Pulumi Esc

Pulumi ESC (Environments, Secrets, and Configuration)

Pulumi ESC is a centralized service for managing environments, secrets, and configuration across cloud infrastructure and applications.

What is ESC?

ESC enables teams to:

• Centralize secrets and configuration in one secure location
• Compose environments by importing and layering configuration
• Generate dynamic credentials via OIDC for AWS, Azure, GCP
• Integrate external secret stores (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, Vault, 1Password)
• Version and audit all configuration changes
• Control access with fine-grained RBAC

Essential CLI Commands

# Create a new environment
pulumi env init <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Edit environment (opens in editor)
pulumi env edit <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Set values
pulumi env set <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> <key> <value>
pulumi env set <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> <key> <value> --secret

# View definition (secrets hidden)
pulumi env get <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Open and resolve (reveals secrets)
pulumi env open <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name>

# Run command with environment
pulumi env run <org>/<project-name>/<environment-name> -- <command>

# Link to Pulumi stack
pulumi config env add <project-name>/<environment-name>

Key Concepts

Command Distinctions

• `pulumi env get`: Shows static definition, secrets appear as [secret]
• `pulumi env open`: Resolves and reveals all values including secrets and dynamic credentials
• `pulumi env run`: Executes commands with environment variables loaded
• `pulumi config env add`: Only takes the <project-name>/<environment-name> portion

Environment Structure

Environments are YAML documents with reserved top-level keys:

• `imports`: Import and compose other environments
• `values`: Define configuration and secrets

Reserved sub-keys under values:

• `environmentVariables`: Map values to shell environment variables
• `pulumiConfig`: Configure Pulumi stack settings
• `files`: Generate files with environment data

Basic Example

imports:
  - common/base-config

values:
  environment: production
  region: us-west-2

  dbPassword:
    fn::secret: super-secure-password

  environmentVariables:
    AWS_REGION: ${region}
    DB_PASSWORD: ${dbPassword}

  pulumiConfig:
    aws:region: ${region}
    app:dbPassword: ${dbPassword}

Reading Another Stack's Outputs

Use the fn::open::pulumi-stacks provider to consume another stack's outputs. The stacks and network keys below are arbitrary names you choose. Once the function resolves, it replaces stacks.network with the named stack's outputs — so the output names (vpcId, subnetIds) do not appear in the static YAML; they come from whatever the producer stack exports. Two things are easy to get wrong:

• The stack is named by a single project-qualified stack: <project>/<stackName> field — not separate projectName/stackName fields.
• Outputs resolve directly under the stack name — there is no .outputs. level (use ${stacks.network.vpcId}, not ${stacks.network.outputs.vpcId}).

Example — replace the stack name and output names with your own:

values:
  stacks:
    fn::open::pulumi-stacks:
      stacks:
        network:                 # arbitrary local name for the referenced stack
          stack: my-project/dev  # producer stack to read outputs from
  pulumiConfig:
    # vpcId / subnetIds are whatever the producer stack exports; after the function
    # resolves they are available directly under `stacks.network` (no `.outputs.`).
    vpcId: ${stacks.network.vpcId}
    subnetIds: ${stacks.network.subnetIds}

Full schema: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/providers/pulumi-stacks/

Viewing an Environment in the Pulumi Cloud Console

The console URL for an environment is https://app.pulumi.com/<org>/esc/<project>/<environment>. The route segment is esc, not environments.

Working with the User

For Simple Questions

If the user asks basic questions like "How do I create an environment?" or "What's the difference between get and open?", answer directly using the information above.

For Detailed Documentation

When users need more information, use the web-fetch tool to get content from the official Pulumi ESC documentation:

• Complete YAML syntax and functions → https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/environments/syntax/
• Provider integrations (AWS, Azure, GCP, Vault, 1Password):
• AWS: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/aws-login/
• Azure: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/azure-login/
• GCP: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/gcp-login/
• Short-term credential (OIDC) providers: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/
• Dynamic secret providers: https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-secrets/
• Pulumi stack outputs (fn::open::pulumi-stacks): https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/providers/pulumi-stacks/
• All providers (index): https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/providers/
• Getting started guide → https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/get-started/
• CLI reference → https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/cli/commands/
• Prefer using the pulumi env subcommands over esc CLI.

Use the web-fetch tool with specific prompts to extract relevant information from these docs.

For Complex Tasks

When helping users:

1. Understand the goal: Are they setting up new environments, migrating from stack config, or debugging?
2. Check existing setup: Use pulumi env commands to list environments or read definitions
3. Fetch relevant documentation: Use the web-fetch to get specific examples or syntax from the official docs
4. Provide step-by-step guidance: Walk through the process with specific commands
5. Validate: Help them test with pulumi env get or pulumi preview a. Only use pulumi env open when the full resolved values are needed, but use cautiously as it reveals secrets.

Example: Helping with AWS OIDC Setup

User: "How do I set up AWS OIDC credentials in ESC?"

1. Use the web-fetch tool to get AWS OIDC documentation from "https://www.pulumi.com/docs/esc/integrations/dynamic-login-credentials/aws-login/"
2. Provide the user with the configuration
3. Ask the user if they have a pre-defined role or need one created for them
4. Set up as much of the environment as possible, then guide them through any steps that you can't do for them
5. Help them test with `pulumi env get` or `pulumi env open` if necessary

Common Workflows

Creating an Environment

pulumi env init my-org/my-project/dev-config
# Edit environment (accepts new definition from a file, better for agents, more difficult for users)
pulumi env edit --file /tmp/example.yml my-org/my-project/dev-config

Linking to Stack

pulumi config env add my-project/dev-config
pulumi config  # Verify environment values are accessible

API Access (Rare)

Always prefer CLI commands. Only use the API when absolutely necessary (e.g., bulk operations, automation).

Available API endpoints include:

• GET /api/esc/environments/{orgName} - List environments
• GET /api/esc/environments/{orgName}/{projectName}/{envName} - Read environment definition
• GET /api/esc/providers?orgName={orgName} - List available providers

Use the pulumi api CLI subcommand to make requests when needed, e.g. pulumi api /api/esc/providers -F orgName={orgName}.

Best Practices

1. Always use fn::secret for sensitive values
2. Prefer OIDC over static keys
3. Use descriptive names like <org>/my-app/production-aws not <org>/app/prod
4. Layer environments: base → cloud-provider → stack-specific