AWS CDK "SSM parameter /cdk-bootstrap/.../version not found" in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

CDK looks up the bootstrap version from an SSM parameter named /cdk-bootstrap/<qualifier>/version. If that parameter is absent, the environment was never bootstrapped (or used a different qualifier), so the lookup fails.

What this error means

cdk deploy fails with "SSM parameter /cdk-bootstrap/hnb659fds/version not found. Has the environment been bootstrapped?" The hash is the default qualifier hnb659fds.

MyAppStack: SSM parameter /cdk-bootstrap/hnb659fds/version not found. Has the
environment been bootstrapped? Please run 'cdk bootstrap' (see https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/latest/guide/bootstrapping.html)

Common causes

The environment was never bootstrapped

The /cdk-bootstrap/hnb659fds/version SSM parameter is written by cdk bootstrap; without it CDK cannot confirm a toolkit stack exists.

A custom qualifier mismatch

You bootstrapped with a non-default --qualifier, but the app synthesizes against hnb659fds, so CDK reads a parameter path that does not exist.

How to fix it

Bootstrap the environment

Running bootstrap writes the version parameter the deploy reads.

cdk bootstrap aws://123456789012/us-east-1

Align the qualifier

1. Find the qualifier used when bootstrapping (default hnb659fds).
2. Set the same qualifier in the synthesizer context.
3. Re-synth and deploy so the SSM path matches.

// cdk.json
{ "context": { "@aws-cdk/core:bootstrapQualifier": "myco01" } }

How to prevent it

• Bootstrap each account/region before deploying assets.
• Use one consistent qualifier across bootstrap and synth.
• Do not delete the CDKToolkit stack or its SSM parameters.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• Terraform documentation
• GitHub Actions documentation