Pulumi CLI Skill
Quick Command Reference
Deployment Workflow
# 1. Create new project
pulumi new typescript # Interactive
pulumi new aws-typescript --name myapp --stack dev --yes # Non-interactive
# 2. Preview changes
pulumi preview # Interactive preview
pulumi preview --diff # Show detailed diff
# 3. Deploy
pulumi up # Interactive deployment
pulumi up --yes # Non-interactive
pulumi up --skip-preview --yes # Skip preview step
# 4. View outputs
pulumi stack output
pulumi stack output --json
# 5. Tear down
pulumi destroy --yes
Stack Management
# List stacks
pulumi stack ls
# Create and select stacks
pulumi stack init dev
pulumi stack select prod
# View stack info
pulumi stack
pulumi stack history
# Stack outputs
pulumi stack output
pulumi stack output bucketName --show-secrets
# Remove stack
pulumi stack rm dev --yes
State Operations
# Refresh state from cloud
pulumi refresh --yes
# Export/import state
pulumi stack export --file backup.json
pulumi stack import --file backup.json
# Delete resource from state (keeps cloud resource)
pulumi state delete 'urn:pulumi:dev::myproject::aws:s3/bucket:Bucket::my-bucket'
# Move resource between stacks (preferred over delete+import)
# This is a single atomic operation that transfers state without touching cloud resources
pulumi state move --source dev --dest prod 'urn:...'
# Protect critical resources
pulumi state protect 'urn:...'
Configuration
# Set config values
pulumi config set aws:region us-west-2
pulumi config set dbPassword secret --secret
# Get config
pulumi config get aws:region
pulumi config # List all
# Link ESC environment (see language-specific skills for ESC details)
pulumi config env add myorg/myproject-dev
Common Flags
| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| --yes / -y | Skip confirmation prompts |
| --stack / -s | Specify stack name |
| --parallel / -p | Limit concurrent operations |
| --target | Target specific resource URNs |
| --refresh | Refresh state before operation |
| --diff | Show detailed diff |
| --json | Output in JSON format |
| --skip-preview | Skip preview step |
| --suppress-outputs | Hide stack outputs |
CI/CD Quick Setup
These three environment variables are essential for non-interactive Pulumi in CI/CD — without PULUMI_CI=true, Pulumi may prompt for input and hang your pipeline:
# Required environment variables (all three are important)
export PULUMI_ACCESS_TOKEN=pul-xxx # Authentication token
export PULUMI_CI=true # Disables interactive prompts
export PULUMI_SKIP_UPDATE_CHECK=true # Avoids update check delays
# Typical CI workflow
pulumi login # Authenticates via PULUMI_ACCESS_TOKEN
pulumi stack select prod # Select target stack explicitly
pulumi preview # Always preview before deploying
pulumi up --yes # --yes for non-interactive confirmation
Importing Existing Resources
# Import single resource
pulumi import aws:s3/bucket:Bucket my-bucket existing-bucket-name
# Bulk import from file
pulumi import --file resources.json
resources.json format:
{
"resources": [
{"type": "aws:s3/bucket:Bucket", "name": "my-bucket", "id": "existing-bucket-name"}
]
}
State Recovery Patterns
Resource deleted outside Pulumi
pulumi refresh --yes
# Or manually remove from state:
pulumi state delete 'urn:pulumi:dev::myproject::aws:s3/bucket:Bucket::deleted-bucket'
Stuck pending operations
pulumi refresh --clear-pending-creates --yes
# Or:
pulumi cancel --yes
pulumi state repair
State corruption
# Backup current state
pulumi stack export --file current.json
# Try repair
pulumi state repair
# Or restore from history
pulumi stack export --version <previous-version> --file good.json
pulumi stack import --file good.json
URN Format
urn:pulumi:<stack>::<project>::<type>::<name>
Example:
urn:pulumi:dev::myproject::aws:s3/bucket:Bucket::my-bucket
Backend Options
# Pulumi Cloud (default)
pulumi login
# Self-hosted backends
pulumi login s3://my-bucket
pulumi login azblob://my-container
pulumi login gs://my-bucket
pulumi login file://~/.pulumi-state
References
- references/pulumi-cli-commands.md - Complete command documentation
- references/pulumi-state-management.md - State operations and recovery
- references/pulumi-environment-variables.md - CI/CD environment variables