docker/cli · error

%[1]s %[2]s: %[1]s.external.name and %[1]s.name conflict; on

Error message

%[1]s %[2]s: %[1]s.external.name and %[1]s.name conflict; only use %[1]s.name

What it means

Error "%[1]s %[2]s: %[1]s.external.name and %[1]s.name conflict; only use %[1]s.name" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cli/compose/loader/loader.go:656

		obj, err := loadFileObjectConfig(name, "config", types.FileObjectConfig(config), details)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}
		configConfig := types.ConfigObjConfig(obj)
		configConfig.Extras = loadExtras(name, source)
		configs[name] = configConfig
	}
	return configs, nil
}

func loadFileObjectConfig(name string, objType string, obj types.FileObjectConfig, details types.ConfigDetails) (types.FileObjectConfig, error) {
	// if "external: true"
	switch {
	case obj.External.External:
		// handle deprecated external.name
		if obj.External.Name != "" {
			if obj.Name != "" {
				return obj, fmt.Errorf("%[1]s %[2]s: %[1]s.external.name and %[1]s.name conflict; only use %[1]s.name", objType, name)
			}
			if versions.GreaterThanOrEqualTo(details.Version, "3.5") {
				logrus.Warnf("%[1]s %[2]s: %[1]s.external.name is deprecated in favor of %[1]s.name", objType, name)
			}
			obj.Name = obj.External.Name
			obj.External.Name = ""
		} else if obj.Name == "" {
			obj.Name = name
		}
		// if not "external: true"
	case obj.Driver != "":
		if obj.File != "" {
			return obj, fmt.Errorf("%[1]s %[2]s: %[1]s.driver and %[1]s.file conflict; only use %[1]s.driver", objType, name)
		}
	default:
		obj.File = absPath(details.WorkingDir, obj.File)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/compose/loader/loader.go:656 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of docker/cli@e9452d6e78 (2026-08-01). Data as JSON: /data/errors/fcb1dd34dccf960c.json. Report an issue: GitHub.