DockPipe

Your first workflow

Start with an installed Dockpipe CLI or desktop app. You do not need Dockpipe's source repository, Go, or its contributor tools. Use a folder you own; all project paths below refer to that folder.

For Flatpak, replace dockpipe in the commands below with flatpak run --command=dockpipe com.dockpipe.Dockpipe.

1. Check your installation

dockpipe --version

Native installations need Bash for host steps (Git for Windows supplies it on Windows). The Flatpak includes its shell tools. Docker is only needed for container steps; the first workflow below does not use it.

2. Create a workflow in your project

Open a terminal in your project folder and run:

dockpipe init hello

This creates project configuration when missing and an empty workflows/hello/config.yml. Replace that file's contents with:

name: hello
description: Print a message from this project.
docker_preflight: false

steps:
  - id: greet
    kind: host
    cmd: printf 'Hello from Dockpipe!\n'

Validate and run it from the same project folder:

dockpipe workflow validate workflows/hello/config.yml
dockpipe --workflow hello --

The run prints Hello from Dockpipe! alongside its progress messages. A kind: host step runs in the environment where Dockpipe is running. For Flatpak, that means the app sandbox; specific integrations can explicitly call host tools.

3. Try a container

For this step, install and start Docker or configure a supported container engine as described in the installation guide. Check connectivity with:

dockpipe doctor

Run a small command in an explicitly selected image:

dockpipe --runtime dockerimage --isolate alpine:3.22 -- pwd

The first run may download the image. Your project is mounted at /work; pwd should print /work. The container is removed after the command finishes, while files written into the mounted project remain.

To save that command as a workflow, replace workflows/hello/config.yml with:

name: hello
runtime: dockerimage
isolate: alpine:3.22

steps:
  - id: location
    cmd: pwd

Validate and run it using the same two commands from step 2. Replace cmd with your own project's command and select an image that contains the tools it needs.

4. Add reusable tools when you need them

The installer includes required core. Open Packages → Marketplace in the launcher to install optional workflows and resolvers. Select Settings → Package Remotes → Use production and save to use the release catalog.

The package quickstart covers discovery, installation and dependencies from the terminal. A workflow shown in an example is not necessarily installed: create it in your project or install its package before running it.

If something fails

Problem Check
dockpipe is not found Open a new terminal after installation; Flatpak users use the command prefix above.
Bash is missing Install Bash for the native CLI; on Windows use Git for Windows.
Docker cannot be reached Start your engine and check its selected context/socket; host-only workflows do not need Docker.
Workflow is not found Run from the folder containing workflows/hello/config.yml, or use --workdir /path/to/project.
Tool is missing inside a container Choose an image or installed resolver that supplies that tool.

Next steps