Docker "failed to solve: dockerfile.v0: not found" in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

The BuildKit dockerfile frontend could not read the Dockerfile it was told to use. The file is missing, named differently, or the -f path does not resolve against the build context.

What this error means

A build fails immediately with failed to solve with frontend dockerfile.v0: failed to read dockerfile: open /.../Dockerfile: no such file or directory. No build steps run.

ERROR: failed to solve: failed to read dockerfile: open /var/lib/docker/tmp/buildkit-mount123/Dockerfile: no such file or directory

Common causes

No Dockerfile in the build context

The default Dockerfile is not at the context root, and no -f was given.

Wrong -f path

The -f / --file path points somewhere the file is not, or is relative to the wrong directory.

Non-standard filename not specified

A Dockerfile.prod or similar exists but the build did not pass -f to select it.

How to fix it

Point at the right Dockerfile and context

1. Pass -f with the exact Dockerfile path and the context directory.
2. Confirm the file exists at that path in CI.

docker build -f docker/Dockerfile.prod -t app .

Set file and context in the build action

1. On docker/build-push-action, set file and context explicitly.

- uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
  with:
    context: .
    file: docker/Dockerfile.prod

How to prevent it

• Always set context and file explicitly in CI builds, and keep the Dockerfile path stable so a moved file does not silently break the build.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• Docker documentation
• Docker build cache
• GitHub Actions documentation