Docker Compose not installed on self-hosted runners even when compose-version is specified #232
Description
Description:
When running the action on a self-hosted runner that has Docker installed but does not have Docker Compose, setting compose-version: latest does not trigger installation of Docker Compose as expected. Instead, the action attempts to execute Docker Compose commands using the Docker CLI, which fails with errors such as unknown flag: --short and unknown shorthand flag: 'f' in -f.
Action version: v2.4.1
Platform:
- Ubuntu (linux-small)
- macOS
- Windows
Runner type:
- Hosted
- Self-hosted
Tools version:
N/A
Repro steps:
A description with steps to reproduce the issue. If you have a public example or
repository to share, please provide the link.
- Call action with docker-compose version flag included
with:
compose-version: latest
...Expected behavior:
Should install docker compose to run action.
Actual behavior:
Crashes with missing docker-compose instead of installing.
{"exitCode":125,"err":"unknown flag: --short\n\nUsage: docker [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARG...]\n\nRun 'docker --help' for more information\n","out":""}Full runner logs below:
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9838886Z ##[group]Run hoverkraft-tech/compose-action@3846bcd61da338e9eaaf83e7ed0234a12b099b72
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9839327Z with:
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9839561Z compose-file: ./docker-compose.yml
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9839863Z services: unit-tests
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9839889Z compose-version: latest
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9840146Z up-flags: --exit-code-from unit-tests
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9840587Z cwd: /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9840925Z services-log-level: debug
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9841360Z github-token: ***
2025-11-28T17:39:16.9841608Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:17.0744292Z Setting up docker compose
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6070271Z ##[error]{"exitCode":125,"err":"unknown flag: --short\n\nUsage: docker [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARG...]\n\nRun 'docker --help' for more information\n","out":""}
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6140283Z ##[group]Run actions/upload-artifact@ff15f0306b3f739f7b6fd43fb5d26cd321bd4de5
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6140684Z with:
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6140912Z name: tests-results
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6141282Z path: /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api/build/test-results/**/*.xml
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6141682Z if-no-files-found: warn
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6141950Z retention-days: 1
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6142206Z include-hidden-files: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6142480Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6612540Z ##[warning]No files were found with the provided path: /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api/build/test-results/**/*.xml. No artifacts will be uploaded.
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6684344Z ##[group]Run actions/upload-artifact@ff15f0306b3f739f7b6fd43fb5d26cd321bd4de5
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6684753Z with:
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6684976Z name: coverage
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6685315Z path: /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api/build/coverage/*.xml
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6685694Z if-no-files-found: warn
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6685964Z retention-days: 1
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6686215Z include-hidden-files: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.6686487Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7145287Z ##[warning]No files were found with the provided path: /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api/build/coverage/*.xml. No artifacts will be uploaded.
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7294753Z ##[group]Run ctrf-io/github-test-reporter@9bd31188517cfb3ff683f135041cc3bfbb0c78b3
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7295172Z with:
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7295559Z report-path: /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api/build/test-results/**/*.xml
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7295988Z summary-report: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7296239Z test-report: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7296468Z failed-report: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7296722Z skipped-report: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7296970Z insights-report: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7297233Z pull-request-report: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7297501Z title: Test Report: unit
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7297759Z overwrite-comment: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7298186Z comment-tag: Build and Test-unit
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7298477Z exit-on-fail: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7298723Z use-suite-name: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7298982Z collapse-large-reports: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7299687Z integrations-config: {
"junit-to-ctrf": {
"enabled": true,
"action": "convert",
"options": {
"output": "./ctrf-reports/ctrf-report.json",
"toolname": "junit-to-ctrf",
"useSuiteName": true
}
}
}
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7300407Z summary-delta-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7300676Z github-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7300924Z test-list-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7301178Z fail-rate-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7301423Z flaky-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7301680Z flaky-rate-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7301951Z failed-folded-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7302230Z previous-results-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7302505Z ai-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7302752Z suite-folded-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7303028Z suite-list-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7303286Z file-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7303530Z slowest-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7303783Z commit-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7304031Z custom-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7304286Z community-report: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7304580Z summary: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7304808Z pull-request: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7305055Z annotate: true
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7305302Z status-check: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7305705Z status-check-name: GitHub Test Reporter Results
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7306058Z community-report-name: summary-short
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7306366Z on-fail-only: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7306633Z exit-on-no-files: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7306891Z exit-on-empty: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7307144Z update-comment: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7307400Z always-latest-comment: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7307676Z upload-artifact: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7307940Z artifact-name: ctrf-report
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7308210Z previous-results-max: 10
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7308468Z fetch-previous-results: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7308752Z max-workflow-runs-to-check: 400
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7309043Z max-previous-runs-to-fetch: 100
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7309310Z baseline: 1
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7309532Z group-by: filePath
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7309775Z always-group-by: false
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7310023Z env:
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7310409Z GITHUB_TOKEN: ***
2025-11-28T17:39:17.7310794Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:18.3248464Z ##[group]📜 Preparing CTRF report
2025-11-28T17:39:18.3248940Z JUnit integration detected
2025-11-28T17:39:18.3308121Z No test cases found in the provided path. No CTRF report generated.
