docker/compose · error

failed to %s service provider: %s

Error message

failed to %s service provider: %s

What it means

After streaming the provider plugin's protocol messages, compose waits on the plugin process. A non-zero exit (or signal death) fails here, wrapped with the action being performed (e.g. up/down/stop) and the wait error. An error event is also emitted to the container event stream before returning.

Source

Thrown at pkg/compose/plugins.go:179

			}
			variables.prefixed[key] = val
		case RawSetEnvType:
			key, val, found := strings.Cut(msg.Message, "=")
			if !found {
				return pluginVariables{}, fmt.Errorf("invalid response from plugin: %s", msg.Message)
			}
			variables.raw[key] = val
		case DebugType:
			logrus.Debugf("%s: %s", service.Name, msg.Message)
		default:
			return pluginVariables{}, fmt.Errorf("invalid response from plugin: %s", msg.Type)
		}
	}

	err = cmd.Wait()
	if err != nil {
		s.events.On(errorEvent(service.Name, err.Error()))
		return pluginVariables{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to %s service provider: %s", action, err.Error())
	}
	switch command {
	case "up":
		s.events.On(createdEvent(service.Name))
	case "down":
		s.events.On(removedEvent(service.Name))
	case "stop":
		s.events.On(stoppedEvent(service.Name))
	}
	return variables, nil
}

func (s *composeService) getPluginBinaryPath(provider string) (path string, err error) {
	if provider == "compose" {
		return "", errors.New("'compose' is not a valid provider type")
	}
	plugin, err := manager.GetPlugin(provider, s.dockerCli, &cobra.Command{})
	if err == nil {

View on GitHub (pinned to ddc4b044b6)

Solutions

1. Run the provider plugin by hand with the same arguments/env to see its stderr
2. Check plugin logs and the compose error event emitted just before this failure
3. Fix provider credentials/options in the compose file (see provider parameter requirements)
4. Upgrade or reinstall the provider plugin if it crashes on startup

vars, err := runProviderCommand(ctx, service, "up")
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "service provider") {
    // the emitted error event carries plugin stderr; surface it, fix config or plugin, retry
}

When it happens

Trigger: The provider plugin subprocess crashes or exits non-zero while provisioning/removing the service: failed credentials, backend API error, panic in the plugin, killed by OS.

Common situations: Cloud provider plugin failing auth; plugin binary incompatible with the host (arch/libc); plugin exceeding timeouts and being killed; missing configuration for the provider backend.

Related errors

• invalid response from plugin: %s
• 'compose' is not a valid provider type
• invalid PID (%d): only positive PIDs are allowed
• process with PID %d is still running
• failed to execute bake: %w

AI-assisted analysis of docker/compose@ddc4b044b6 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/aa3a23ade4380588. Report an issue: GitHub.