AWS customers may receive a notification indicating that State Manager associations or automation workflows using the AWS-ApplyChefRecipes document should be updated to include a Chef License Id. The AWS-ApplyChefRecipes document previously allowed customers to specify a Chef Client version and automatically download the corresponding Chef Infra Client package. With licensed downloads being enforced, customers should update their configurations to include the new Chef License Id parameter

Chef Infra Client downloads from licensed Progress download endpoints now require a valid Chef License Id

Obtain a Chef License Id

• Organizations can now purchase a Chef license directly through AWS Marketplace, making it easier to use existing AWS budget and streamline procurement
• Once you complete the purchase, you will receive an email with the license Id
• Locate the License ID value within the email and copy it for use in AWS Systems Manager
• The License ID will be required when updating existing AWS-ApplyChefRecipes State Manager associations or when creating new associations that may download Chef Infra Client binaries

Example: License-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX

After obtaining your License ID, verify that the AWS-ApplyChefRecipes document in AWS Systems Manager includes support for the Chef License Id parameter.

Verify the AWS-ApplyChefRecipes Document Includes the Chef License Id Parameter:

• Sign in to the AWS Management Console
• Navigate to AWS Systems Manager
• Select Documents
• Search for AWS-ApplyChefRecipes
• Open the document and review the document content
• The document should include a parameter like: "ChefLicenseId": { "type": "String" }

Update an Existing State Manager Association:

• Navigate to AWS Systems Manager
• Select State Manager
• Locate the association that uses AWS-ApplyChefRecipes
• Select the association
• Choose Edit
• Scroll to the Parameters section
• Locate the Chef License Id field
• Enter a valid Chef License Id that includes entitlement for Chef Infra Client downloads
• Save the association

Create a New Association:

• Navigate to AWS Systems Manager
• Select State Manager
• Choose Create Association
• Select AWS-ApplyChefRecipes as the document
• Configure the required Chef parameters: Source Type, Source Info, Run List, Chef Client Version
• Locate the Chef License Id field
• Enter a valid Chef License Id
• Configure target instances
• Save the association

Validation:

• After updating the association, open the updated State Manager association
• Choose Apply Association Now or wait for the next scheduled execution
• Review the execution history
• Confirm the association completes successfully
• Verify that Chef Infra Client downloads and recipe execution complete without errors
• If the environment downloads Chef Infra Client during execution, the configured Chef License Id should be used when accessing licensed download endpoints

Additional Information: The Chef License Id parameter is used when AWS Systems Manager downloads Chef Infra Client binaries using the AWS-ApplyChefRecipes document. Common scenarios include:

• Provisioning new instances
• Installing a specific Chef Client version
• Reinstalling Chef Infra Client
• Scaling Auto Scaling Groups
• Deploying new environments

Organizations should review all State Manager associations and automation workflows that invoke AWS-ApplyChefRecipes and update them before June 13, 2026.