docker/cli · error

image options are incompatible with type bind

Error message

image options are incompatible with type bind

What it means

Returned by handleBindToMount (cli/compose/convert/volume.go:129-130). Image options (image.subpath) select a path inside an image layer and only make sense for `type: image`; combining them with `type: bind` is contradictory, so the converter rejects it at cli/compose/convert/volume.go:130.

Solutions

  1. Remove the `image:` options block from the bind entry.
  2. If image subpath was intended, change `type:` to `image` and supply an image reference as `source`.

Example fix

# before
volumes:
  - type: bind
    source: /host/data
    target: /data
    image:
      subpath: /app/assets

# after
volumes:
  - type: bind
    source: /host/data
    target: /data
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

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

Try / catch

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

Prevention

When it happens

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

Common situations: Converting an image-backed volume to a bind without removing the `image:` block; merge keys pulling in an image block.

Related errors


AI-assisted analysis of docker/cli@4f84911bfe (2026-08-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/40fe6fb457d40177. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at cli/compose/convert/volume.go:130

	if volume.Image != nil {
		result.ImageOptions = &mount.ImageOptions{
			Subpath: volume.Image.Subpath,
		}
	}
	return result, nil
}

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

	if volume.Source == "" {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("invalid bind source, source cannot be empty")
	}
	if volume.Volume != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("volume options are incompatible with type bind")
	}
	if volume.Image != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("image options are incompatible with type bind")
	}
	if volume.Tmpfs != nil {
		return mount.Mount{}, errors.New("tmpfs options are incompatible with type bind")
	}
	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)

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