2025-11-28T17:39:18.3312841Z ##[error]Action failed with error: JUnit report not found at: /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api/build/test-results/**/*.xml
2025-11-28T17:39:18.3610374Z Post job cleanup.
2025-11-28T17:39:18.3653287Z Post job cleanup.
2025-11-28T17:39:18.9693612Z ##[error]{"exitCode":125,"err":"unknown shorthand flag: 'f' in -f\n\nUsage: docker [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARG...]\n\nRun 'docker --help' for more information\n","out":""}
2025-11-28T17:39:18.9814228Z Post job cleanup.
2025-11-28T17:39:18.9875134Z Post job cleanup.
2025-11-28T17:39:19.2394025Z ##[group]Removing temp folder /home/runner/_work/_temp/docker-actions-toolkit-Mp1z0x
2025-11-28T17:39:19.2404854Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:19.2405382Z ##[group]Post cache
2025-11-28T17:39:19.2405981Z State not set
2025-11-28T17:39:19.2407087Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:19.2539310Z Post job cleanup.
2025-11-28T17:39:19.5172205Z ##[group]Removing builder
2025-11-28T17:39:19.6261678Z [command]/usr/bin/docker buildx rm builder-c439a7d4-f635-42ff-b573-7933c740bb4b
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7682494Z builder-c439a7d4-f635-42ff-b573-7933c740bb4b removed
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7709643Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7710148Z ##[group]Cleaning up certificates
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7715713Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7716265Z ##[group]Post cache
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7718020Z State not set
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7718975Z ##[endgroup]
2025-11-28T17:39:21.7860458Z Post job cleanup.
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8611558Z [command]/usr/bin/git version
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8672911Z git version 2.51.0
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8705195Z Temporarily overriding HOME='/home/runner/_work/_temp/d97499cd-8028-4b8b-b923-e090c9af2de2' before making global git config changes
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8705958Z Adding repository directory to the temporary git global config as a safe directory
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8708994Z [command]/usr/bin/git config --global --add safe.directory /home/runner/_work/connect-api/connect-api
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8734120Z [command]/usr/bin/git config --local --name-only --get-regexp core\.sshCommand
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8756111Z [command]/usr/bin/git submodule foreach --recursive sh -c "git config --local --name-only --get-regexp 'core\.sshCommand' && git config --local --unset-all 'core.sshCommand' || :"
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8927205Z [command]/usr/bin/git config --local --name-only --get-regexp *******
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8943266Z http.*******
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8949946Z [command]/usr/bin/git config --local --unset-all http.*******
2025-11-28T17:39:21.8971372Z [command]/usr/bin/git submodule foreach --recursive sh -c "git config --local --name-only --get-regexp '*****' && git config --local --unset-all '******' || :"
2025-11-28T17:39:21.9243020Z Cleaning up orphan processes