aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials "Region is not set"

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

configure-aws-credentials needs a region to construct STS and service endpoints. Without aws-region, the credential resolution and any downstream AWS call fail.

What this error means

The credentials step or a later AWS call fails with "Region is not set" or "missing region".

Error: Region is not set. Please set a region with the aws-region input.
##[error]Region is not set.

Common causes

aws-region input omitted

No aws-region was supplied to configure-aws-credentials.

No AWS_REGION env fallback

Neither the input nor an AWS_REGION/AWS_DEFAULT_REGION env var is set.

How to fix it

Provide aws-region

1. Set the aws-region input on the configure step.
2. Or export AWS_REGION at the job level.
3. Re-run; credential resolution succeeds.

- uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
  with:
    role-to-assume: arn:aws:iam::111122223333:role/ci
    aws-region: us-east-1

How to prevent it

• Always set aws-region explicitly; do not rely on a default.
• Pin the region per environment to avoid cross-region surprises.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation
• Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions