Docker "OCI runtime create failed" in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

The container image was fine but runc could not start the process inside it. The error wraps the real cause: an entrypoint binary that does not exist, is not executable, or is the wrong format.

What this error means

A container fails to start with OCI runtime create failed: ... starting container process caused: exec: "<cmd>": executable file not found in $PATH (or no such file or directory).

docker: Error response from daemon: OCI runtime create failed: runc create failed: unable to start container process: exec: "myapp": executable file not found in $PATH: unknown.

Common causes

Entrypoint/command binary missing

The CMD or ENTRYPOINT references a binary that is not installed or not on PATH in the image.

Wrong path or not executable

A script exists but lacks the executable bit, or the path is wrong inside the container.

Shebang/interpreter missing

A script references an interpreter (bash, python) that the minimal base image does not include.

How to fix it

Verify the entrypoint exists

1. Inspect the image and run the binary path interactively.
2. Confirm it is on PATH and executable.

docker run --rm -it --entrypoint sh app -c "which myapp; ls -la /app"

Fix the Dockerfile

1. Install the interpreter or binary the entrypoint needs.
2. Mark scripts executable and use an absolute path.

COPY entrypoint.sh /usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh
RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh
ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh"]

How to prevent it

• Use absolute, executable entrypoint paths and ensure the base image contains every interpreter your scripts invoke. This is a deterministic image problem, not transient.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• Docker documentation
• Docker build cache
• GitHub Actions documentation