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name: working-with-colima description: Use when Docker commands fail with "Cannot connect to Docker daemon", when starting/stopping container environments, or when managing multiple Docker contexts on macOS - provides Colima lifecycle management, profile handling, and troubleshooting

Working with Colima

Overview

Colima provides container runtimes (Docker, Containerd) on macOS with minimal setup. It runs a Linux VM and exposes Docker via contexts.

Use this skill when:

• Docker commands fail ("Cannot connect to Docker daemon")
• Starting/stopping container runtime on macOS
• Managing multiple Docker profiles/contexts
• Troubleshooting container environment issues
• Need SSH agent forwarding for Docker builds

Not for: Docker Compose, Kubernetes clusters, or Linux environments.

Quick Reference

Docker Context Basics

Colima creates Docker contexts per profile:

• Profile default → context colima
• Profile work → context colima-work

Copy# Switch context (global - affects all terminals)
docker context use colima-work

# Override per-session
export DOCKER_CONTEXT=colima-work

# Override per-command
docker --context colima-work ps

For details, see references/docker-contexts.md.

Common Issues

Docker daemon not connecting?

1. colima status - is it running?
2. docker context list - right context selected?
3. See references/troubleshooting.md for more

Need more VM resources?

Copycolima stop && colima start --cpu 4 --memory 8

"Broken" status after restart?

Copycolima stop --force && colima start

References

• references/docker-contexts.md - Context switching, DOCKER_HOST, socket paths
• references/profile-management.md - Creating, configuring, deleting profiles
• references/troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions
• references/common-options.md - Flags, VM types, resource configuration

Upstream Documentation

Local copies of official Colima docs (from github.com/abiosoft/colima):

• references/colima-upstream/README.md - Official README with features and usage
• references/colima-upstream/FAQ.md - Official FAQ and troubleshooting
• references/colima-upstream/INSTALL.md - Installation options