docker/compose · error

--no-build and --watch are incompatible

Error message

--no-build and --watch are incompatible

What it means

Returned by validateFlags when create.noBuild (--no-build) and up.watch (--watch) are both set. Watch mode rebuilds images when source files change, which requires building; --no-build forbids building. The combination is contradictory and rejected during PreRunE.

Source

Thrown at cmd/compose/up.go:226

	}
	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,
	project *types.Project,
	services []string,
) error {
	if err := checksForRemoteStack(ctx, dockerCli, project, buildOptions, createOptions.AssumeYes, []string{}); err != nil {
		return err
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to ddc4b044b6)

Solutions

1. Drop --no-build when using watch: `docker compose watch` or `docker compose up --watch`.
2. Keep --no-build and remove --watch; follow logs instead if you only need output.
3. Ensure services meant to be watched define a `develop.watch` section so watch has something to act on.

Example fix

# before
docker compose up --no-build --watch

# after
docker compose up --watch

if [[ "$UP_FLAGS" == *--no-build* && "$UP_FLAGS" == *--watch* ]]; then
  echo 'watch needs build; drop --no-build' >&2; exit 2
fi

When it happens

Trigger: `docker compose up --no-build --watch`; the pair arriving via shared options in paths that call validateFlags; dev scripts adding --no-build to force registry images while a developer adds --watch for iteration.

Common situations: Dev environments where a script pins --no-build (use prebuilt images) but the developer wants watch-mode rebuilds; flag lists grown organically in package.json scripts.

Related errors

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

AI-assisted analysis of docker/compose@ddc4b044b6 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0241c4b449bb96f5. Report an issue: GitHub.