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Prepare Docker Deployment

Prepare the deployment directory as an unprivileged operator. This phase writes files, config, and env locally; it does not start Docker or install anything under /opt.

Create the directory​

arbiter-server deploy docker init

By default this creates ./arbiter-docker. init refuses to overwrite existing managed files and writes:

  • compose.yaml: Docker Compose service definition.
  • docker.env: Docker Compose/container wrapper settings such as host port, image, restart policy, config directory/name, and network values.
  • conf/: default config directory. init creates the directory but not the config or env file.
  • requirements.txt: Python packages or source paths installed inside the container.
  • compose.override.yaml: only when init infers a local checkout source install; mounts the checkout read-only at /source/agent-arbiter.
  • arbiter-docker: the local helper script for this deployment.
  • .agent-arbiter-deploy.json: hidden manifest that records hashes for generated template files.

Add config​

Either bootstrap a config into the default deployment config directory:

arbiter-server \
  --config-dir ./arbiter-docker/conf \
  --config-name arbiter-server \
  bootstrap arbiter

Or copy an existing Agent Arbiter config directory to ./arbiter-docker/conf. If you use a different directory or main config name, edit AGENT_ARBITER_CONFIG_DIR or AGENT_ARBITER_CONFIG_NAME in docker.env.

Sync env​

After the config exists, bootstrap or update its env file:

./arbiter-docker/arbiter-docker sync-env

sync-env runs arbiter-server env bootstrap against the configured config directory. It creates or updates the config package's env file using the same logic as the normal env command.

Keep docker.env separate from conf/.env: docker.env controls the Compose wrapper, while conf/.env is created by Agent Arbiter env tooling and belongs to the config package.

Preinstall check​

Before promoting the directory to a host install:

./arbiter-docker/arbiter-docker doctor --preinstall

doctor --preinstall checks that the prepared directory is self-contained and ready to promote. It skips Docker daemon checks and fails when source checkout requirements or /source/agent-arbiter mounts are present, because local source mounts are not production install state. For Linux install, switch requirements.txt to pinned packages or /wheels/*.whl entries and remove the local source mount.

For package pins, wheelhouses, and source checkout testing, see Packages and wheels.