pranshuparmar/witr · error

no container found matching %q

Error message

no container found matching %q

What it means

processContainerTarget resolves the --container target via ResolveContainer (backed by container-runtime metadata). When no container matches the given value (name or id, honoring the exact flag), the library builds 'no container found matching %q' and delegates to handleResolveError for consistent reporting.

Source

Thrown at internal/app/app.go:755

		return ExitNotFound
	case strings.Contains(msg, "invalid") ||
		strings.Contains(msg, "must specify"):
		return ExitInvalidInput
	default:
		return ExitInternalError
	}
}

// processContainerTarget handles `-c/--container` lookups. Resolves against
// every available container runtime, dispatches to the normal pipeline if
// the container's main process is host-visible, otherwise renders the
// runtime-side metadata via the container fallback view.
func processContainerTarget(cmd *cobra.Command, outw io.Writer, outp output.Printer, t model.Target, flags appFlags, multiMode bool, jsonResults *[]string) int {
	colorEnabled := useColor(flags, outw)

	matches := procpkg.ResolveContainer(t.Value, flags.exact)
	if len(matches) == 0 {
		err := fmt.Errorf("no container found matching %q", t.Value)
		return handleResolveError(cmd, outw, outp, t, err, flags, multiMode, jsonResults)
	}

	if len(matches) > 1 {
		if multiMode && flags.json {
			*jsonResults = append(*jsonResults, jsonErrorEntry(t, fmt.Sprintf("multiple containers matched (%d results)", len(matches))))
		} else {
			printContainerMultiMatch(outp, matches, colorEnabled)
		}
		return ExitInvalidInput
	}

	match := matches[0]
	procpkg.EnrichContainer(match)
	pid := procpkg.ResolveContainerHostPID(match.Runtime, match.ID)
	if pid > 0 && procpkg.PIDBelongsToContainer(pid, match.ID) {
		res, err := pipeline.AnalyzePID(pipeline.AnalyzeConfig{
			PID:     pid,

View on GitHub (pinned to dc4fa1da82)

Solutions

1. List containers (`docker ps` / `ctr containers list`) and copy the exact name or full id.
2. Remove --exact or use a longer/more precise identifier if partial matching was intended.
3. Verify the container is running (not exited/removed) before inspecting.
4. Confirm the container runtime is reachable (socket permissions, DOCKER_HOST) so resolution can see containers.

Example fix

// before
$ errlookup --container web   // exact id needed after redeploy
// after
$ docker ps --format '{{.ID}} {{.Names}}'   # get exact name/id
$ errlookup --container myproj-web-1

func containerExists(name string) bool {
    out, err := exec.Command("docker", "ps", "--format", "{{.Names}}").Output()
    if err != nil { return false }
    for _, n := range strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(string(out)), "\n") {
        if n == name || strings.HasSuffix(n, name) { return true }
    }
    return false
}
if !containerExists("myproj-web-1") {
    return errors.New("container not running; check docker ps")
}

err := runLookup(target)
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "no container found matching") {
    log.Printf("container %q not found; skipping", target.Value)
    return nil
}
if err != nil { return err }

When it happens

Trigger: Passing --container with a name/id that has no match: misspelled name, container already removed, only a partial id given with --exact, or the container belongs to a runtime the library's fallback view cannot see.

Common situations: Container restarted and got a new id/name; docker-compose project prefix changed; using a short container id with --exact; inspecting on a host where the container runtime socket is unavailable so metadata looks empty.

Related errors

• no matching process found
• must specify --pid, --port, --file, --container, or a proces
• completed with exit code %d
• no process ancestry found

AI-assisted analysis of pranshuparmar/witr@dc4fa1da82 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/faf23d1d85787147. Report an issue: GitHub.