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You need to `up` first, to apply the change, then remove it from your code to delete it.

Is it failing because it's trying to delete it?

I think `up` failed when I first set `protect=True` and now if I run `up` again it tries to delete it and fails. If I set `protect=False` and run `up` it also fails.

```  pulumi-python:dynamic:Resource (WriteSSHAuthorizedKeys):
    error: Preview failed: refusing to delete protected resource 'urn:pulumi:prod::tlayen-infrastructure::pulumi-python:dynamic:Resource::WriteSSHAuthorizedKeys'

  pulumi:pulumi:Stack (tlayen-infrastructure-prod):
    error: preview failed```
perhaps that `preview failed` (whatever that means) is relevant.

Your protect=true worked. Your code is trying to delete the resource. You can't do that until after you have changed the protect opt to false. You can't do that at the same time as destroying it.

You have to change your code so that it's not trying to destroy the resource. Undo your recent changes. When it's working again, you can change the protect to false, and run `up`. After that works, you can then delete the code and up again: this will destroy the resource.

Damn ok. That is not very obvious. I had a bug in the previous version of my provider which means that this second time I run it it thinks it is different and wants to replace it. I'm going to have to put the bug back in just so I can remove the protected flag. There really ought to be a way to override that.

You can delete it manually and delete if from your state file...

Can I do that when using the Pulumi service backend?

Yes, you can use `pulumi state unprotect` and `pulumi state delete` to make Pulumi forget about the resource, and then you can delete it at your leisure. Then you can `up` again to create the new version.

Or you can use `pulumi stack export --file state.json` and `pulumi stack import --file state.json` to achieve the same thing, manually.

Have to be more careful with that, could damage the state. Keep backups.