Overview
When using Terraform Cloud (TFC) with VCS-driven workflows, users often expect the Terraform plan summary (for example, “Plan: 2 to add, 1 to change, 0 to destroy”) to appear directly in Pull Request (PR) status checks along with the Terraform Cloud run link.
However, in some cases, only a single aggregated success or failure status is shown, without detailed plan information.
This article explains why this happens and how to configure Terraform Cloud to display plan details correctly in PR checks.
Problem
The Pull Request status checks do not display the Terraform plan summary or the direct Terraform Cloud run link.
Instead, only a single aggregated status (success/failure) is visible.
Cause
This behavior occurs due to one or both of the following reasons:
Terraform Cloud uses aggregated status checks by default, which combine all results into a single status and do not expose plan details.
The speculative plan has not completed successfully, as plan summaries are only attached once all required checks pass.
Solution
To display the Terraform plan summary and run link in PR status checks, ensure the following:
All checks must pass:
The speculative plan must complete successfully before plan details can be attached to the PR.Enable Non-aggregated Status Checks in Terraform Cloud:
This allows Terraform Cloud to publish individual status checks that include plan details.
Steps to enable Non-aggregated status checks
Navigate to your Terraform Cloud Organization.
Go to Settings → Version Control → General.
Enable Non-aggregated status checks.
Save the changes.
Once enabled, future Pull Requests will display:
The Terraform plan summary (add/change/destroy counts).
A direct link to the Terraform Cloud run.
Conclusion
The absence of plan summaries in PR checks is expected behavior when aggregated status checks are enabled.
By switching to Non-aggregated status checks and ensuring all speculative plan checks pass, Terraform Cloud will correctly display detailed plan information alongside the run link in Pull Requests.
Additional Information
Terraform Cloud documentation – Status check behavior:
https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/cloud-docs/users-teams-organizations/organizations/vcs-status-checks