oxidecomputer · sudomateo · Jun 25, 2026 · Jun 25, 2026
@@ -62,9 +62,14 @@ The configuration arguments for the builder. Arguments can either be required or
 
 - `subnet` (string) - Subnet to create the instance within. Defaults to `default`.
 
-- `name` (string) - Name of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-{{timestamp}}`.
+- `name` (string) - Name of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID` where
+  `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer source name and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix of the
+  unique ID Packer assigns to the current run. This must be unique to prevent
+  Oxide instance name conflicts.
 
-- `hostname` (string) - Hostname of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-{{timestamp}}`.
+- `hostname` (string) - Hostname of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID`
+  where `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer source name and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix
+  of the unique ID Packer assigns to the current run.
 
 - `cpus` (uint64) - Number of vCPUs to provision the instance with. Defaults to `1`.
 
@@ -74,18 +79,19 @@ The configuration arguments for the builder. Arguments can either be required or
 - `ssh_public_keys` ([]string) - An array of names or IDs of SSH public keys to inject into the instance.
 
 - `artifact_name` (string) - Name of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to
-  `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME-{{timestamp}}` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME` is the name of
-  the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
+  `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME` is the name
+  of the source image as retrieved from Oxide, `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer
+  source name, and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix of the unique ID Packer assigns
+  to the current run.
 
 - `artifact_description` (string) - Description of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the description of
   the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 
 - `artifact_os` (string) - Operating system of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the OS of the
   source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 
-- `artifact_version` (string) - Version of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to
-  `SOURCE_IMAGE_VERSION-{{timestamp}}` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_VERSION` is the
-  version of the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
+- `artifact_version` (string) - Version of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the version of the
+  source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 
 - `skip_create_image` (bool) - Skip creating the final image. When set to `true`, the build will boot the
   temporary instance and run all provisioners but will not create a snapshot
@@ -105,6 +111,20 @@ The configuration arguments for the builder. Arguments can either be required or
 <!-- End of code generated from the comments of the Config struct in component/builder/instance/config.go; -->
 
 
+## Interpolation
+
+This builder does not support Go template interpolation (e.g., `{{timestamp}}`).
+Instead, use [HCL functions](/packer/docs/templates/hcl_templates/functions) to
+compute dynamic values such as timestamped artifact names.
+
+```hcl
+# Interpolation: Unsupported
+artifact_name = "packer-{{timestamp}}"
+
+# HCL Functions: Supported
+artifact_name = "packer-${formatdate("YYYY-MM-DD", timestamp())}"
+```
+
 ## Communicator
 
 A [`communicator`](/packer/docs/communicators) can be configured for the builder.

@@ -10,12 +10,14 @@ package instance
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/common"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/communicator"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/packer"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/template/config"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/template/interpolate"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/uuid"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/mapstructure"
 )
 
@@ -66,10 +68,15 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Subnet to create the instance within. Defaults to `default`.
 	Subnet string `mapstructure:"subnet"`
 
-	// Name of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-{{timestamp}}`.
+	// Name of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID` where
+	// `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer source name and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix of the
+	// unique ID Packer assigns to the current run. This must be unique to prevent
+	// Oxide instance name conflicts.
 	Name string `mapstructure:"name"`
 
-	// Hostname of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-{{timestamp}}`.
+	// Hostname of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID`
+	// where `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer source name and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix
+	// of the unique ID Packer assigns to the current run.
 	Hostname string `mapstructure:"hostname"`
 
 	// Number of vCPUs to provision the instance with. Defaults to `1`.
@@ -83,8 +90,10 @@ type Config struct {
 	SSHPublicKeys []string `mapstructure:"ssh_public_keys"`
 
 	// Name of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to
-	// `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME-{{timestamp}}` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME` is the name of
-	// the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
+	// `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME` is the name
+	// of the source image as retrieved from Oxide, `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer
+	// source name, and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix of the unique ID Packer assigns
+	// to the current run.
 	ArtifactName string `mapstructure:"artifact_name"`
 
 	// Description of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the description of
@@ -95,9 +104,8 @@ type Config struct {
 	// source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 	ArtifactOS string `mapstructure:"artifact_os"`
 
-	// Version of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to
-	// `SOURCE_IMAGE_VERSION-{{timestamp}}` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_VERSION` is the
-	// version of the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
+	// Version of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the version of the
+	// source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 	ArtifactVersion string `mapstructure:"artifact_version"`
 
