Skip to main content

​
Overview

There is a known bug #1211 in Terragrunt related to the way variables of type = any are passed to Terraform. When Terragrunt serialises inputs, complex values assigned to type = any variables can be mis-typed, causing Terraform to reject them. This module explicitly handles this issue. Every type = any variable is decoded with a try(jsondecode(...), ...) pattern inside main.tf, so you can safely pass a jsonencode()-wrapped string from your terragrunt.hcl instead of a native HCL value. 
# main.tf (excerpt)
locals {
  # Variables with type `any` should be jsonencode()'d when value is coming from Terragrunt
  grants               = try(jsondecode(var.grant), var.grant)
  cors_rules           = try(jsondecode(var.cors_rule), var.cors_rule)
  lifecycle_rules      = try(jsondecode(var.lifecycle_rule), var.lifecycle_rule)
  intelligent_tiering  = try(jsondecode(var.intelligent_tiering), var.intelligent_tiering)
  metric_configuration = try(jsondecode(var.metric_configuration), var.metric_configuration)
}

​
Variables that require jsonencode()

The following variables are declared with type = any (or type = map(string) but treated as complex objects). When setting them from a terragrunt.hcl inputs block you must wrap the value in jsonencode().
VariableDefaultNotes
cors_rule[]List of CORS rule maps
lifecycle_rule[]List of lifecycle rule maps
versioning{}Versioning configuration map
logging{}Access logging configuration map
server_side_encryption_configuration{}SSE configuration map
intelligent_tiering{}Intelligent-Tiering configuration map
metric_configuration[]Bucket metric configuration
replication_configuration{}Cross-Region Replication map
website{}Static website hosting map
grant[]ACL policy grant list
object_lock_configuration{}Object Lock configuration map
Simple string, bool, and number variables such as bucket, acl, and force_destroy do not need jsonencode(). Only the complex type = any variables listed above require it.

​
Basic terragrunt.hcl inputs pattern

# terragrunt.hcl
tf_source = "tfr:///terraform-aws-modules/s3-bucket/aws"

inputs = {
  bucket    = "foobar"            # `bucket` has type `string`, no need to jsonencode()
  cors_rule = jsonencode([...])   # `cors_rule` has type `any`, so `jsonencode()` is required
}

​
Complete example with versioning and lifecycle rules

The following terragrunt.hcl demonstrates a bucket with versioning enabled and a lifecycle rule that moves non-current versions to Glacier after 90 days. 
# terragrunt.hcl
terraform {
  source = "tfr:///terraform-aws-modules/s3-bucket/aws"
}

inputs = {
  bucket        = "my-terragrunt-bucket"
  force_destroy = true

  # Simple scalars — no jsonencode() needed
  block_public_acls       = true
  block_public_policy     = true
  ignore_public_acls      = true
  restrict_public_buckets = true

  # type = map(string) — jsonencode() required from Terragrunt
  versioning = jsonencode({
    enabled = true
  })

  # type = any — jsonencode() required from Terragrunt
  lifecycle_rule = jsonencode([
    {
      id      = "expire-noncurrent"
      enabled = true

      noncurrent_version_transition = [
        {
          days          = 30
          storage_class = "STANDARD_IA"
        },
        {
          days          = 90
          storage_class = "GLACIER"
        }
      ]

      noncurrent_version_expiration = {
        days = 300
      }
    }
  ])

  # type = any — jsonencode() required from Terragrunt
  server_side_encryption_configuration = jsonencode({
    rule = {
      apply_server_side_encryption_by_default = {
        sse_algorithm = "AES256"
      }
    }
  })

  tags = {
    Environment = "production"
    ManagedBy   = "Terragrunt"
  }
}
1

Identify type = any variables

Review the table above and identify which inputs you are setting that are declared as type = any.
2

Wrap complex values with jsonencode()

In your terragrunt.hcl inputs block, wrap every type = any value with jsonencode().
versioning = jsonencode({ enabled = true })
3

Leave scalars unwrapped

Variables with concrete types (string, bool, number, list(string), etc.) should be passed as normal HCL values — no jsonencode() required.
bucket        = "my-bucket"
force_destroy = true
If you are unsure whether a variable needs jsonencode(), check variables.tf. Any variable declared with type = any must be wrapped when used from Terragrunt.