How to fix Error: Error creating Secrets Manager Secret: ResourceExistsException in Terraform

Use the AWS CLI to list all secrets including those marked for deletion:

aws secretsmanager list-secrets --include-planned-deletion --region us-east-1

Look for your secret name in the output. If it appears with a "DeletedDate" field, it's in the recovery period.

If the secret is in recovery and you want to recreate it, force-delete it without the recovery window:

aws secretsmanager delete-secret --secret-id YOUR_SECRET_NAME --force-delete-without-recovery --region us-east-1

This immediately removes the secret, allowing Terraform to create a new one with the same name.

Update your Terraform configuration to disable the recovery window for this secret:

resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret" "example" {
  name                    = "my-secret"
  recovery_window_in_days = 0
}

This setting forces immediate deletion without a recovery period, preventing this error in the future when you destroy and recreate the secret.

If the secret already exists in AWS but not in your Terraform state, import it:

terraform import aws_secretsmanager_secret.example arn:aws:secretsmanager:us-east-1:123456789012:secret:my-secret-AbCdE

Replace the ARN with your actual secret ARN (available from the AWS console or aws secretsmanager describe-secret command). This brings the existing resource under Terraform management.

For secrets that need to be recreated frequently, consider using name_prefix instead of hardcoding name:

resource "aws_secretsmanager_secret" "example" {
  name_prefix = "my-secret-"
}

Terraform will generate unique names like "my-secret-abc123xyz", avoiding conflicts with pending-deletion secrets.