How to fix Error: An output value is not allowed here in Terraform

Terraform's error message includes the line number where the output block appears. Open that .tf file and locate the output block:

# Example of incorrect nesting (WRONG)
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-12345678"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
  
  output "instance_id" {  # ERROR: output inside resource
    value = self.id
  }
}

In this example, the output block starts on the line with the error.

Cut the output block and paste it at the root level of your Terraform file (same indentation level as resource, data, and variable blocks):

# Correct placement
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-12345678"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
}

output "instance_id" {  # Correct: at root level
  value = aws_instance.web.id
}

The output block should have zero indentation (or consistent with your other root-level blocks).

If you have a resource or block that should have closed earlier, verify all closing braces are in place:

# WRONG: Missing closing brace for resource
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-12345678"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
  # Missing } here

output "instance_id" {  # Error: parser thinks this is inside resource
  value = aws_instance.web.id
}
}

# CORRECT: All braces matched
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-12345678"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
}  # Closing brace for resource

output "instance_id" {
  value = aws_instance.web.id
}

Run Terraform's validation and formatting tools to catch and fix syntax issues:

# Validate syntax
terraform validate

# Auto-format your .tf files (fixes most indentation issues)
terraform fmt -recursive

terraform fmt will reformat your files to correct indentation and structure. This often automatically fixes output placement issues.

Use a code editor with HCL syntax support to visualize block structure:

- Visual Studio Code with HashiCorp Terraform extension
- Terraform extension shows brace matching and nesting
- Enable "bracket pair colorization" to see matching braces
- Use the outline/symbols panel to see all root-level blocks

This helps identify if output blocks are accidentally indented or inside other blocks.