hashicorp/vagrant · error · VagrantPlugins::DockerProvider::Errors::VagrantfileNotFound

The configured host VM Vagrantfile could not be found. Pleas

Error message

The configured host VM Vagrantfile could not be found. Please fix
the Vagrantfile for this Docker environment to point to a valid
host VM.

What it means

The Docker provider builds a separate Vagrant::Environment for the host VM from provider_config.vagrant_vagrantfile (expanded against the main project root; when unset, a default Vagrantfile is copied into the data dir). If that environment ends with no root_path - no Vagrantfile with the expected filename found at that path - VagrantfileNotFound is raised.

Source

Thrown at plugins/providers/docker/provider.rb:106

        # Expand it so that the home directories and so on get processed
        # properly.
        vf_path = File.expand_path(vf_path, @machine.env.root_path)

        vf_file = File.basename(vf_path)
        vf_path = File.dirname(vf_path)

        # Create the env to manage this machine
        @host_vm = Vagrant::Util::SilenceWarnings.silence! do
          host_env = Vagrant::Environment.new(
            cwd: vf_path,
            home_path: @machine.env.home_path,
            ui_class: @machine.env.ui_class,
            vagrantfile_name: vf_file,
          )

          # If there is no root path, then the Vagrantfile wasn't found
          # and it is an error...
          raise Errors::VagrantfileNotFound if !host_env.root_path

          host_env.machine(
            host_machine_name,
            host_env.default_provider(
              exclude: [:docker],
              force_default: false,
            ))
        end

        @host_vm
      end

      # This acquires a lock on the host VM.
      def host_vm_lock
        hash = Digest::MD5.hexdigest(host_vm.data_dir.to_s)

        # We do a process-level mutex on the outside, since we can
        # wait for that a short amount of time. Then, we do a process lock

View on GitHub (pinned to 35f3160f4a)

Solutions

1. Fix d.vagrant_vagrantfile to an existing Vagrantfile - relative paths resolve from the main project root, e.g. "./host-vm/Vagrantfile"
2. If you do not need a custom host VM, remove the option so the built-in default Vagrantfile is used
3. Commit or template the host VM Vagrantfile so every checkout has it

Example fix

# before
config.vm.provider "docker" do |d|
  d.vagrant_vagrantfile = "./host-vm"        # directory without a Vagrantfile
end

# after
config.vm.provider "docker" do |d|
  d.vagrant_vagrantfile = "./host-vm/Vagrantfile"  # actual file
end

# inside the Vagrantfile, fail fast with a clear message
host_vf = File.expand_path("./host-vm/Vagrantfile", __dir__)
unless File.file?(host_vf)
  raise "host VM Vagrantfile missing: #{host_vf}"
end
config.vm.provider "docker" do |d|
  d.vagrant_vagrantfile = host_vf
end

When it happens

Trigger: d.vagrant_vagrantfile pointing at a missing file, a directory without a Vagrantfile, or a wrong file name (vagrantfile_name is taken from the basename); relative paths that do not resolve against the main Vagrantfile's directory.

Common situations: Project moved or renamed after configuring a host VM Vagrantfile; the path not committed to version control so teammates hit it; absolute paths copied from another machine.

Related errors

• The Docker provider was able to bring up the host VM success
• A Docker command executed by Vagrant didn't complete success
• Warning: When using a remote Docker host, forwarded ports wi
• Multiple URLs for a box can't be specified when adding versi
• There are errors in the configuration of this machine. Pleas

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/vagrant@35f3160f4a (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4285843739b4ef7c. Report an issue: GitHub.