Terraform: "Provider produced inconsistent final plan" during plan

TL;DR: The provider's plan output contradicted itself: it planned a value then changed its mind. Different from the after-apply variant; this one blocks planning and points at config or provider planning logic. Check the provider version. Applying cannot proceed because planning never completes.

The error

. Targeted applies on a broken plan just move the failure.
3.

What you are seeing

Error: Provider produced inconsistent final plan

When expanding the plan for aws_db_instance.main to include new values
learned so far during apply, provider "registry.terraform.io/hashicorp/aws"
changed the planned action for ...

This fires during plan, not apply. The provider first planned one set of changes, then during the plan walk learned new values (from other resources) and produced a contradictory final plan.

First response

1. Look at which resource and attribute flipped. Common trigger: a computed value from resource A feeds resource B, and the provider cannot decide B's plan until A is known. Restructuring to break the feedback loop often fixes it.
2. Simplify: replace complex expressions (nested conditionals, dynamic blocks keyed on computed values) with plainer config and re-plan. If the error disappears, bisect back to the offending expression.
3. Check the provider version. Planning-logic bugs get fixed; upgrading the provider resolves a real share of these.

Rules for agents

1. This is not fixed by applying. Applying cannot proceed because planning never completes.
2. Do not paper over it with -target. Targeted applies on a broken plan just move the failure.
3. depends_on does not fix planning contradictions; it only orders operations. Adding depends_on to an inconsistent plan is superstition.
4. If the inconsistency involves a module output feeding back into the same module's input, that is a design smell. Break the cycle with a data source or a second apply stage.

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.

Inconsistent final plan errors arise from provider planning logic when new values learned during plan contradict earlier planned actions. Verified against live docs 2026-09-26. Verified against live docs 2026-09-26.