An apply ends with an error saying the provider produced an inconsistent result after apply. terraform validate passes, and the same configuration has applied cleanly for months. The error appeared right after a provider minor version upgrade. What does this error indicate, and what is the appropriate response?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
When the provider promises one thing in the plan and hands back something else after apply, Terraform calls it out as the provider's fault, and it's usually right. Since it started right after the provider upgrade, that's where you start digging. Don't go ripping up state over it.
Full Explanation
Terraform checks that what a provider returns after apply matches what it promised during planning. When the values differ in ways the plan did not allow, Terraform reports that the provider produced an inconsistent result and states that this is a bug in the provider that should be reported in the provider's own issue tracker. The timing after a provider upgrade, a passing validate and months of clean applies all point to the provider rather than the configuration. The appropriate response is to check the provider's changelog and issue tracker for a known regression, report it with debug logs from TF_LOG_PROVIDER if it is new, and consider pinning the previous provider version until a fix ships. Treating it as a syntax problem ignores that validate already passed and that syntax errors surface before apply. Removing and re-importing the resource churns state without addressing the provider's behaviour, and the next apply would fail the same way. Upgrading Terraform core does not change how the provider computes its results. Exam caveat: the related message about an inconsistent final plan is also a provider bug. Operational check: pin the prior provider version in a branch and confirm whether the error disappears.