docker compose ps no configuration file provided not found

Not specified by the original author.

Fix no configuration file provided: not found (docker-compose)

TL;DR

You ran compose from a directory that has no compose file. cd into the directory containing docker-compose.yml, or point compose at it explicitly with docker compose -f /path/to/docker-compose.yml ps. That is the whole fix.

The error, verbatim:

no configuration file provided: not found

Steps

1. Confirm you are in the wrong directory:

   pwd && ls docker-compose.yml compose.yaml 2>/dev/null

   Success check: pwd prints the directory; ls shows whether a compose file is there.

2. Change into the directory that holds the compose file:

   cd /path/to/project

   Success check: ls lists the compose file in the new directory.

3. Re-run your compose command and verify:

   docker compose ps

   Success check: Services are listed with their state; no error.

When to use

You hit this exact error while using docker-compose. The trigger list below matches your situation.

When NOT to use

If the error text differs, or the failure is in a different tool (e.g. a Docker daemon error when you only need the compose fix), find the skill for that exact error instead.

Tool compatibility

Compose v2 (docker compose) and docker-compose v1. Any OS.

Variant phrasings

no configuration file provided: not found

docker compose ps returns no configuration file provided

Root cause

Compose looks for docker-compose.yml / compose.yaml in the current working directory (or the paths given by -f / COMPOSE_FILE). When you run it from anywhere else, it finds nothing and reports this instead of guessing.

Edge cases

• Check the file is not saved with a hidden extension like docker-compose.yml.txt on Windows.
• If you use multiple files, every -f flag must point at a real file; one bad path gives the same error.
• COMPOSEFILE env var overrides the default search; an empty or wrong COMPOSEFILE causes this too.

Where this came from

Resolved from the public discussion at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70256928 (so:70256928).

A user hit the docker-compose error "no configuration file provided: not found" (docker compose fails with no configuration file provided: not found). The accepted resolution: You ran compose from a directory that has no compose file. cd into the directory containing docker-compose.yml, or point compose at it explicitly with docker compose -f /path/to/docker-compose.yml ps. That is the whole fix. Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70256928 (so:70256928).

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

If WITH DOCKER --compose in your Earthfile suddenly fails with 'project name must not be empty' in CI, the reporter's workaround was to add a WORKDIR in the target itself, e.g. WORKDIR /root before the COPY of the compose file.

Steps

1. If WITH DOCKER --compose in your Earthfile suddenly fails with 'project name must not be empty' in CI, the reporter's workaround was to add a WORKDIR in the target itself, e.g. WORKDIR /root before the COPY of the compose file. Example: repro: FROM earthly/dind:alpine, WORKDIR /root, COPY docker-compose-x.yml ., then WITH DOCKER --pull postgres --compose docker-compose-x.yml --service db.
2. Source: https://github.com/earthly/earthly/issues/3164 (Earthly)

When to use

You are seeing this: WORKDIR /root before the COPY of the compose file. Use this skill when you run into "WITH DOCKER using compose gives "Project name not found"".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Sources

• https://github.com/earthly/earthly/issues/3164

In gh:earthly/earthly#3164, the issue was: What went wrong? [!-- Can you describe what happened? --]

A previously working use of WITH DOCKER with --compose in our Earthfile has suddenly begun failing in our CI runs with a project name must not be empty error:

> earthly --verbose +repro
 frontend | Running command: docker info
 frontend | Running command: docker info --format={{.SecurityOptions}}
 frontend | Running command: docker info --format={{.DockerRootDir}}
 frontend | docker-shell frontend initialized.
 Init.... The verified answer: If WITH DOCKER --compose in your Earthfile suddenly fails with 'project name must not be empty' in CI, the reporter's workaround was to add a WORKDIR in the target itself, e.g. WORKDIR /root before the COPY of the compose file. Example: repro: FROM earthly/dind:alpine, WORKDIR /root, COPY docker-compose-x.yml ., then WITH DOCKER --pull postgres --compose docker-compose-x.yml --service db.. Issue URL: https://github.com/earthly/earthly/issues/3164

Not specified by the original author.

Fix mapping values are not allowed here (docker-compose)

TL;DR

Your compose file has a tab character (or bad indentation) where YAML expects spaces. Search the file for tabs, replace them with spaces, and re-run. docker compose config tells you instantly whether the file parses now.

The error, verbatim:

mapping values are not allowed here

Steps

1. Find the tab characters in the compose file:

   grep -Pn "	" docker-compose.yml

   Success check: cat -A shows ^I wherever a tab hides; grep finds the lines.

2. Replace every tab with spaces (2 spaces per indent level is the compose convention):

   grep -Pn "	" docker-compose.yml

   Success check: No output means no tabs remain.

3. Validate the file parses cleanly:

   docker compose config

   Success check: The parsed file prints with no errors.

When to use

You hit this exact error while using docker-compose. The trigger list below matches your situation.

When NOT to use

If the error text differs, or the failure is in a different tool (e.g. a Docker daemon error when you only need the compose fix), find the skill for that exact error instead.

Tool compatibility

docker-compose v1 and Compose v2. Any OS; common on Windows editors.

Variant phrasings

mapping values are not allowed here

yaml: mapping values are not allowed here

Root cause

YAML forbids tab characters for indentation. A tab (or a misaligned colon, like key value value split across a line break) makes the YAML parser read a mapping where it expected a scalar, and compose surfaces the parser error. It is always a whitespace problem in the compose file, never a compose bug.

Edge cases

• A stray tab anywhere in the file breaks parsing, not just near the reported line.
• Copy-pasting from web pages can introduce non-breaking spaces that look like spaces but are not.
• After fixing, docker compose config is the fastest way to confirm the file parses.

Where this came from

Resolved from the public discussion at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/39077526 (so:39077526).

A user hit the docker-compose error "mapping values are not allowed here" (docker compose fails with mapping values are not allowed here). The accepted resolution: Your compose file has a tab character (or bad indentation) where YAML expects spaces. Search the file for tabs, replace them with spaces, and re-run. docker compose config tells you instantly whether the file parses now. Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/39077526 (so:39077526).