When encountering an error: "Access Denied: status code: 403," what step should be taken to find out more about the problem?

Setting the environment variable TF_LOG to DEBUG allows you to capture detailed logging information from Terraform. When you encounter an "Access Denied: status code: 403" error, it typically indicates that there is an issue with permissions, possibly with the credentials or the access rights provided to Terraform for the cloud provider. By enabling debugging-level logs, you can gain visibility into the HTTP requests Terraform makes and the responses it receives, including headers that indicate authorization issues.

This detailed log can help identify the exact point of failure and provide context such as which resources are being accessed and what permissions may be lacking. Analyzing these logs can greatly assist in diagnosing the root cause of the access denied issue, allowing you to make the necessary adjustments to your IAM policies or access configurations.

Other options may provide limited assistance in this context. Running terraform plan is more focused on showing the intended changes than diagnosing an access-related error. Checking the state file manually deals with how resources are managed rather than providing insights into permission issues. Reinitializing the Terraform workspace refreshes the configuration settings but does not specifically address the underlying cause of the access-related errors.