Asset Bundle: inject job start_time parameter

[jonas_braun]

Hey!
I'm deploying a job with databricks asset bundles.

When the pyspark task is started on a job cluster, I want the python code to read the job start_time and select the right data sources based on that parameter.

Ideally, I would read the parameter from sys.argv in the python task code:

import sys

def run():
    print(sys.argv)

In my databricks bundle yaml definition, I have this block:

resources:
  jobs:
    job1:
      name: "Job 1"

      tasks:
        - task_key: task1
          job_cluster_key: generic_cluster
          depends_on: []
          python_wheel_task:
             package_name: my_package
             entry_point: my_module.run
          libraries:
            - whl: ${var.PACKAGE_ARTIFACT_LOCATION}

      job_clusters:
        - job_cluster_key: generic_cluster
          new_cluster:
            ...

      parameters:
        - name: start_time
          default: ${job.start_time.iso_datetime}

The bundle validates successfully, but on bundle deploy I get an error: 

Error: Reference to undeclared resource

on bundle.tf.json line 50, in resource.databricks_job.job1.parameter[0]:
50: "default": "${job.start_time.iso_datetime}",

A managed resource "job" "start_time" has not been declared in the root
module.

How to correctly define the dynamic job start_time variable?

[jonas_braun]

The databricks cli version is Databricks CLI v0.239.1

[mark_ott]

You cannot directly access a dynamic value like ${job.start_time.iso_datetime} in a Databricks Asset Bundle YAML for job parameters—Databricks jobs do not inject special variables (like the job run’s start time) automatically into job parameters at runtime. The error you see (“Reference to undeclared resource”) is because Databricks parameter defaults expect static values or substitutions from declared variables, not runtime metadata.

How Job Runtime Parameters Work in Databricks Asset Bundles

• The parameters block in Bundles is for static configuration at deploy time.

• There is no automatic “job start_time” variable you can inject at deploy or submit time—the value is not known until the job actually runs.

Ways to Access the Job Run’s Start Time in Task Code

1. Use Databricks Jobs Runtime Context (Recommended)

When your job runs, Databricks injects a context file into the cluster under /databricks/driver/databricks-job-context.json with run metadata—including the start time, job id, run id, etc.
You can read this in Python:

python

import json def run(): with open("/databricks/driver/databricks-job-context.json") as f: context = json.load(f) print(context) start_time = context["run"]["start_time"] # This is a Unix timestamp in ms

• The exact structure may vary—inspect the file to confirm the keys.

2. Pass the Datetime as a Parameter at Submit Time

If you submit jobs via API or CLI, you can programmatically pass the current time as a parameter:

bash

databricks jobs run-now --job-id <job_id> --notebook-params '{"start_time":"2025-11-05T11:53:00Z"}'

But Bundles do not let you specify a function as a parameter default.

3. Use sys.argv in Wheels

If you want to read arguments from sys.argv in a python_wheel_task, you must pass them as parameters: at submit time—again, no dynamic options exist for runtime metadata in Bundles YAML.

Example: Reading Context in a Python Wheel Task

1. Don’t try to define ${job.start_time...} as a parameter in Bundles.

2. In your Python entry point, read databricks-job-context.json as above.

3. Use that value to select data sources as required.

Key Takeaways

• There is no ${job.start_time} variable available at job definition time.

• To get the runtime value, read the Databricks job context JSON on the cluster.

• Do not try to define the job start time as a parameter in Bundles YAML—remove that block or replace it with a placeholder if needed for other uses.

References

• Databricks job context documentation (search: "databricks-job-context.json job context").

• More on job parameterization and best practices (search: "databricks job parameters best practices").

---

In summary:
Remove the parameters: start_time block from your YAML, and in your Python wheel task code, load /databricks/driver/databricks-job-context.json to get the run's actual start time and more.