docker/compose · error

--force-recreate and --no-recreate are incompatible

Error message

--force-recreate and --no-recreate are incompatible

What it means

Returned by validateFlags when create.forceRecreate (--force-recreate) and create.noRecreate (--no-recreate) are both set. One demands containers be recreated even if config is unchanged; the other forbids recreation even if config changed. Direct contradiction, rejected during PreRunE before any docker call.

Source

Thrown at cmd/compose/up.go:220

			return fmt.Errorf("--wait cannot be combined with --abort-on-container-exit, --attach or --attach-dependencies")
		}
		up.Detach = true
	}
	if create.Build && create.noBuild {
		return fmt.Errorf("--build and --no-build are incompatible")
	}
	if up.Detach && (up.attachDependencies || up.cascadeStop || up.cascadeFail || len(up.attach) > 0 || up.watch) {
		if up.wait {
			return fmt.Errorf("--wait cannot be combined with --abort-on-container-exit, --abort-on-container-failure, --attach, --attach-dependencies or --watch")
		} else {
			return fmt.Errorf("--detach cannot be combined with --abort-on-container-exit, --abort-on-container-failure, --attach, --attach-dependencies or --watch")
		}
	}
	if create.noInherit && create.noRecreate {
		return fmt.Errorf("--no-recreate and --renew-anon-volumes are incompatible")
	}
	if create.forceRecreate && create.noRecreate {
		return fmt.Errorf("--force-recreate and --no-recreate are incompatible")
	}
	if create.recreateDeps && create.noRecreate {
		return fmt.Errorf("--always-recreate-deps and --no-recreate are incompatible")
	}
	if create.noBuild && up.watch {
		return fmt.Errorf("--no-build and --watch are incompatible")
	}
	return nil
}

//nolint:gocyclo
func runUp(
	ctx context.Context,
	dockerCli command.Cli,
	backendOptions *BackendOptions,
	createOptions createOptions,
	upOptions upOptions,
	buildOptions buildOptions,

View on GitHub (pinned to ddc4b044b6)

Solutions

1. Choose one: `--force-recreate` to apply changes, or `--no-recreate` to preserve containers (default recreates only on config change — often you need neither).
2. Refactor flag assembly so recreate-policy flags come from a single mutually exclusive variable.

Example fix

# before
docker compose up --force-recreate --no-recreate

# after
docker compose up --force-recreate

if [[ "$UP_FLAGS" == *--force-recreate* && "$UP_FLAGS" == *--no-recreate* ]]; then
  echo 'pick one recreate policy' >&2; exit 2
fi

When it happens

Trigger: `docker compose up --force-recreate --no-recreate`; same pair via shared createOptions in `create`; CI pipelines that combine a 'always clean' flag set with a 'preserve state' flag set.

Common situations: Copy-pasted up commands from two different runbooks merged into one; a wrapper adding --no-recreate to protect databases while another layer adds --force-recreate to apply image updates.

Related errors

• --always-recreate-deps and --no-recreate are incompatible
• --wait-timeout must be a non-negative integer
• --abort-on-container-failure cannot be combined with --abort
• --wait cannot be combined with --abort-on-container-exit, --
• --build and --no-build are incompatible

AI-assisted analysis of docker/compose@ddc4b044b6 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/11d84af625c4b725. Report an issue: GitHub.