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docker-local-build

Build and test Kurtosis from source on local Docker. Compiles all components (engine, core, files-artifacts-expander), builds Docker images, installs the CLI, and restarts the engine. Use when developing Kurtosis and testing changes locally with Docker.

528 stars

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/docker-local-build/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kurtosis-tech/kurtosis/main/skills/docker-local-build/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/docker-local-build/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How docker-local-build Compares

Feature / Agentdocker-local-buildStandard Approach
Platform SupportmultiLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Build and test Kurtosis from source on local Docker. Compiles all components (engine, core, files-artifacts-expander), builds Docker images, installs the CLI, and restarts the engine. Use when developing Kurtosis and testing changes locally with Docker.

Which AI agents support this skill?

This skill is compatible with multi.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

SKILL.md Source

# Docker Local Build

Build all Kurtosis components from source and test them locally on Docker.

## Overview

This skill builds the full Kurtosis stack for local Docker testing:
- **Engine** — Docker image `kurtosistech/engine`
- **Core (APIC)** — Docker image `kurtosistech/core`
- **Files Artifacts Expander** — Docker image `kurtosistech/files-artifacts-expander`
- **CLI** — binary at `.tmp/kurtosis`, installed to `/usr/local/bin/kurtosis`

All images are tagged with the current git short SHA (+ `-dirty` if uncommitted changes exist) via `scripts/get-docker-tag.sh`. The same tag is compiled into the CLI as `KurtosisVersion`.

## Quick build (recommended)

Run the wrapper script from the repo root. It handles version generation, image builds, CLI compilation, installation, and engine reset:

```bash
./scripts/local-build.sh
```

### Environment variables

| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `INSTALL_PATH` | `/usr/local/bin/kurtosis` | Where to install the CLI binary |
| `BUILD_IMAGES` | `true` | Set to `false` to skip Docker image builds (CLI only) |
| `DEBUG_IMAGE` | `false` | Build debug images with delve debugger |
| `PODMAN_MODE` | `false` | Use podman instead of docker |
| `RESET_KURTOSIS_AFTER_BUILD` | `true` | Stop engine and clean containers after build |

### Examples

```bash
# Full build + install + reset
./scripts/local-build.sh

# CLI only (skip image builds)
BUILD_IMAGES=false ./scripts/local-build.sh

# Build with debug images
DEBUG_IMAGE=true ./scripts/local-build.sh

# Install to a custom path
INSTALL_PATH=/tmp/kurtosis ./scripts/local-build.sh

# Skip engine reset (keep running enclaves)
RESET_KURTOSIS_AFTER_BUILD=false ./scripts/local-build.sh
```

## Manual build (step by step)

### 1. Generate version constants

```bash
./scripts/generate-kurtosis-version.sh
```

This writes the git-based version tag into `kurtosis_version/kurtosis_version.go`.

### 2. Build Docker images

The existing build scripts handle binary compilation, unit tests, and Docker image building:

```bash
# Build engine image (compiles binary, runs tests, builds Docker image)
./engine/scripts/build.sh

# Build core + files-artifacts-expander images
./core/scripts/build.sh
```

These scripts:
- Detect the host architecture (amd64/arm64)
- Cross-compile the Go binary for linux
- Run unit tests
- Build a Docker image tagged `kurtosistech/<component>:<git-sha>`
- Use `scripts/docker-image-builder.sh` which creates a buildx builder, builds for the local platform with `--load`, and cleans up

### 3. Build the CLI

```bash
go build -o .tmp/kurtosis ./cli/cli/
```

### 4. Install

```bash
cp .tmp/kurtosis /usr/local/bin/kurtosis
```

### 5. Reset the engine

```bash
kurtosis engine stop || true
docker ps -aq --filter "label=com.kurtosistech.app-id=kurtosis" | xargs -r docker rm -f
docker ps -aq --filter "name=kurtosis-engine" | xargs -r docker rm -f
docker ps -aq --filter "name=kurtosis-reverse-proxy" | xargs -r docker rm -f
docker ps -aq --filter "name=kurtosis-logs-collector" | xargs -r docker rm -f
docker ps -aq --filter "name=kurtosis-api--" | xargs -r docker rm -f
```

### 6. Start and test

```bash
kurtosis engine start
kurtosis run github.com/ethpandaops/ethereum-package
kurtosis clean -a
```

## Key files

| Component | Source | Dockerfile | Image |
|-----------|--------|------------|-------|
| Engine | `engine/server/engine/main.go` | `engine/server/Dockerfile` | `kurtosistech/engine` |
| Core (APIC) | `core/server/api_container/main.go` | `core/server/Dockerfile` | `kurtosistech/core` |
| Files Artifacts Expander | `core/files_artifacts_expander/main.go` | `core/files_artifacts_expander/Dockerfile` | `kurtosistech/files-artifacts-expander` |
| CLI | `cli/cli/main.go` | N/A | N/A |
| Version | `kurtosis_version/kurtosis_version.go` | N/A | N/A |
| Version generator | `scripts/generate-kurtosis-version.sh` | N/A | N/A |
| Docker tag | `scripts/get-docker-tag.sh` | N/A | N/A |
| Image builder | `scripts/docker-image-builder.sh` | N/A | N/A |

## Iterating

After making code changes:

1. Re-run `./scripts/local-build.sh` (or set `BUILD_IMAGES=false` if only CLI changed)
2. The version tag changes automatically with each commit (SHA-based)
3. If you have uncommitted changes, the tag gets a `-dirty` suffix

## Common issues

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| `go build` fails with import errors | Run `go mod tidy` in the failing module directory |
| Docker build fails with `.dockerignore` error | Ensure `.dockerignore` exists in the component's server directory |
| Engine starts but uses old images | The tag is SHA-based; make sure the built image tag matches `kurtosis version` output |
| `webapp directory not found` warning | Normal when building without enclave-manager; an empty placeholder is created automatically |
| buildx builder conflict | Remove stale builders: `docker buildx rm kurtosis-docker-builder` and `docker context rm kurtosis-docker-builder-context` |
| Version mismatch between CLI and engine | Rebuild everything from the same commit; version is compiled into the CLI binary |