/refactor-module

name: refactor-module
description: Transform monolithic Terraform configurations into reusable, maintainable modules following HashiCorp's module design principles and community best practices.
metadata:
  copyright: Copyright IBM Corp. 2026
  version: "0.0.1"

Skill: Refactor Module

Overview

This skill guides AI agents in transforming monolithic Terraform configurations into reusable, maintainable modules following HashiCorp's module design principles and community best practices.

Capability Statement

The agent will analyze existing Terraform code and systematically refactor it into well-structured modules with:

• Clear interface contracts (variables and outputs)
• Proper encapsulation and abstraction
• Versioning and documentation
• Testing frameworks
• Migration path for existing state

Prerequisites

• Existing Terraform configuration to refactor
• Understanding of resource dependencies
• Access to current state file (for migration planning)
• Knowledge of module registry patterns

Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | `source_directory` | string | Yes | Path to existing Terraform configuration | | `module_name` | string | Yes | Name for the new module | | `abstraction_level` | string | No | "simple", "intermediate", "advanced" (default: intermediate) | | `preserve_state` | boolean | Yes | Whether to maintain state compatibility | | `target_registry` | string | No | Target module registry (local, private, public) |

Execution Steps

1. Analysis Phase

**Identify Refactoring Candidates**
- Group resources by logical function
- Identify repeated patterns
- Map resource dependencies
- Detect configuration coupling
- Analyze variable usage patterns

**Complexity Assessment**
- Count resource relationships
- Measure variable propagation depth
- Identify cross-resource references
- Evaluate state migration complexity

2. Module Design

Interface Design

# Define clear input contract
variable "network_config" {
  description = "Network configuration parameters"
  type = object({
    cidr_block         = string
    availability_zones = list(string)
    enable_nat         = bool
  })

  validation {
    condition     = can(cidrhost(var.network_config.cidr_block, 0))
    error_message = "CIDR block must be valid IPv4 CIDR."
  }
}

# Define output contract
output "vpc_id" {
  description = "ID of the created VPC"
  value       = aws_vpc.main.id
}

output "private_subnet_ids" {
  description = "List of private subnet IDs"
  value       = { for k, v in aws_subnet.private : k => v.id }
}

Encapsulation Strategy

**What to Include in Module:**
- Tightly coupled resources (VPC + subnets)
- Resources with shared lifecycle
- Configuration with clear boundaries

**What to Keep Separate:**
- Cross-cutting concerns (monitoring, tagging)
- Resources with different lifecycles
- Provider-specific configurations

3. Code Transformation

Before: Monolithic Configuration

# main.tf (monolithic)
resource "aws_vpc" "main" {
  cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
  enable_dns_hostnames = true

  tags = {
    Name = "production-vpc"
    Environment = "prod"
  }
}

resource "aws_subnet" "public_1" {
  vpc_id            = aws_vpc.main.id
  cidr_block        = "10.0.1.0/24"
  availability_zone = "us-east-1a"

  tags = {
    Name = "public-subnet-1"
    Type = "public"
  }
}

resource "aws_subnet" "public_2" {
  vpc_id            = aws_vpc.main.id
  cidr_block        = "10.0.2.0/24"
  availability_zone = "us-east-1b"

  tags = {
    Name = "public-subnet-2"
    Type = "public"
  }
}

resource "aws_internet_gateway" "main" {
  vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id

  tags = {
    Name = "production-igw"
  }
}

# ... more repetitive subnet and routing resources

After: Modular Structure

# modules/vpc/main.tf
locals {
  subnet_count = length(var.availability_zones)
}

resource "aws_vpc" "main" {
  cidr_block           = var.cidr_block
  enable_dns_hostnames = var.enable_dns_hostnames
  enable_dns_support   = var.enable_dns_support

  tags = merge(
    var.tags,
    {
      Name = var.name
    }
  )
}

resource "aws_subnet" "public" {
  for_each = var.create_public_subnets ? toset(var.availability_zones) : []

  vpc_id                  = aws_vpc.main.id
  cidr_block              = cidrsubnet(var.cidr_block, 8, index(var.availability_zones, each.value))
  availability_zone       = each.value
  map_public_ip_on_launch = true

  tags = merge(
    var.tags,
    {
      Name = "${var.name}-public-${each.value}"
      Type = "public"
    }
  )
}

resource "aws_internet_gateway" "main" {
  count  = var.create_public_subnets ? 1 : 0
  vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id

  tags = merge(
    var.tags,
    {
      Name = "${var.name}-igw"
    }
  )
}

# modules/vpc/variables.tf
variable "name" {
  description = "Name prefix for all resources"
  type        = string
}

variable "cidr_block" {
  description = "CIDR block for the VPC"
  type        = string

  validation {
    condition     = can(cidrhost(var.cidr_block, 0))
    error_message = "Must be a valid IPv4 CIDR block."
  }
}

variable "availability_zones" {
  description = "List of availability zones"
  type        = list(string)
}

variable "create_public_subnets" {
  description = "Whether to create public subnets"
  type        = bool
  default     = true
}

variable "enable_dns_hostnames" {
  description = "Enable DNS hostnames in the VPC"
  type        = bool
  default     = true
}

variable "enable_dns_support" {
  description = "Enable DNS support in the VPC"
  type        = bool
  default     = true
}

variable "tags" {
  description = "Tags to apply to all resources"
  type        = map(string)
  default     = {}
}

# modules/vpc/outputs.tf
output "vpc_id" {
  description = "ID of the VPC"
  value       = aws_vpc.main.id
}

output "vpc_cidr_block" {
  description = "CIDR block of the VPC"
  value       = aws_vpc.m