Docker Core
The OCI runtime refused to create the container process from its bundle.
oci-runtime-create-failedReviewed for reference consistency: August 11, 2026
The OCI runtime refused to create the container process from its bundle.
What oci-runtime-create-failed Means
The oci-runtime-create-failed error on the Docker Core indicates the oci runtime refused to create the container process from its bundle.. This typically occurs due to the container spec contains an invalid mount or device reference.
Starting a container hands a prepared bundle to an OCI runtime such as runc. Failures inside that step, from invalid mount targets to blocked capabilities, surface as the oci-runtime-create-failed headline followed by the runtime's own diagnostic, appended after a type marker that often reads unknown.
How to fix oci-runtime-create-failed
General informational guidance, not professional advice. Commands can affect your system or data — back up first and proceed at your own risk. FixerCode is an independent reference, not affiliated with any vendor mentioned.
Show the resolved mounts for the container
The inspect output under Mounts lists what the daemon prepared, exposing invalid targets the runtime rejected.
docker inspect --format '{{json .Mounts}}' <container>Print the runtimes the daemon registers
The info output names each configured OCI runtime, framing which runtime's diagnostics appear in the error.
docker info --format '{{json .Runtimes}}'
Technical Background
The split of responsibility is explicit: the daemon prepares the bundle, the runtime executes it, and the error line records which layer failed. The runtime's text after the marker is the real diagnostic.
Docker Desktop's troubleshooting page demonstrates this family with a Git Bash path-conversion case where a mangled mount destination produces exactly this refusal, a reminder that the failure is often in the spec assembled from flags rather than in the image itself.
Common Causes
- The container spec contains an invalid mount or device reference
- A security module or missing kernel capability blocks the runtime
- The image's configuration requests operations the host cannot perform
Typical Scenarios
- A bind-mount target whose host path is absent on this machine
- A container spec requesting devices or capabilities the host kernel disallows
- A Windows-style path passed through a Unix shell, producing a mangled mount
What to Know
The text following the runtime marker is the payload: it names the offending mount, device, or namespace operation, which usually identifies the flag or path in the run invocation that produced it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Docker oci-runtime-create-failed error
Seldom. Most occurrences trace to the runtime bundle assembled from flags and mounts, and the appended diagnostic names the offending element.
The daemon appends the runtime's error string after a type marker; unknown is the runtime's bucket for errors without a dedicated code.
Related Error Codes
An exec or attach targeted a container whose main process is not active.
The kernel declined the binary because it was built for another architecture.
The runtime could not launch the exec command inside the running container.
Related Errors From Other Categories
Similar error codes documented across different platforms and systems