terraform automatically applies the variable set to all current and future workspaces in the organization.
`data.attributes.priority`	boolean	`false`	When true, the variables in the set override any other variable values with a more specific scope, including values set on the command line.
`data.relationships.workspaces`	array	`[]`	Array of references to workspaces that the variable set should be assigned to.
`data.relationships.projects`	array	`[]`	Array of references to projects that the variable set should be assigned to.
`data.relationships.vars`	array	`[]`	Array of complete variable definitions that comprise the variable set.
`data.relationships.parent`	object	Organization that the variable set belongs to	The parent that owns this variable set. If the parent is a project, `data.attributes.global` must be `false`.
`data.relationships.parent.data.type`	string	`"organizations"`	The resource type of the parent that owns this variable set. Valid values are `organizations` or `projects`.
`data.relationships.parent.data.id`	string	Name of organization that the variable set belongs to.	The ID of the parent that owns the variable set. For organizations, use name instead of ID.

HCP Terraform does not allow different global variable sets to contain conflicting variables with the same name and type. You will receive a 422 response if you try to create a global variable set that contains conflicting variables.

Status	Response	Reason(s)
200	JSON API document	Successfully added variable set
404	JSON API error object	Organization not found, or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": {
    "type": "varsets",
    "attributes": {
      "name": "MyVarset",
      "description": "Full of vars and such for mass reuse",
      "global": false,
      "priority": false,
    },
    "relationships": {
      "workspaces": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "ws-z6YvbWEYoE168kpq",
            "type": "workspaces"
          }
        ]
      },
      "vars": {
        "data": [
          {
            "type": "vars",
            "attributes": {
              "key": "c2e4612d993c18e42ef30405ea7d0e9ae",
              "value": "8676328808c5bf56ac5c8c0def3b7071",
              "category": "terraform"
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      "parent": {
        "data": {
          "id": "prj-kFjgSzcZSr5c3imE",
          "type": "projects"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request POST \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/organizations/my-organization/varsets

Sample Response

{
  "data": {
    "id": "varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv",
    "type": "varsets",
    "attributes": {
      "name": "MyVarset",
      "description": "Full of vars and such for mass reuse",
      "global": false,
      "priority": false,
    },
    "relationships": {
      "workspaces": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "ws-z6YvbWEYoE168kpq",
            "type": "workspaces"
          }
        ]
      },
      "projects": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "prj-kFjgSzcZSr5c3imE",
            "type": "projects"
          }
        ]
      },
      "vars": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "var-Nh0doz0hzj9hrm34qq",
            "type": "vars",
            "attributes": {
              "key": "c2e4612d993c18e42ef30405ea7d0e9ae",
              "value": "8676328808c5bf56ac5c8c0def3b7071",
              "category": "terraform"
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      "parent": {
        "data": {
          "id": "prj-kFjgSzcZSr5c3imE",
          "type": "projects"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Update a Variable Set

PUT/PATCH varsets/:varset_id

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

HCP Terraform does not allow global variable sets to contain conflicting variables with the same name and type. You will receive a 422 response if you try to create a global variable set that contains conflicting variables.

HCP Terraform does not allow you to change the parent organization or project of a variable set. Instead, you must delete the variable set and recreate it in the desired organization or project.

Request Body

Key path	Type	Default	Description
`data.attributes.name`	string		The name of the variable set.
`data.attributes.description`	string		Text displayed in the UI to contextualize the variable set and its purpose.
`data.attributes.global`	boolean		When true, HCP Terraform automatically applies the variable set to all current and future workspaces in the organization.
`data.attributes.priority`	boolean	`false`	When true, the variables in the set override any other variable values set with a more specific scope, including values set on the command line.
`data.relationships.workspaces`	array		Optional Array of references to workspaces that the variable set should be assigned to. Sending an empty array clears all workspace assignments.
`data.relationships.projects`	array		Optional Array of references to projects that the variable set should be assigned to. Sending an empty array clears all project assignments.
`data.relationships.vars`	array		Optional Array of complete variable definitions to add to the variable set.

Status	Response	Reason(s)
200	JSON API document	Successfully updated variable set
404	JSON API error object	Organization or variable set not found, or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": {
    "type": "varsets",
    "attributes": {
      "name": "MyVarset",
      "description": "Full of vars and such for mass reuse. Now global!",
      "global": true,
      "priority": true,
    },
    "relationships": {
      "workspaces": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "ws-FRFwkYoUoGn1e34b",
            "type": "workspaces"
          }
        ]
      },
      "projects": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "prj-kFjgSzcZSr5c3imE",
            "type": "projects"
          }
        ]
      },
      "vars": {
        "data": [
          {
            "type": "vars",
            "attributes": {
              "key": "c2e4612d993c18e42ef30405ea7d0e9ae",
              "value": "8676328808c5bf56ac5c8c0def3b7071",
              "category": "terraform"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request PATCH \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv

