AWS Secrets Manager: ResourceNotFoundException"

TL;DR

ResourceNotFoundException means the secret does not exist under that name in that region for that account. Check the name or ARN, the region, and whether it was deleted (pending-deletion secrets are invisible to get calls).

Error

"AWS Secrets Manager: ResourceNotFoundException"

Steps

1. Re-run the call with an explicit region matching where the secret was created. Expected: either it works or you confirm the region is wrong.
2. List secrets and compare names exactly, including any random suffix Secrets Manager appends. Expected: you spot a naming mismatch.
3. If you used a partial ARN, use the full ARN or the exact name. Expected: ARN-based lookup is unambiguous.
4. Check for pending deletion: deleted secrets stay recoverable for the recovery window but are not readable. Expected: you learn whether it was deleted and when it becomes unrecoverable.
5. If it was deleted in error, restore it within the recovery window. Expected: the secret is readable again.

When to use

• get-secret-value, describe-secret, or rotation calls report not found.
• After renames, region moves, or cleanup scripts.

When not to use

• AccessDeniedException (permission problem, not a missing secret).
• DecryptionFailure (KMS problem).

Tool compatibility

• AWS Secrets Manager; CLI and SDK behave the same.

Variant phrasings

secrets manager can't find the specified secret

Same error family.

secret not found after rotation

The rotation may have created a new version under a staged label; check versions.

Why it happens

Names are region-scoped, partial ARNs are ambiguous, and deletion is soft for the recovery window, all of which make a secret look missing.

Edge cases

• Terraform or CloudFormation renames create a new secret and delete the old; update references.
• Replication across regions is not automatic; a secret in one region does not exist in another.
• Version stages matter: the AWSCURRENT label may point at a version you did not expect.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst4tIJzbrAvzvhPkD8bQ0ZQ