Dev Containers extension does not always honor Docker Path setting

Bug Reports
1

Describe the Bug

When using a docker path that is not the default “docker”, operations will fail with misleading errors becuase devContainersSpecCLI.js is not supplied with the --docker-path parameter.

Steps to Reproduce

Repro using cursor

  • Install podman desktop on windows.
  • configure @ext:anysphere.remote-containers → Docker Path as “podman”
  • attempt to launch a dev container using an existing devcontainer.json config
  • Observe that the operation fails and the error reports that the config file could not be read.
2025-06-19 02:00:20.367 [info] [read-configuration][stderr]: [2025-06-19T07:00:20.366Z] @devcontainers/cli 0.75.0. Node.js v20.19.0. win32 10.0.19045 x64.
2025-06-19 02:00:20.583 [error] Failed to read devcontainer config [read-configuration] Command failed with exit code 1: stdout:

If we tamper with devContainersSpecCLI.js to force the log-level to trace, we get to see that the actual reason the “read-configuration” operation failed was that we attempted a “docker ps”, which does not work since we need to use podman

[read-configuration][stderr]: [2025-06-19T06:13:51.027Z] Start: Run: docker ps -q -a --filter label=devcontainer.

Repro by Invoking devContainersSpecCLI directly without docker-path

We can further reproduce this by invoking devContainersSpecCLI.js directly
Observe that the trace output reports that it execute and failed “docker ps”

# Set env for node execution
PS C:\Users\ajith> $Env:ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE=1

PS C:\Users\ajith> C:\Users\ajith\AppData\Local\Programs\cursor\Cursor.exe  `
>>       'c:\Users\ajith\.cursor\extensions\anysphere.remote-containers-1.0.7\dist\@devcontainers\cli\dist\spec-node\devContainersSpecCLI.js' `
>>       'read-configuration' `
>>       --workspace-folder 'c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ' `
>>       --config 'c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ\.devcontainer\devcontainer.json'  `
>>       --log-level trace
PS C:\Users\ajith> [2025-06-19T07:20:12.530Z] @devcontainers/cli 0.75.0. Node.js v20.19.0. win32 10.0.19045 x64.
[2025-06-19T07:20:12.530Z] Start: Run: docker ps -q -a --filter label=devcontainer.local_folder=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ --filter label=devcontainer.config_file=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ\.devcontainer\devcontainer.json
[2025-06-19T07:20:12.723Z] Stop (193 ms): Run: docker ps -q -a --filter label=devcontainer.local_folder=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ --filter label=devcontainer.config_file=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ\.devcontainer\devcontainer.json
[2025-06-19T07:20:12.723Z] Command failed: docker ps -q -a --filter label=devcontainer.local_folder=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ --filter label=devcontainer.config_file=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ\.devcontainer\devcontainer.json




Correct behavior with the --docker-path as “podman”


PS C:\Users\ajith> C:\Users\ajith\AppData\Local\Programs\cursor\Cursor.exe  `
>>       'c:\Users\ajith\.cursor\extensions\anysphere.remote-containers-1.0.7\dist\@devcontainers\cli\dist\spec-node\devContainersSpecCLI.js' `
>>       'read-configuration' `
>>       --workspace-folder 'c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ' `
>>       --config 'c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ\.devcontainer\devcontainer.json'  `
>>       --log-level trace `
>>       --docker-path podman
PS C:\Users\ajith> [2025-06-19T07:17:02.163Z] @devcontainers/cli 0.75.0. Node.js v20.19.0. win32 10.0.19045 x64.
[2025-06-19T07:17:02.163Z] Start: Run: podman ps -q -a --filter label=devcontainer.local_folder=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ --filter label=devcontainer.config_file=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ\.devcontainer\devcontainer.json
[2025-06-19T07:17:02.629Z] Stop (466 ms): Run: podman ps -q -a --filter label=devcontainer.local_folder=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ --filter label=devcontainer.config_file=c:\cygwin64\work\2025-06-18-cursorai-demo\cursor-ai-workspaces\PQ\.devcontainer\devcontainer.json
[2025-06-19T07:17:02.630Z] Start: Run: podman inspect --type container 7745fcdca7b7
[2025-06-19T07:17:03.134Z] Stop (504 ms): Run: podman inspect --type container 7745fcdca7b7
{"configuration":{"name":"PQ
\\\\<REDACTED




### Expected Behavior
Dev container is started and there is no errors about not being able to read the config file



### Operating System
Windows 10/11

### Current Cursor Version (Menu -> About Cursor -> Copy)
Version: 1.1.3 (user setup)
VSCode Version: 1.96.2
Commit: 979ba33804ac150108481c14e0b5cb970bda3260
Date: 2025-06-15T06:55:04.603Z
Electron: 34.5.1
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
Node.js: 20.19.0
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045

### Additional Information
This formerly worked with the Microsoft Dev containers extension, but that is no longer available, and only the anysphere version appears in the marketplace.
I hacked up the extension js files to substitute "podman" as the default dockerCLI path, and it worked.

### Does this stop you from using Cursor
Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor
2

Hi @Ajith_Antony, thank you for this bug report. We are working on fixing this issue in the next version of the extension.

1 Like
3

Looks to be fixed now

# Cursor Remote Containers Changelog

## 1.0.8
- Fix a bug where custom Docker paths were not passed through when calling the Dev Containers CLI
- Support Dev Containers in WSL (Requires Anysphere Remote WSL 1.0.4+)
5

It’s not fixed for me as of today. I’m forced to switch to vscode for my project unfortunately.

2025-06-28 12:08:20.256 [error] Failed to read devcontainer config Devcontainer CLI not found at /tmp/devcontainer-cli-e5da3d51-dd54-4a24-b03d-4c06e6572cd3/cli/dist/spec-node/devContainersSpecCLI.js: EntryNotFound (FileSystemError): /tmp/devcontainer-cli-e5da3d51-dd54-4a24-b03d-4c06e6572cd3/cli/dist/spec-node/devContainersSpecCLI.js
2025-06-28 12:08:20.257 [error] Failed to reopen folder in container Failed to read devcontainer configuration
7

Hi @MattWang – this looks like a different error. Could you start a new thread and share the full logs from the “Remote - Dev Containers” output so we can take a closer look? Thanks!

1 Like