Sample Response

{
  "data": {
    "id": "varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv",
    "type": "varsets",
    "attributes": {
      "name": "MyVarset",
      "description": "Full of vars and such for mass reuse. Now global!",
      "global": true,
      "priority": true
    },
    "relationships": {
      "organization": {
          "data": {
              "id": "hashicorp",
              "type": "organizations"
          }
      },
      "workspaces": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "ws-FRFwkYoUoGn1e34b",
            "type": "workspaces"
          }
        ]
      },
      "projects": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "prj-kFjgSzcZSr5c3imE",
            "type": "projects"
          }
        ]
      },
      "vars": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "var-Nh0doz0hzj9hrm34qq",
            "type": "vars",
            "attributes": {
              "key": "c2e4612d993c18e42ef30405ea7d0e9ae",
              "value": "8676328808c5bf56ac5c8c0def3b7071",
              "category": "terraform"
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      "parent": {
        "data": {
          "id": "hashicorp",
          "type": "organizations"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Delete a Variable Set

DELETE varsets/:varset_id

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request DELETE \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv

On success, this endpoint responds with no content.

Show Variable Set

Fetch details about the specified variable set.

GET varsets/:varset_id

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request GET \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv

Sample Response

{
  "data": {
    "id": "varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv",
    "type": "varsets",
    "attributes": {
      "name": "MyVarset",
      "description": "Full of vars and such for mass reuse",
      "global": false,
      "priority": false,
      "updated-at": "2023-03-06T21:48:33.588Z",
      "var-count": 5,
      "workspace-count": 2,
      "project-count": 2
    },
    "relationships": {
      "organization": {
        "data": {
          "id": "hashicorp",
          "type": "organizations"
        }
      },
      "vars": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "var-mMqadSCxZtrQJAv8",
            "type": "vars"
          },
          {
            "id": "var-hFxUUKSk35QMsRVH",
            "type": "vars"
          },
          {
            "id": "var-fkd6N48tXRmoaPxH",
            "type": "vars"
          },
          {
            "id": "var-abcbBMBMWcZw3WiV",
            "type": "vars"
          },
          {
            "id": "var-vqvRKK1ZoqQCiMwN",
            "type": "vars"
          }
        ]
      },
      "workspaces": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "ws-UohFdKAHUGsQ8Dtf",
            "type": "workspaces"
          },
          {
            "id": "ws-XhGhaaCrsx9ATson",
            "type": "workspaces"
          }
        ]
      },
      "projects": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "prj-1JMwvPHFsdpsPhnt",
            "type": "projects"
          },
          {
            "id": "prj-SLDGqbYqELXE1obp",
            "type": "projects"
          }
        ]
      },
      "parent": {
        "data": {
          "id": "hashicorp",
          "type": "organizations"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

List Variable Sets

List all variable sets for an organization.

GET organizations/:organization_name/varsets

Parameter	Description
`:organization_name`	The name of the organization the variable sets belong to

List all variable sets for a project. This includes global variable sets from the project's organization.

GET projects/:project_id/varsets

Parameter	Description
`:project_id`	The project ID

List all variable sets for a workspace. This includes global variable sets from the workspace's organization and variable sets attached to the project this workspace is contained within.

GET workspaces/:workspace_id/varsets

Parameter	Description
`:workspace_id`	The workspace ID

Query Parameters

All list endpoints support pagination with standard URL query parameters and searching with the q parameter. Remember to percent-encode [ as %5B and ] as %5D if your tooling doesn't automatically encode URLs.

Parameter	Description
`page[number]`	Optional. If omitted, the endpoint returns the first page.
`page[size]`	Optional. If omitted, the endpoint returns 20 varsets per page.
`q`	Optional. A search query string. You can search for a variable set using its name.

