Push Packer build metadata to HCP Packer registry for tracking and managing image lifecycle. Use when integrating Packer builds with HCP Packer for version control and governance.
View on GitHubhashicorp/agent-skills
packer-hcp
February 1, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/hashicorp/agent-skills/blob/main/packer/hcp/skills/push-to-registry/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill push-to-registryInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/push-to-registry/# Push to HCP Packer Registry
Configure Packer templates to push build metadata to HCP Packer registry.
**Reference:** [HCP Packer Registry](https://developer.hashicorp.com/hcp/docs/packer)
> **Note:** HCP Packer is free for basic use. Builds push metadata only (not actual images), adding minimal overhead (<1 minute).
## Basic Registry Configuration
```hcl
packer {
required_version = ">= 1.7.7"
}
variable "image_name" {
type = string
default = "web-server"
}
locals {
timestamp = regex_replace(timestamp(), "[- TZ:]", "")
}
source "amazon-ebs" "ubuntu" {
region = "us-west-2"
instance_type = "t3.micro"
source_ami_filter {
filters = {
name = "ubuntu/images/*ubuntu-jammy-22.04-amd64-server-*"
}
most_recent = true
owners = ["099720109477"]
}
ssh_username = "ubuntu"
ami_name = "${var.image_name}-${local.timestamp}"
}
build {
sources = ["source.amazon-ebs.ubuntu"]
hcp_packer_registry {
bucket_name = var.image_name
description = "Ubuntu 22.04 base image for web servers"
bucket_labels = {
"os" = "ubuntu"
"team" = "platform"
}
build_labels = {
"build-time" = local.timestamp
}
}
provisioner "shell" {
inline = [
"sudo apt-get update",
"sudo apt-get upgrade -y",
]
}
}
```
## Authentication
Set environment variables before building:
```bash
export HCP_CLIENT_ID="your-service-principal-client-id"
export HCP_CLIENT_SECRET="your-service-principal-secret"
export HCP_ORGANIZATION_ID="your-org-id"
export HCP_PROJECT_ID="your-project-id"
packer build .
```
### Create HCP Service Principal
1. Navigate to HCP → Access Control (IAM)
2. Create Service Principal
3. Grant "Contributor" role on project
4. Generate client secret
5. Save client ID and secret
## Registry Configuration Options
### bucket_name (required)
The image identifier. Must stay consistent across builds!
```hcl
bucket_name = "web-server" # Keep this constant
```
### b