Terraform: "Invalid for_each argument" and unknown-value planning limits

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: foreach over a computed value fails because Terraform must know the instance keys before applying. Teaches the known-after-apply rule and the standard restructures. Terraform: "Invalid foreach argument" and unknown-value planning limits What you are seeing for_each (and count) keys must be known at plan time. Replace it with something known at plan time: a variable, a local derived from variables, or a data source reading existing infrastructure.

The error

Invalid for_each argument

What you are seeing

Error: Invalid for_each argument

  on main.tf line 20, in resource "aws_instance" "web":
  20:   for_each = aws_subnet.all

The "for_each" value depends on resource attributes that cannot be
determined until apply...

for_each (and count) keys must be known at plan time. A value computed during apply cannot decide how many instances to create, because Terraform cannot plan what it cannot count.

First response

1. Identify the computed value: usually a resource attribute (ids, ARNs) used as the for_each map. Replace it with something known at plan time: a variable, a local derived from variables, or a data source reading existing infrastructure.
2. If the set genuinely comes from another managed resource, split into two applies: first apply creates the source resource, second apply consumes its outputs. Or restructure so both live in modules applied in order.
3. terraform plan -target the source resource first is a manual version of the split. It works but leaves the config in a state where full applies still fail; prefer the structural fix.

Rules for agents

1. for_each keys must be strings known at plan time. This is a hard rule of the language, not a bug to work around.
2. Data sources reading existing (not managed) infrastructure are plan-time known and for_each-safe. Prefer them for lookup sets.
3. When splitting into stages, document the apply order in the repo. "Apply network first, then app" should be written down, not tribal knowledge.
4. Do not convert for_each to count to dodge this. count has the same known-at-plan-time requirement and adds index fragility on top.

When to use this

• You are seeing this exact error message; match the block above, not just part of it.
• The failing call matches the scenario in the title: Terraform.
• You want the fastest verified fix before digging through logs.

When not to use this

• Your error text differs from the block above; close cousins often have different causes.
• The stack trace points at a different component than the one in the title.
• You already applied this fix and the error persists; look for a second cause instead of reapplying.

for_each and count arguments must have values known at plan time; values depending on apply-time attributes are rejected. Verified against live docs 2026-09-26. Verified against live docs 2026-09-26.