11ai Docker build

Version baseline: Current stable Docker tooling: Engine 29.x (29.6.2 at this review), Compose v5, and the matching current BuildKit/containerd supplied by the installation. Inspect each component independently because Docker Desktop, Engine, Compose, Buildx, and the API do not share one version.

Build from the repository's intended Dockerfile and context. Do not silently change the base image, build arguments, target stage, platform, tag, or cache behavior.

Inspect inputs

Before building, inspect:

• the requested Dockerfile and any alternate Dockerfile.* files;
• the build context directory;
• .dockerignore and files that are likely to contain secrets;
• Compose or project scripts that already define the canonical build command;
• required ARG values and target stages.

If the Dockerfile, context, or output tag is ambiguous, ask a focused question or show the assumed command before running it.

Build

Use the simplest command that matches the project:

docker build -t IMAGE:TAG .
docker build -f PATH/TO/Dockerfile -t IMAGE:TAG CONTEXT
docker build --target STAGE -t IMAGE:TAG .

Add --pull, --no-cache, --build-arg, --platform, or --progress=plain only when requested, necessary to diagnose the failure, or already specified by the project. Treat build arguments as potentially sensitive and never print secret values.

Verify

After a successful build, verify the local result:

docker image inspect IMAGE:TAG
docker image ls IMAGE:TAG
docker history IMAGE:TAG

If appropriate, run a smoke test using the image's declared default command without inventing external ports or credentials. A successful build proves image creation, not that the application starts correctly.

Diagnose failures

For missing files, check the build context and .dockerignore. For dependency or network failures, preserve the failing step and exact error. For cache confusion, explain the cost of --no-cache before using it. For architecture errors, compare the requested platform with the host and base image metadata. Do not push a build from this skill; hand off to 11ai-operator-docker-registry after the user confirms the exact tag and destination.