 	// Skip creating the final image. When set to `true`, the build will boot the
@@ -116,47 +124,28 @@ type Config struct {
 	// created, run `cloud-init status --wait` or an equivalent in a
 	// provisioner.
 	UserData string `mapstructure:"user_data" required:"false"`
-
-	ctx interpolate.Context
 }
 
 // Prepare decodes the configuration and validates it.
 func (c *Config) Prepare(args ...any) ([]string, error) {
 	var metadata mapstructure.Metadata
 
 	if err := config.Decode(c, &config.DecodeOpts{
-		Metadata:           &metadata,
-		Interpolate:        true,
-		InterpolateContext: &c.ctx,
-		PluginType:         BuilderID,
+		Metadata:    &metadata,
+		Interpolate: false,
+		PluginType:  BuilderID,
 	}, args...); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed decoding configuration: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	// Set defaults.
 	{
 		if c.Name == "" {
-			name, err := interpolate.Render("packer-{{timestamp}}", nil)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-					"failed rendering default name, this bug should be reported: %w",
-					err,
-				)
-			}
-
-			c.Name = name
+			c.Name = fmt.Sprintf("packer-%s", c.uniqueSuffix())
 		}
 
 		if c.Hostname == "" {
-			hostname, err := interpolate.Render("packer-{{timestamp}}", nil)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-					"failed rendering default hostname, this bug should be reported: %w",
-					err,
-				)
-			}
-
-			c.Hostname = hostname
+			c.Hostname = fmt.Sprintf("packer-%s", c.uniqueSuffix())
 		}
 
 		if c.CPUs == 0 {
@@ -184,20 +173,12 @@ func (c *Config) Prepare(args ...any) ([]string, error) {
 	{
 		var multiErr *packer.MultiError
 
-		if errs := c.Comm.Prepare(&c.ctx); len(errs) > 0 {
+		if errs := c.Comm.Prepare(nil); len(errs) > 0 {
 			multiErr = packer.MultiErrorAppend(multiErr, errs...)
 		}
 
 		if c.Comm.SSHTemporaryKeyPairName == "" {
-			sshTemporaryKeyPairName, err := interpolate.Render("packer-{{timestamp}}", nil)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-					"failed rendering default ssh temporary key pair name, this bug should be reported: %w",
-					err,
-				)
-			}
-
-			c.Comm.SSHTemporaryKeyPairName = sshTemporaryKeyPairName
+			c.Comm.SSHTemporaryKeyPairName = fmt.Sprintf("packer-%s", c.uniqueSuffix())
 		}
 
 		c.Comm.SSHTemporaryKeyPairType = "ed25519"
@@ -229,3 +210,44 @@ func (c *Config) Prepare(args ...any) ([]string, error) {
 
 	return nil, nil
 }
+
+// uniqueSuffix returns an identifier, derived from Packer-provided values,
+// that is used to configure resource names that are unique and traceable to the
+// Packer build that created them.
+//
+// The following Packer-provided values are used to generate the identifier.
+//
+//   - [common.PackerConfig.PackerBuildName]: The build source name which is
+//     unique for each build in a Packer configuration.
+//   - PACKER_RUN_UUID: The unique ID Packer assigned to the current run, which is
+//     shared among the builds in a Packer configuration. When this is unset, it
+//     falls back to a generated UUID that's unique for each build. This value is
+//     truncated to 8 characters to keep the generated identifier within Oxide's
+//     63-character name limit.
+func (c *Config) uniqueSuffix() string {
+	runID := os.Getenv("PACKER_RUN_UUID")
+	if runID == "" {
+		runID = uuid.TimeOrderedUUID()
+	}
+
+	if len(runID) > 8 {
+		runID = runID[:8]
+	}
+
+	// Transform the Packer build name into a name that the Oxide API will accept.
+	// This is mainly here to transform `_` into `-`.
+	buildName := strings.Map(func(r rune) rune {
+		switch {
+		case r >= 'a' && r <= 'z',
+			r >= 'A' && r <= 'Z',
+			r >= '0' && r <= '9',
+			r == '-':
+			return r
+		default:
+			return '-'
+		}
+	}, c.PackerBuildName)
+	buildName = strings.Trim(buildName, "-")
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", buildName, runID)
+}
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/multistep"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/packer"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/packer-plugin-sdk/template/interpolate"
 	"github.com/oxidecomputer/oxide.go/oxide"
 )
 
