docker/cli · error

unable to prepare context: path %q not found

Error message

unable to prepare context: path %q not found

What it means

Error "unable to prepare context: path %q not found" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cli/command/image/build.go:264

			defer dockerfileCtx.Close()
		}
	case build.ContextTypeGit:
		var tempDir string
		tempDir, relDockerfile, err = build.GetContextFromGitURL(options.context, options.dockerfileName)
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("unable to prepare context: %w", err)
		}
		defer func() {
			_ = os.RemoveAll(tempDir)
		}()
		contextDir = tempDir
	case build.ContextTypeRemote:
		buildCtx, relDockerfile, err = build.GetContextFromURL(progBuff, options.context, options.dockerfileName)
		if err != nil && options.quiet {
			_, _ = fmt.Fprintln(dockerCli.Err(), progBuff)
		}
	default:
		return fmt.Errorf("unable to prepare context: path %q not found", options.context)
	}

	// read from a directory into tar archive
	if buildCtx == nil {
		excludes, err := build.ReadDockerignore(contextDir)
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}

		if err := build.ValidateContextDirectory(contextDir, excludes); err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("checking context: %w", err)
		}

		// And canonicalize dockerfile name to a platform-independent one
		relDockerfile = filepath.ToSlash(relDockerfile)

		excludes = build.TrimBuildFilesFromExcludes(excludes, relDockerfile, options.dockerfileFromStdin())
		buildCtx, err = archive.TarWithOptions(contextDir, &archive.TarOptions{

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cli/command/image/build.go:264 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/327408fba74be08d.json. Report an issue: GitHub.