TL;DR: Your active docker context points at a host that is gone or not listening. Run `docker context use default` to point the CLI back at the local daemon, or `docker context ls` to see what is selected. EOF at connect time means something accepted the TCP connection then hung up, which is the classic signature of a stale context.

## The error

```text
error during connect: Get "http://remote-host:2375/v1.24/containers/json": EOF
```

## Fix it

1. See which context is active:
   `docker context ls`
   Expected: an asterisk on something other than `default`.
2. Switch back to the local daemon:
   `docker context use default`
   Expected: `default` with `Current context is now "default"`.
3. Verify:
   `docker ps`
   Expected: container list from the local daemon.
4. If you actually need the remote host, check it is reachable first:
   `curl -s http://remote-host:2375/version`
   Expected: a JSON version blob. If it fails, the remote daemon or its firewall is the problem, not your CLI.

## When this applies
- You used `docker context use` or DOCKER_HOST against a remote/CI host that has since been torn down
- Commands fail with EOF or connection refused but the local daemon is fine

## When this does NOT apply
- Active context is already `default` (local socket problem instead)
- Error mentions TLS or certificate verification (TLS config problem, different fix)
- The remote host is up but rejects the API version (client/server version mismatch instead)

## Versions
Docker CLI 19.03+, all platforms. The `docker context` commands exist since 19.03.

## Why it happens
`docker context use` persists the choice in ~/.docker/config.json, so it survives terminal restarts. Weeks later the remote VM is deleted but the CLI still dials it, and a load balancer or dead NAT mapping accepts then drops the connection, producing EOF rather than a clean refused.

## Edge cases
- DOCKER_HOST env var overrides the context entirely; `echo $DOCKER_HOST` if switching contexts changes nothing.
- Remove dead contexts with `docker context rm [name]` to stop them shadowing the default.
- SSH-based contexts (`docker+ssh://`) fail differently (ssh errors); this skill is for tcp contexts.