Sample Response

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv",
      "type": "varsets",
      "attributes": {
        "name": "MyVarset",
        "description": "Full of vars and such for mass reuse",
        "global": false,
        "priority": false,
        "updated-at": "2023-03-06T21:48:33.588Z",
        "var-count": 5,
        "workspace-count": 2,
        "project-count": 2
      },
      "relationships": {
        "organization": {
          "data": {
            "id": "hashicorp",
            "type": "organizations"
          }
        },
        "vars": {
          "data": [
            {
              "id": "var-mMqadSCxZtrQJAv8",
              "type": "vars"
            },
            {
              "id": "var-hFxUUKSk35QMsRVH",
              "type": "vars"
            },
            {
              "id": "var-fkd6N48tXRmoaPxH",
              "type": "vars"
            },
            {
              "id": "var-abcbBMBMWcZw3WiV",
              "type": "vars"
            },
            {
              "id": "var-vqvRKK1ZoqQCiMwN",
              "type": "vars"
            }
          ]
        },
        "workspaces": {
          "data": [
            {
              "id": "ws-UohFdKAHUGsQ8Dtf",
              "type": "workspaces"
            },
            {
              "id": "ws-XhGhaaCrsx9ATson",
              "type": "workspaces"
            }
          ]
        },
        "projects": {
          "data": [
            {
              "id": "prj-1JMwvPHFsdpsPhnt",
              "type": "projects"
            },
            {
              "id": "prj-SLDGqbYqELXE1obp",
              "type": "projects"
            }
          ]
        },
        "parent": {
          "data": {
            "id": "hashicorp",
            "type": "organizations"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/organizations/hashicorp/varsets?page%5Bnumber%5D=1&page%5Bsize%5D=20",
    "first": "https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/organizations/hashicorp/varsets?page%5Bnumber%5D=1&page%5Bsize%5D=20",
    "prev": null,
    "next": null,
    "last": "https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/organizations/hashicorp/varsets?page%5Bnumber%5D=1&page%5Bsize%5D=20"
  },
  "meta": {
    "pagination": {
      "current-page": 1,
      "page-size": 20,
      "prev-page": null,
      "next-page": null,
      "total-pages": 1,
      "total-count": 1
    }
  }
}

Variable Relationships

Add Variable

POST varsets/:varset_external_id/relationships/vars

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Request Body

This POST endpoint requires a JSON object with the following properties as a request payload.

Properties without a default value are required.

Key path	Type	Default	Description
`data.type`	string		Must be `"vars"`.
`data.attributes.key`	string		The name of the variable.
`data.attributes.value`	string	`""`	The value of the variable.
`data.attributes.description`	string		The description of the variable.
`data.attributes.category`	string		Whether this is a Terraform or environment variable. Valid values are `"terraform"` or `"env"`.
`data.attributes.hcl`	bool	`false`	Whether to evaluate the value of the variable as a string of HCL code. Has no effect for environment variables.
`data.attributes.sensitive`	bool	`false`	Whether the value is sensitive. If true, variable is not visible in the UI.

HCP Terraform does not allow different global variable sets to contain conflicting variables with the same name and type. You will receive a 422 response if you try to add a conflicting variable to a global variable set.

Status	Response	Reason(s)
200	JSON API document	Successfully added variable to variable set
404	JSON API error object	Variable set not found, or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": {
    "type": "vars",
    "attributes": {
      "key": "g6e45ae7564a17e81ef62fd1c7fa86138",
      "value": "61e400d5ccffb3782f215344481e6c82",
      "description": "cheeeese",
      "sensitive": false,
      "category": "terraform",
      "hcl": false
    }
  }
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request POST \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-4q8f7H0NHG733bBH/relationships/vars

Sample Response

{
  "data": {
    "id":"var-EavQ1LztoRTQHSNT",
    "type": "vars",
    "attributes": {
      "key": "g6e45ae7564a17e81ef62fd1c7fa86138",
      "value": "61e400d5ccffb3782f215344481e6c82",
      "description": "cheeeese",
      "sensitive": false,
      "category": "terraform",
      "hcl": false
    }
  }
}

Update a Variable in a Variable Set

PATCH varsets/:varset_id/relationships/vars/:var_id

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID
`:var_id`	The ID of the variable to delete

Status	Response	Reason(s)
200	JSON API document	Successfully updated variable for variable set
404	JSON API error object	Variable set not found, or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": {
    "type": "vars",
    "attributes": {
      "key": "g6e45ae7564a17e81ef62fd1c7fa86138",
      "value": "61e400d5ccffb3782f215344481e6c82",
      "description": "new cheeeese",
      "sensitive": false,
      "category": "terraform",
      "hcl": false
    }
  }
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request PATCH \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-4q8f7H0NHG733bBH/relationships/vars/var-EavQ1LztoRTQHSNT

Sample Response

{
  "data": {
    "id":"var-EavQ1LztoRTQHSNT",
    "type": "vars",
    "attributes": {
      "key": "g6e45ae7564a17e81ef62fd1c7fa86138",
      "value": "61e400d5ccffb3782f215344481e6c82",
      "description": "new cheeeese",
      "sensitive": false,
      "category": "terraform",
      "hcl": false
    }
  }
}

Delete a Variable in a Variable Set

DELETE varsets/:varset_id/relationships/vars/:var_id

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID
`:var_id`	The ID of the variable to delete

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request DELETE \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-4q8f7H0NHG733bBH/relationships/vars/var-EavQ1LztoRTQHSNT

On success, this endpoint responds with no content.

