docker/cli · error

invalid context in log message: %v

Error message

invalid context in log message: %v

What it means

Error "invalid context in log message: %v" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cli/command/service/logs.go:273

	// if this ends up horribly broken or panics, check to see if stdcopy has
	// reneged on that assumption. (@god forgive me)
	// also this only works because the logs format is, like, barely parsable.
	// if something changes in the logs format, this is gonna break

	// there should always be at least 2 parts: details and message. if there
	// is no timestamp, details will be first (index 0) when we split on
	// spaces. if there is a timestamp, details will be 2nd (`index 1)
	detailsIndex := 0
	numParts := 2
	if lw.opts.timestamps {
		detailsIndex++
		numParts++
	}

	// break up the log line into parts.
	parts := bytes.SplitN(buf, []byte(" "), numParts)
	if len(parts) != numParts {
		return 0, fmt.Errorf("invalid context in log message: %v", string(buf))
	}
	// parse the details out
	details, err := logdetails.Parse(string(parts[detailsIndex]))
	if err != nil {
		return 0, err
	}
	// and then create a context from the details
	// this removes the context-specific details from the details map, so we
	// can more easily print the details later
	logCtx, err := parseContext(details)
	if err != nil {
		return 0, err
	}

	output := []byte{}
	// if we included timestamps, add them to the front
	if lw.opts.timestamps {
		output = append(output, parts[0]...)

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/command/service/logs.go:273 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/0630dc18ac0a976b.json. Report an issue: GitHub.