bind options are incompatible with type tmpfs

Error message

bind options are incompatible with type tmpfs

What it means

Returned by handleTmpfsToMount (cli/compose/convert/volume.go:152-153). Propagation is a bind-mount concept and is meaningless for an in-memory tmpfs, so a `bind:` block on a tmpfs entry is rejected.

Solutions

Delete the `bind:` options block from the tmpfs entry.
If propagation was genuinely needed, the mount is really a bind — restore `type: bind` and supply a host source.

Example fix

# before
volumes:
  - type: tmpfs
    target: /cache
    bind:
      propagation: rshared

# after
volumes:
  - type: tmpfs
    target: /cache

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

for i, v := range serviceVolumes {
    if v.Type == "tmpfs" && v.Bind != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("service volume[%d] target=%q: type tmpfs must not declare a bind block", i, v.Target)
    }
}

Try / catch

mounts, err := convert.Volumes(serviceVolumes, stackVolumes, namespace)
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "bind options are incompatible with type tmpfs") {
    return fmt.Errorf("compose config error: %w (remove the bind: block from the tmpfs entry)", err)
}

Prevention

Propagation only applies to bind mounts; never carry a bind block onto a tmpfs entry.
Keep type changes and option-block cleanup in the same commit.

When it happens

Trigger: ServiceVolumeConfig with Type=="tmpfs" and Bind!=nil passed to convertVolumeToMount().

Common situations: Changing a bind entry to tmpfs without removing the `bind: { propagation: ... }` block; YAML merge pulling in bind options.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of docker/cli@4f84911bfe (2026-08-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a08a752ff55e1cc3. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at cli/compose/convert/volume.go:153

	if volume.Cluster != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("cluster options are incompatible with type bind")
	}
	if volume.Bind != nil {
		result.BindOptions = &mount.BindOptions{
			Propagation: mount.Propagation(volume.Bind.Propagation),
		}
	}
	return result, nil
}

func handleTmpfsToMount(volume composetypes.ServiceVolumeConfig) (mount.Mount, error) {
	result := createMountFromVolume(volume)

	if volume.Source != "" {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("invalid tmpfs source, source must be empty")
	}
	if volume.Bind != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("bind options are incompatible with type tmpfs")
	}
	if volume.Volume != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("volume options are incompatible with type tmpfs")
	}
	if volume.Image != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("image options are incompatible with type tmpfs")
	}
	if volume.Cluster != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("cluster options are incompatible with type tmpfs")
	}
	if volume.Tmpfs != nil {
		result.TmpfsOptions = &mount.TmpfsOptions{
			SizeBytes: volume.Tmpfs.Size,
		}
	}
	return result, nil
}

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