command/refresh: better error message if bad state

command/refresh.go

@@ -51,6 +51,30 @@ func (c *RefreshCommand) Run(args []string) int {
 		stateOutPath = statePath
 	}
 
+	// Verify that the state path exists
+	if _, err := os.Stat(statePath); err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf(
+				"The Terraform state file for your infrastructure does not\n"+
+					"exist. The 'refresh' command only works and only makes sense\n"+
+					"when there is existing state that Terraform is managing. Please\n"+
+					"double-check the value given below and try again. If you\n"+
+					"haven't created infrastructure with Terraform yet, use the\n"+
+					"'terraform apply' command.\n\n"+
+					"Path: %s",
+				statePath))
+			return 1
+		}
+
+		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf(
+			"There was an error reading the Terraform state that is needed\n"+
+				"for refreshing. The path and error are shown below.\n\n"+
+				"Path: %s\n\nError: %s",
+			statePath,
+			err))
+		return 1
+	}
+
 	// Build the context based on the arguments given
 	c.ContextOpts.Hooks = append(c.ContextOpts.Hooks, &UiHook{Ui: c.Ui})
 	ctx, err := ContextArg(configPath, statePath, c.ContextOpts)

command/refresh_test.go

@@ -62,6 +62,23 @@ func TestRefresh(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestRefresh_badState(t *testing.T) {
+	p := testProvider()
+	ui := new(cli.MockUi)
+	c := &RefreshCommand{
+		ContextOpts: testCtxConfig(p),
+		Ui:          ui,
+	}
+
+	args := []string{
+		"-state", "i-should-not-exist-ever",
+		testFixturePath("refresh"),
+	}
+	if code := c.Run(args); code != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %d\n\n%s", code, ui.ErrorWriter.String())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRefresh_cwd(t *testing.T) {
 	cwd, err := os.Getwd()
 	if err != nil {