List Variables in a Variable Set

GET varsets/:varset_id/relationships/vars

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Sample Response

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "var-134r1k34nj5kjn",
      "type": "vars",
      "attributes": {
        "key": "F115037558b045dd82da40b089e5db745",
        "value": "1754288480dfd3060e2c37890422905f",
        "sensitive": false,
        "category": "terraform",
        "hcl": false,
        "created-at": "2021-10-29T18:54:29.379Z",
        "description": ""
      },
      "relationships": {
        "varset": {
          "data": {
            "id": "varset-992UMULdeDuebi1x",
            "type": "varsets"
          },
          "links": { "related": "/api/v2/varsets/1" }
        }
      },
      "links": { "self": "/api/v2/vars/var-BEPU9NjPVCiCfrXj" }
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "app.terraform.io/app/varsets/varset-992UMULdeDuebi1x/vars",
    "first": "app.terraform.io/app/varsets/varset-992UMULdeDuebi1x/vars?page=1",
    "prev": null,
    "next": null,
    "last": "app.terraform.io/app/varsets/varset-992UMULdeDuebi1x/vars?page=1"
  }
}

Apply Variable Set to Workspaces

Accepts a list of workspaces to add the variable set to.

POST varsets/:varset_id/relationships/workspaces

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Properties without a default value are required.

Key path	Type	Default	Description
`data[].type`	string		Must be `"workspaces"`
`data[].id`	string		The id of the workspace to add the variable set to

Status	Response	Reason(s)
204		Successfully added variable set to the requested workspaces
404	JSON API error object	Variable set not found or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": [
    {
      "type": "workspaces",
      "id": "ws-YwfuBJZkdai4xj9w"
    }
  ]
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request POST \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv/relationships/workspaces

Remove a Variable Set from Workspaces

Accepts a list of workspaces to remove the variable set from.

DELETE varsets/:varset_id/relationships/workspaces

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Properties without a default value are required.

Key path	Type	Default	Description
`data[].type`	string		Must be `"workspaces"`
`data[].id`	string		The id of the workspace to delete the variable set from

Status	Response	Reason(s)
204		Successfully removed variable set from the requested workspaces
404	JSON API error object	Variable set not found or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": [
    {
      "type": "workspaces",
      "id": "ws-YwfuBJZkdai4xj9w"
    },
    {
      "type": "workspaces",
      "id": "ws-YwfuBJZkdai4xj9w"
    }
  ]
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request DELETE \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv/relationships/workspaces

Apply Variable Set to Projects

Accepts a list of projects to add the variable set to. When you apply a variable set to a project, all the workspaces in that project will have the variable set applied to them.

POST varsets/:varset_id/relationships/projects

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Properties without a default value are required.

Key path	Type	Default	Description
`data[].type`	string		Must be `"projects"`
`data[].id`	string		The id of the project to add the variable set to

Status	Response	Reason(s)
204		Successfully added variable set to the requested projects
404	JSON API error object	Variable set not found or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": [
    {
      "type": "projects",
      "id": "prj-YwfuBJZkdai4xj9w"
    }
  ]
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request POST \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv/relationships/projects

Remove a Variable Set from Projects

Accepts a list of projects to remove the variable set from.

DELETE varsets/:varset_id/relationships/projects

Parameter	Description
`:varset_id`	The variable set ID

Properties without a default value are required.

Key path	Type	Default	Description
`data[].type`	string		Must be `"projects"`
`data[].id`	string		The id of the project to delete the variable set from

Status	Response	Reason(s)
204		Successfully removed variable set from the requested projects
404	JSON API error object	Variable set not found or user unauthorized to perform action
422	JSON API error object	Problem with payload or request; details provided in the error object

Sample Payload

{
  "data": [
    {
      "type": "projects",
      "id": "prj-YwfuBJZkdai4xj9w"
    },
    {
      "type": "projects",
      "id": "prj-lkjasdfiojwerlkj"
    }
  ]
}

Sample Request

curl \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  --request DELETE \
  --data @payload.json \
  https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/varsets/varset-kjkN545LH2Sfercv/relationships/projects

The GET endpoints above can optionally return related resources, if requested with the include query parameter. The following resource types are available:

Resource Name	Description
`vars`	Show each variable in a variable set and all of their attributes including `id`, `key`, `value`, `sensitive`, `category`, `hcl`, `created_at`, and `description`.

Variable sets API reference

Create a Variable Set

Request Body

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Sample Response

Update a Variable Set

Request Body

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Sample Response

Delete a Variable Set

Sample Request

Show Variable Set

Sample Request

Sample Response

List Variable Sets

Query Parameters

Sample Response

Variable Relationships

Add Variable

Request Body

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Sample Response

Update a Variable in a Variable Set

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Sample Response

Delete a Variable in a Variable Set

Sample Request

List Variables in a Variable Set

Sample Response

Apply Variable Set to Workspaces

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Remove a Variable Set from Workspaces

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Apply Variable Set to Projects

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Remove a Variable Set from Projects

Sample Payload

Sample Request

Available Related Resources