CLI becomes permanently slow after enabling Docker Desktop integration
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- Dominant language
- Go
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Description
Description
When Docker Desktop WSL2 integration is enabled on Windows, the CLI becomes noticeably slow. Even simple commands like docker --help take a few seconds to run, and tab-completion freezes for 3–4 seconds when attempting to complete a command. Turning off the integration does not resolve the problem.
Reproduce
- Install Docker Engine on WSL2
- Enable Docker Desktop WSL2 integration
- Disable the integration
Expected behavior
Commands like docker --help and tab completion should run instantly instead of taking 3-5 seconds after disabling the integration.
docker version
Client: Docker Engine - Community
Version: 28.4.0
API version: 1.51
Go version: go1.24.7
Git commit: d8eb465
Built: Wed Sep 3 20:57:32 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Context: default
Server: Docker Engine - Community
Engine:
Version: 28.4.0
API version: 1.51 (minimum version 1.24)
Go version: go1.24.7
Git commit: 249d679
Built: Wed Sep 3 20:57:32 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Experimental: false
containerd:
Version: 1.7.27
GitCommit: 05044ec0a9a75232cad458027ca83437aae3f4da
runc:
Version: 1.2.5
GitCommit: v1.2.5-0-g59923ef
docker-init:
Version: 0.19.0
GitCommit: de40a
docker info
Client: Docker Engine - Community
Version: 28.4.0
Context: default
Debug Mode: false
Plugins:
ai: Docker AI Agent - Ask Gordon (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.9.9
Path: /home/loczek/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-ai
buildx: Docker Buildx (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.27.0
Path: /usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-buildx
compose: Docker Compose (Docker Inc.)
Version: v2.39.2
Path: /usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose
scout: Docker Scout (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.18.2
Path: /home/loczek/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-scout
WARNING: Plugin "/usr/local/lib/docker/cli-plugins/docker-dev" is not valid: failed to fetch metadata: fork/exec /usr/local/lib/docker/cli-plugins/docker-dev: no such file or directory
WARNING: Plugin "/usr/local/lib/docker/cli-plugins/docker-feedback" is not valid: failed to fetch metadata: fork/exec /usr/local/lib/docker/cli-plugins/docker-feedback: no such file or directory
Server:
Containers: 31
Running: 0
Paused: 0
Stopped: 31
Images: 22
Server Version: 28.4.0
Storage Driver: overlay2
Backing Filesystem: extfs
Supports d_type: true
Using metacopy: false
Native Overlay Diff: true
userxattr: false
Logging Driver: json-file
Cgroup Driver: cgroupfs
Cgroup Version: 1
Plugins:
Volume: local
Network: bridge host ipvlan macvlan null overlay
Log: awslogs fluentd gcplogs gelf journald json-file local splunk syslog
CDI spec directories:
/etc/cdi
/var/run/cdi
Swarm: inactive
Runtimes: runc io.containerd.runc.v2
Default Runtime: runc
Init Binary: docker-init
containerd version: 05044ec0a9a75232cad458027ca83437aae3f4da
runc version: v1.2.5-0-g59923ef
init version: de40ad0
Security Options:
seccomp
Profile: builtin
Kernel Version: 5.15.167.4-microsoft-standard-WSL2
Operating System: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
OSType: linux
Architecture: x86_64
CPUs: 12
Total Memory: 7.759GiB
Name: DESKTOP-L
ID: e99d46a4-4107-4c72-8ba0-926a91843451
Docker Root Dir: /var/lib/docker
Debug Mode: false
Experimental: false
Insecure Registries:
::1/128
127.0.0.0/8
Live Restore Enabled: false
WARNING: No blkio throttle.read_bps_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.write_bps_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.read_iops_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.write_iops_device support
Additional Info
No response
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by reproducing the delay on WSL2 with Docker Desktop integration enabled and then disabled, using docker --help and tab completion. Compare the behavior across those states and trace the CLI startup and completion paths to identify the regression. Done means both commands return promptly after integration is disabled, with a regression test covering the behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- docker, go, linux
- Domain
- cli, operating-systems, performance
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 38/100