terraform-search-import

name	terraform-search-import
description	Discover existing Azure resources and bulk import them into Terraform management. USE FOR: import Azure resources, bring unmanaged infra under Terraform, audit Azure resources, migrate to IaC, terraform import, bulk import. WHEN: import existing resources, discover Azure infrastructure, adopt Terraform for existing resources, generate import blocks. DO NOT USE FOR: Bicep code, new resource creation, architecture decisions.
compatibility	Manual workflow requires azurerm ~> 4.0 + Azure CLI. Search workflow requires Terraform >= 1.14 (experimental for azurerm).

Terraform Search & Import for Azure

Discover existing Azure resources and generate Terraform configuration for bulk import.

References:

• Terraform Import
• Terraform Search (TF 1.14+)

---

Decision Tree

┌─ Identify target Azure resources
│
├─ PRIMARY: Manual Discovery via az CLI (always works)
│  └─ az resource list → create import blocks → terraform plan → apply
│
└─ SECONDARY: Terraform Search (EXPERIMENTAL)
   ├─ Check: terraform version >= 1.14?
   │  └─ NO → use Manual workflow
   ├─ Check: azurerm supports list_resource_schemas for this type?
   │  └─ UNKNOWN/NO → use Manual workflow
   └─ YES to both → use Search workflow

Primary workflow = Manual Discovery via az CLI. Always works with azurerm ~> 4.0.

Search workflow is experimental — azurerm provider support for list_resource_schemas is TBD. Use Manual Discovery as the reliable default.

---

Manual Discovery Workflow (Primary)

Step 1: Discover Resources with az CLI

az resource list --resource-group rg-contoso-prod --output table
az resource list --tag Environment=prod --output json

Use type-specific commands: az vm list, az network vnet list, az storage account list, etc.

Step 2: Create Import Blocks

For each resource, create a resource block + import block. See references/manual-import.md for full examples and bulk import scripts.

Step 3: Plan and Apply

terraform plan    # Review — should show import actions only
terraform apply   # Execute imports

Azure Resource Type ↔ Terraform Mapping

Azure Type	Terraform Resource	az CLI
Microsoft.Resources/resourceGroups	azurerm_resource_group	az group list
Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks	azurerm_virtual_network	az network vnet list
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines	azurerm_linux_virtual_machine	az vm list
Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts	azurerm_storage_account	az storage account list
Microsoft.KeyVault/vaults	azurerm_key_vault	az keyvault list
Microsoft.Sql/servers	azurerm_mssql_server	az sql server list
Microsoft.Web/sites	azurerm_linux_web_app	az webapp list
Microsoft.App/containerApps	azurerm_container_app	az containerapp list

Import ID format: /subscriptions/{sub}/resourceGroups/{rg}/providers/{type}/{name}

Post-Import: Adopt AVM Modules

After importing raw azurerm_* resources, refactor to AVM modules using moved {} blocks. See terraform-patterns skill references/refactor-module.md for guidance.

Integration with Terraform MCP

Use Terraform MCP tools during import workflows:

Tool	Purpose
mcp_terraform_search_providers	Validate resource type support in provider
mcp_terraform_get_provider_details	Get resource schemas and import ID format
mcp_terraform_search_modules	Find AVM modules for post-import refactoring
mcp_terraform_get_latest_module_version	Get latest AVM module version

---

Terraform Search Workflow (Experimental)

Warning: Requires Terraform >= 1.14 and azurerm provider support for list_resource_schemas (TBD). Use Manual Discovery above as primary path.

Uses .tfquery.hcl files with list blocks to discover resources, then terraform query -generate-config-out=imported.tf to generate config. Clean generated output by removing computed attrs, adding variables, applying CAF naming.

---

Reference Index

File	Contents
references/manual-import.md	Detailed az CLI discovery, bulk import scripts, resource mapping
scripts/list_resources.sh	Extract supported list resources from providers