abiosoft/colima · error

'colima model' requires docker runtime, current runtime is %

Error message

'colima model' requires docker runtime, current runtime is %s
Start colima with: colima start --runtime docker --vm-type krunkit

What it means

colima model requires the docker runtime because both runners ride on docker containers; a.Runtime() returned a different runtime (typically containerd) and the message embeds it plus the exact restart command that remedies it.

Source

Thrown at model/runner.go:96

	default:
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown runner type: %s (valid options: docker, ramalama)", runnerType)
	}
}

// validateCommonPrerequisites checks prerequisites common to all runners.
func validateCommonPrerequisites(a app.App) error {
	// VM must be running
	if !a.Active() {
		return fmt.Errorf("%s is not running", config.CurrentProfile().DisplayName)
	}

	// check runtime is docker
	r, err := a.Runtime()
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	if r != docker.Name {
		return fmt.Errorf("'colima model' requires docker runtime, current runtime is %s\n"+
			"Start colima with: colima start --runtime docker --vm-type krunkit", r)
	}

	// check VM type is krunkit (required for GPU access)
	conf, err := configmanager.LoadInstance()
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("error loading instance config: %w", err)
	}
	if conf.VMType != limaconfig.Krunkit {
		return fmt.Errorf("'colima model' requires krunkit VM type for GPU access, current VM type is %s\n"+
			"Start colima with: colima start --runtime docker --vm-type krunkit", conf.VMType)
	}

	// check krunkit binary exists on host
	if err := util.AssertKrunkit(); err != nil {
		return err
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to c3a5f9184d)

Solutions

1. Restart with docker as the message instructs: colima stop && colima start --runtime docker --vm-type krunkit
2. Confirm the current runtime beforehand: colima status
3. If containerd is needed for other work, run a dedicated colima profile for model workloads

// check runtime before entering the model command path
r, err := a.Runtime()
if err != nil {
	return err
}
if r != docker.Name {
	return fmt.Errorf("restart required: colima start --runtime docker --vm-type krunkit")
}

When it happens

Trigger: The profile was started with --runtime containerd (or has containerd stored as its configured runtime), then any colima model subcommand is invoked.

Common situations: Users who chose containerd for Kubernetes workloads; older profiles created before model support with non-docker defaults.

Related errors

• error initiating container runtime: %w
• error starting %s: %w
• runtime disk provisioned for %s runtime. Delete container da
• error retrieving current runtime: empty value
• dependency check failed for %s: %w

AI-assisted analysis of abiosoft/colima@c3a5f9184d (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/72580779b6ec0bd8. Report an issue: GitHub.