docker/cli · error

failed to write the container ID (%s) to file: %w

Error message

failed to write the container ID (%s) to file: %w

What it means

Error "failed to write the container ID (%s) to file: %w" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cli/command/container/create.go:191

	}
	_ = cid.file.Close()

	if cid.written {
		return nil
	}
	if err := os.Remove(cid.path); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to remove the CID file: %w", err)
	}

	return nil
}

func (cid *cidFile) Write(id string) error {
	if cid.file == nil {
		return nil
	}
	if _, err := cid.file.WriteString(id); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to write the container ID (%s) to file: %w", id, err)
	}
	cid.written = true
	return nil
}

func newCIDFile(cidPath string) (*cidFile, error) {
	if cidPath == "" {
		return &cidFile{}, nil
	}
	if _, err := os.Stat(cidPath); err == nil {
		return nil, errors.New("container ID file found, make sure the other container isn't running or delete " + cidPath)
	}

	f, err := os.Create(cidPath)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create the container ID file: %w", err)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/command/container/create.go:191 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/77c4f31c93ed34b7.json. Report an issue: GitHub.