Error: load converter plugin: install "terraform": could not find latest version for provider terraform: rate limit

Error: load converter plugin: install "terraform": could not find latest version for provider terraform: rate limit exceeded

TL;DR

GitHub rate-limited the converter plugin download. Wait out the limit, or set GITHUB_TOKEN so the plugin fetch uses authenticated rate limits, then retry the import.

The error

error: load converter plugin: install "terraform": could not find latest version for provider terraform: rate limit exceeded: 403 HTTP error fetching plugin from https://api.github.com/repos/pulumi/pulumi-converter-terraform/releases/latest

Fix it

1. Note the wait time in the log line just above: GitHub rate limit exceeded ... try again in 7m51s.

• Success check: you know exactly how long to wait.

1. For an immediate fix, export a GitHub token - export GITHUB_TOKEN [your value] token] and re-run.

• Success check: the plugin download uses authenticated limits (much higher) and succeeds.

1. Or simply wait out the window and retry pulumi import --from terraform.

• Success check: the converter plugin installs and the import proceeds.

1. In CI, always set GITHUB_TOKEN (the built-in secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN works) before any Pulumi plugin or converter download.

• Success check: scheduled runs stop flaking on rate limits.

When to use this

You hit this on pulumi import --from terraform or pulumi convert --from terraform when the converter plugin cannot be downloaded.

When NOT to use this

Do not use this for "could not find mapping information for provider" errors. That is a missing provider mapping, not a download failure.

Compatibility

Pulumi CLI 3.x, the pulumi-converter-terraform plugin. GitHub API rate limits apply to all plugin downloads.

Variants

• GitHub rate limit exceeded for https://api.github.com/repos/pulumi/pulumi-converter-terraform/releases/latest, try again in [duration]
• The same 403 on regular provider plugin downloads (pulumi plugin install) under heavy CI load

Root cause

Pulumi downloads converter and provider plugins from GitHub releases. Unauthenticated API requests are limited to 60/hour per IP; shared CI runners and fresh builds burn through that fast, and the plugin version lookup 403s.

Edge cases

• Building Pulumi-adjacent tooling (e.g. Nix builds) can exhaust the limit before you even run the import. The token fixes that too.
• pulumi convert (not import) is the right command for converting configuration; using the wrong one produces confusing follow-on errors.