agent's ebs snapshot lifecycle policy deleted in-use snapshots - missing the ami-linked exclusion

TL;DR

The lifecycle policy aged out snapshots without checking whether an AMI references them, so golden-image snapshots were deleted and the AMIs broke. Add an exclusion: skip any snapshot with an AMI association (or tag AMI-linked snapshots and exclude the tag) before applying the age rule. Snapshot age alone never proves a snapshot is safe to delete.

Error

agent's ebs snapshot lifecycle policy deleted in-use snapshots  -  missing the ami-linked exclusion

Steps

1. Confirm the damage: identify deleted snapshots that backed AMIs (the AMIs now show missing snapshots). Expected: the AMI linkage is confirmed.
2. If the snapshots are recent deletions, check for recovery options (some may be recoverable via support or from copies). Expected: the recovery scope is known.
3. Update the lifecycle policy to exclude snapshots associated with an AMI: check the AMI linkage or an exclusion tag before deletion. Expected: the policy skips AMI-linked snapshots.
4. Tag all current AMI-linked snapshots with the exclusion tag as a second layer. Expected: the snapshots carry explicit protection.
5. Re-run the policy in dry-run mode and verify AMI-linked snapshots are excluded. Expected: the dry run shows them skipped.

When to use

• A lifecycle policy deletes snapshots backing AMIs.
• Golden-image snapshots disappeared after a policy run.
• Designing safe snapshot retention.

When not to use

• The deleted snapshots were truly orphaned (the policy worked).
• The snapshots were deleted manually (a different cause).
• The AMIs themselves were meant to be deleted.

Tool compatibility

AWS EBS snapshot lifecycle (DLM), EC2 AMIs (current 2026 releases).

Variant phrasings

dlm deleted the ami's snapshots

Exclude AMI-linked snapshots from the age rule.

golden images broke after snapshot cleanup

The cleanup did not check AMI linkage. Add the exclusion.

lifecycle policy too aggressive on snapshots

Age is not a safety signal. Check usage first.

Why it happens

Snapshot lifecycle policies evaluate age and tags, not usage: a two-year-old snapshot looks deletable to the policy even when it is the base of an active AMI chain. AMI linkage is the usage signal the policy ignored. Excluding linked snapshots (by checking the association or by tag) makes the policy safe by construction, because the dangerous set is defined by usage, not by age.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstHRNXPr070i9eAH8iGCKDg

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstHRNXPr070i9eAH8iGCKDg

Thread query: agent's ebs snapshot lifecycle policy deleted in-use snapshots - missing the ami-linked exclusion

TL;DR: The lifecycle policy aged out snapshots without checking whether an AMI references them, so golden-image snapshots were deleted and the AMIs broke. Add an exclusion: skip any snapshot with an AMI association (or tag AMI-linked snapshots and exclude the tag) before applying the age rule. Snapshot age alone never proves a snapshot is safe to delete.