Ignore tmpl files to be validated (#830)

* fix: ignore tmpl files to be validated

(cherry picked from commit 5402068)

* docs for validate tmpl exclusion

* fix possible paterns

* refactor: remove template file exclusion logic from stack config processing

---------

Co-authored-by: Erik Osterman (CEO @ Cloud Posse) <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Andriy Knysh <[email protected]>

internal/exec/validate_stacks.go

@@ -113,8 +113,13 @@ func ValidateStacks(cliConfig schema.CliConfiguration) error {
 
 	// Include (process and validate) all YAML files in the `stacks` folder in all subfolders
 	includedPaths := []string{"**/*"}
-	// Don't exclude any YAML files for validation
-	excludedPaths := []string{}
+	// Don't exclude any YAML files for validation except template files
+	excludedPaths := []string{
+		// Exclude template files from validation since they may contain invalid YAML before being rendered
+		"**/*.tmpl",
+		"**/*.yaml.tmpl",
+		"**/*.yml.tmpl",
+	}
 	includeStackAbsPaths, err := u.JoinAbsolutePathWithPaths(cliConfig.StacksBaseAbsolutePath, includedPaths)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -125,7 +130,7 @@ func ValidateStacks(cliConfig schema.CliConfiguration) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	u.LogDebug(cliConfig, fmt.Sprintf("Validating all YAML files in the '%s' folder and all subfolders\n",
+	u.LogDebug(cliConfig, fmt.Sprintf("Validating all YAML files in the '%s' folder and all subfolders (excluding template files)\n",
 		path.Join(cliConfig.BasePath, cliConfig.Stacks.BasePath)))
 
 	for _, filePath := range stackConfigFilesAbsolutePaths {

pkg/config/utils.go

@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ func FindAllStackConfigsInPathsForStack(
 
 		ext := filepath.Ext(p)
 		if ext == "" {
-			patterns = getStackFilePatterns(p)
+			// Get all patterns since filtering is done later
+			patterns = getStackFilePatterns(p, true)
 		}
 
 		var allMatches []string
@@ -125,7 +126,8 @@ func FindAllStackConfigsInPaths(
 
 		ext := filepath.Ext(p)
 		if ext == "" {
-			patterns = getStackFilePatterns(p)
+			// Get all patterns since filtering is done later
+			patterns = getStackFilePatterns(p, true)
 		}
 
 		var allMatches []string
@@ -656,18 +658,26 @@ func GetStackNameFromContextAndStackNamePattern(
 }
 
 // getStackFilePatterns returns a slice of possible file patterns for a given base path
-func getStackFilePatterns(basePath string) []string {
-	return []string{
-		basePath + u.DefaultStackConfigFileExtension,
-		basePath + u.DefaultStackConfigFileExtension + u.TemplateExtension,
-		basePath + u.YamlTemplateExtension,
-		basePath + u.YmlTemplateExtension,
+func getStackFilePatterns(basePath string, includeTemplates bool) []string {
+	patterns := []string{
+		basePath + u.YamlFileExtension,
+		basePath + u.YmlFileExtension,
+	}
+
+	if includeTemplates {
+		patterns = append(patterns,
+			basePath+u.YamlTemplateExtension,
+			basePath+u.YmlTemplateExtension,
+		)
 	}
+
+	return patterns
 }
 
 // matchesStackFilePattern checks if a file path matches any of the valid stack file patterns
 func matchesStackFilePattern(filePath, stackName string) bool {
-	patterns := getStackFilePatterns(stackName)
+	// Always include template files for normal operations (imports, etc.)
+	patterns := getStackFilePatterns(stackName, true)
 	for _, pattern := range patterns {
 		if strings.HasSuffix(filePath, pattern) {
 			return true
@@ -685,12 +695,8 @@ func getConfigFilePatterns(path string, forGlobMatch bool) []string {
 		return []string{path}
 	}
 
-	patterns := []string{
-		path + u.DefaultStackConfigFileExtension,
-		path + u.DefaultStackConfigFileExtension + u.TemplateExtension,
-		path + u.YamlTemplateExtension,
-		path + u.YmlTemplateExtension,
-	}
+	// include template files for normal operations
+	patterns := getStackFilePatterns(path, true)
 	if !forGlobMatch {
 		// For direct file search, include the exact path without extension
 		patterns = append([]string{path}, patterns...)

website/docs/cli/commands/validate/validate-stacks.mdx

@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ atmos validate stacks
 This command validates Atmos stack manifests and checks the following:
 
 - All YAML manifest files for YAML errors and inconsistencies
+  - Note: Template files (`.yaml.tmpl`, `.yml.tmpl`, `.tmpl`) are excluded from validation since they may contain template placeholders that are invalid YAML before being rendered
+  - Template files are still automatically detected and processed during normal operations (imports, etc.)
 
 - All imports: if they are configured correctly, have valid data types, and point to existing manifest files
 

website/docs/core-concepts/stacks/imports.mdx

@@ -69,6 +69,15 @@ For example, if you import `catalog/file1`, Atmos will:
 
 This feature makes it easier to work with templated configurations as you don't need to explicitly specify the template file extension - Atmos will automatically use the template version when available.
 
+:::note Template File Validation
+While template files are automatically detected and processed during normal operations (imports, etc.), they are excluded from YAML validation (`atmos validate stacks`) since they may contain template placeholders that are invalid YAML before being rendered.
+
+This means:
+- Template files are fully supported for imports and normal operations
+- Template files are skipped during `atmos validate stacks` to prevent validation errors from unrendered templates
+- You don't need to explicitly specify template extensions - Atmos will find them automatically
+:::
+
 ## Conventions
 
 We recommend placing all baseline "imports" in the `stacks/catalog` folder, however, they can exist anywhere.

website/docs/core-concepts/stacks/templates/templates.mdx

@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@ import SecondaryCTA from '@site/src/components/SecondaryCTA'
     Atmos supports [Go templates](https://pkg.go.dev/text/template) in stack manifests and functions to customize Stack configurations.
 </Intro>
 
+:::note Template File Validation
+Template files (`.yaml.tmpl`, `.yml.tmpl`, `.tmpl`) are automatically detected and processed during normal operations (imports, etc.).
+However, they are excluded from YAML validation (`atmos validate stacks`) since they may contain template placeholders that are invalid YAML before being rendered.
+This ensures that template files can contain valid Go template syntax without causing validation errors.
+:::
+
 ### Enable Templating
 
 Templating in Atmos stack manifests is configured in the `atmos.yaml` [CLI config file](/cli/configuration) in the