Firebolt Core wont start on Docker Desktop for Mac: io_uring failed to initialize

TL;DR

The fix is to upgrade Docker Desktop to 4.43.2 or newer, where upstream fixed it. Any query, even SELECT 1, errored with: Firebolt Core could not start because the system interface io\_uring failed to initialize...

, errored with:

Steps

1. Running Firebolt Core on a Mac with docker compose up failed at startup. Any query, even SELECT 1, errored with: Firebolt Core could not start because the system interface io_uring failed to initialize... Operation not permitted (1). The message suggested a recent kernel (6.1+) or starting the container with --security-opt seccomp=unconfined. It started happening with Docker Desktop for Mac 4.42.0+.
2. This wasnt a Firebolt bug, it was a Docker Desktop for Mac regression (upstream issue docker/for-mac#7707): 4.42.0+ blocked the io_uring syscalls the container needs. The fix is to upgrade Docker Desktop to 4.43.2 or newer, where upstream fixed it. The Firebolt maintainer confirmed the issue should be resolved in that release.
3. If you cant upgrade Docker Desktop, the --security-opt seccomp=unconfined flag from the error message is the workaround that gives the container access to the kernel features it needs.

Expected: The Firebolt maintainer confirmed the issue should be resolved in that release.

When to use

You are seeing this: Running Firebolt Core on a Mac with docker compose up failed at startup. Use this skill when you run into "Firebolt Core wont start on Docker Desktop for Mac: io_uring failed to initialize".

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

Versions mentioned in the source: Mac 4.42.0, 4.43.2. If you are on something much newer or older, the details may have shifted.

Why this happens

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