When should you use the force-unlock command?

Question

Options

• AYou see a status message that you cannot acquire the lock
• BYou have a high priority change
• CAutomatic unlocking failed
• DYour apply failed due to a state lock

• A
  2% (1)
• B
  3% (2)
• C
  89% (56)
• D
  6% (4)

Explanation

terraform force-unlock should only be used when automatic unlocking has failed - meaning a previous Terraform run crashed or was interrupted, leaving a stale lock in the backend that did not get released automatically. It should not be used simply because you cannot acquire a lock (another operation may be legitimately running), because you have a high-priority change (never a valid reason to bypass safety), or because an apply failed (the lock is typically released on failure). Misusing force-unlock when another process is actively running can corrupt state.

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