bcicen/ctop · error

cannot remove container: %v

Error message

cannot remove container: %v

What it means

Wraps the error from the Docker Remote API's RemoveContainer call in Docker.Remove. It fires when the daemon refuses to delete the container — it is still running (no Force option is set) or the container no longer exists.

Source

Thrown at connector/manager/docker.go:126

func (dc *Docker) Remove() error {
	if err := dc.client.RemoveContainer(api.RemoveContainerOptions{ID: dc.id}); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("cannot remove container: %v", err)
	}
	return nil
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 59f00dd6aa)

Solutions

  1. Stop the container before removal, or set Force in api.RemoveContainerOptions
  2. Treat 'no such container' errors as successful removal
  3. Verify the container ID exists before calling RemoveContainer
  4. Check daemon connectivity and volume/remove options if removal keeps failing
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at connector/manager/docker.go:126 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of bcicen/ctop@59f00dd6aa (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4ec03dafaedbb985. Report an issue: GitHub.