@@ -40,15 +39,8 @@ func (s *stepImageView) Run(ctx context.Context, stateBag multistep.StateBag) mu
 
 	stateBag.Put("source_image_id", string(image.Id))
 
-	timestamp, err := interpolate.Render("{{timestamp}}", &config.ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		ui.Error("Failed rendering timestamp interpolation.")
-		stateBag.Put("error", err)
-		return multistep.ActionHalt
-	}
-
 	if config.ArtifactName == "" {
-		config.ArtifactName = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", image.Name, timestamp)
+		config.ArtifactName = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", image.Name, config.uniqueSuffix())
 	}
 
 	if config.ArtifactDescription == "" {
@@ -60,7 +52,7 @@ func (s *stepImageView) Run(ctx context.Context, stateBag multistep.StateBag) mu
 	}
 
 	if config.ArtifactVersion == "" {
-		config.ArtifactVersion = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", image.Version, timestamp)
+		config.ArtifactVersion = image.Version
 	}
 
 	return multistep.ActionContinue

@@ -37,7 +37,9 @@ func (d *Datasource) ConfigSpec() hcldec.ObjectSpec {
 // the configuration is valid, and stores any necessary state for future methods
 // to use during execution.
 func (d *Datasource) Configure(args ...any) error {
-	if err := config.Decode(&d.config, nil, args...); err != nil {
+	if err := config.Decode(&d.config, &config.DecodeOpts{
+		Interpolate: false,
+	}, args...); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed decoding configuration: %w", err)
 	}
 

@@ -23,9 +23,14 @@
 
 - `subnet` (string) - Subnet to create the instance within. Defaults to `default`.
 
-- `name` (string) - Name of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-{{timestamp}}`.
+- `name` (string) - Name of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID` where
+  `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer source name and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix of the
+  unique ID Packer assigns to the current run. This must be unique to prevent
+  Oxide instance name conflicts.
 
-- `hostname` (string) - Hostname of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-{{timestamp}}`.
+- `hostname` (string) - Hostname of the temporary instance. Defaults to `packer-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID`
+  where `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer source name and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix
+  of the unique ID Packer assigns to the current run.
 
 - `cpus` (uint64) - Number of vCPUs to provision the instance with. Defaults to `1`.
 
@@ -35,18 +40,19 @@
 - `ssh_public_keys` ([]string) - An array of names or IDs of SSH public keys to inject into the instance.
 
 - `artifact_name` (string) - Name of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to
-  `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME-{{timestamp}}` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME` is the name of
-  the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
+  `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME-BUILD_NAME-RUN_ID` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_NAME` is the name
+  of the source image as retrieved from Oxide, `BUILD_NAME` is the Packer
+  source name, and `RUN_ID` is a short prefix of the unique ID Packer assigns
+  to the current run.
 
 - `artifact_description` (string) - Description of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the description of
   the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 
 - `artifact_os` (string) - Operating system of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the OS of the
   source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 
-- `artifact_version` (string) - Version of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to
-  `SOURCE_IMAGE_VERSION-{{timestamp}}` where `SOURCE_IMAGE_VERSION` is the
-  version of the source image as retrieved from Oxide.
+- `artifact_version` (string) - Version of the resulting image artifact. Defaults to the version of the
+  source image as retrieved from Oxide.
 
 - `skip_create_image` (bool) - Skip creating the final image. When set to `true`, the build will boot the
   temporary instance and run all provisioners but will not create a snapshot

@@ -27,6 +27,20 @@ Type: `oxide-instance`
 
 @include 'component/builder/instance/Config-not-required.mdx'
 
+## Interpolation
+
+This builder does not support Go template interpolation (e.g., `{{timestamp}}`).
+Instead, use [HCL functions](/packer/docs/templates/hcl_templates/functions) to
+compute dynamic values such as timestamped artifact names.
+
+```hcl
+# Interpolation: Unsupported
+artifact_name = "packer-{{timestamp}}"
+
+# HCL Functions: Supported
+artifact_name = "packer-${formatdate("YYYY-MM-DD", timestamp())}"
+```
+
 ## Communicator
 
 A [`communicator`](/packer/docs/communicators) can be configured for the builder.