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Terraform: Checklist: What to Check When Renaming HCP Terraform Organization

That summary is exactly right—and the impact is important to understand before proceeding. Here’s a complete impact checklist and guidance for what you need to check/update if you change your HCP Terraform Organization name:


Checklist: What to Check When Renaming HCP Terraform Organization

1. Terraform Backend Configurations

  • Every Terraform project that uses: backend "remote" { organization = "OldOrgName" ... } must have the organization value updated to the new name.
  • If you miss this, terraform init and all backend-related commands will fail.

2. TFE Provider Usage

  • If you use the Terraform Cloud/Enterprise provider (tfe):
    • Any resources referencing the old org name (e.g., tfe_organization, tfe_workspace, etc.) must be updated.
    • Example: provider "tfe" { organization = "OldOrgName" }

3. API Integrations & Automation

  • Any custom scripts or tools that:
    • Call the HCP Terraform API directly and reference the org name in URLs or payloads.
    • Use the CLI with the org name as a parameter.
  • Search for hardcoded org names in all your repos/scripts.

4. External Integrations

  • VCS integrations:
    • GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket connections may need to be reconnected or updated if they are scoped to the org.
  • Notification or webhook targets:
    • Any notification channels that are configured for the old org.
  • SSO or identity providers:
    • If org name is used in SSO configs (rare, but possible), review and update.

5. In-Progress Runs

  • You cannot rename the org if there are runs in progress (applies to any workspace).
    • Pause and let all runs complete before renaming.

6. User Experience

  • All users viewing the old org in their browser:
    • Need to close tabs and re-login/navigate to HCP Terraform after rename.
  • Communicate with your team:
    • Send out a note about when the rename is happening and what each user should do.

7. Documentation, Wikis, and Dashboards

  • Update internal documentation, runbooks, onboarding guides, and any dashboards or internal tools that reference the old org name.

8. Other Tools/CI/CD

  • Any CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, etc.) that use the old org name in environment variables, scripts, or API calls.

Extra Tips:

  • Backup configs/scripts before making changes.
  • Test in a non-production org if possible.
  • Rollout Plan: Make all code/script changes and merge them to main before performing the rename, to minimize downtime/disruption.

Summary Table: Impacts to Check

AreaImpact if Not UpdatedHow to Update
Terraform backendTerraform fails to init/applyUpdate organization field
tfe providerResource/apply failuresUpdate provider organization value
API/automation scriptsScript errors, API failuresSearch/replace org name
VCS/webhooks/SSOIntegration disconnectsReview & update integration settings
User browser sessionsErrors, stale sessionsInstruct users to refresh
Docs, onboarding, CI/CDConfusion, pipeline failuresUpdate all references

If you want, I can provide a Bash/Python script to help you search for old org name usage across your codebase. Just ask!

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