Docker Core
The registry has no manifest for the exact repository and tag requested.
manifest-unknownReviewed for reference consistency: August 11, 2026
The registry has no manifest for the exact repository and tag requested.
What manifest-unknown Means
The manifest-unknown error on the Docker Core indicates the registry has no manifest for the exact repository and tag requested.. This typically occurs due to the tag was never published or has been deleted from the repository.
A pull starts by requesting the image manifest, the document listing the image's layers and platforms. When the repository exists but the tag was never pushed, was deleted, or does not include the requesting platform, the registry answers with the manifest unknown condition and the daemon surfaces it verbatim.
How to fix manifest-unknown
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Inspect the manifest the registry would serve
The manifest command resolves the reference through the registry and prints the platform entries it holds, separating a missing tag from a missing platform.
docker manifest inspect <image>:<tag>List which matching images exist locally
A local image with the same reference means the failure is limited to remote resolution, not to the build that produced it.
docker images --filter=reference='<repo>/*'
Technical Background
Manifest unknown is the registry's not-found answer at the metadata level: the repository may be perfectly healthy, but the specific reference resolves to nothing.
Multi-platform images add a subtle variant. The tag resolves to a manifest list, and the error appears only when the list lacks an entry for the client's operating system and architecture, which is common for images published for amd64 only.
Common Causes
- The tag was never published or has been deleted from the repository
- The manifest list covers other platforms but not the requesting one
- A pinned digest points to a manifest that has since been removed from the repository
- A private repository returns the same answer to callers without read access
Typical Scenarios
- Pulling a mistyped tag such as a patch version that was never released
- A multi-platform image whose manifest list omits the architecture of an ARM laptop
- A CI job pulling a fresh commit tag before the earlier push stage finished
What to Know
The line names the exact repository and tag the daemon asked for, so comparing it with the publishing pipeline's push step usually shows whether the mismatch is a typo, a missing push, or an architecture gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Docker manifest-unknown error
It is not. The registry answered with a well-formed response; the transport worked and the requested metadata simply does not exist for that reference.
Manifest lists are platform-scoped, so an amd64 workstation can resolve a tag that an arm64 host cannot find an entry for.
Related Error Codes
Related Errors From Other Categories
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