[JENKINS-47915] Successful dockerfile job fails intermittently

We are using declarative pipelines and one of the steps uses the Dockerfile agent and mounts the workspace as a volume inside the container and then runs a simple test to make sure a file exists. Frequently the step fails despite it clearly exiting with a 0. This test was originally put in place because later in our pipeline we were getting strange build fails and I needed to verify the volume was correctly mounted by the Dockerfile agent. It is strange it regularly (and randomly) fails despite clearly succeeding.

 

    stage('Dockerfile volume test') {

      agent {

    dockerfile {

      dir 'docker/web_base'

      args '-v $WORKSPACE:/var/www'

    }

      }

      steps {

    echo 'Testing volume is mounted'

    sh '''

        if [ -f /var/www/readme.MD ]; then

          echo "Volume mounted"

          exit 0

        else

          echo "Error volume not mounted"

          exit 1

        fi

           '''

      }

    }

Here is some sanitised console output from the relevant stage:

Jenkins does not seem to be running inside a container

$ docker run -t -d -u 1000:1000 -v $WORKSPACE:/var/www -w /var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@​2 -v /var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@​2:/var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@​2:rw,z -v /var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@​2@​tmp:/var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@​2@​tmp:rw,z -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** --entrypoint cat c922be38aabaa3f9b626be62fcd3107c46ab8f7b

[Pipeline] {

[Pipeline] echo

Testing volume is mounted

[Pipeline] sh

[****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@​2] Running shell script

+ [ -f /var/www/readme.MD ]

+ echo Volume mounted

Volume mounted

+ exit 0

[Pipeline] }

$ docker stop --time=1 3cda9418fb950f1004224a071cde0260b3b387997041380a220230038f5eda0d

$ docker rm -f 3cda9418fb950f1004224a071cde0260b3b387997041380a220230038f5eda0d

It is curious that it reports Jenkins does not appear to be running in a container. We are using sibling containers. I am not sure that is directly relevant to the issue though.

 

 

---
Originally reported by scottles, imported from: Successful dockerfile job fails intermittently

• status: Open
  
• priority: Minor
  
• component(s): docker-workflow-plugin
  
• resolution: Unresolved
  
• votes: 1
  
• watchers: 2
  
• imported: 2025-12-07
  

Raw content of original issue

We are using declarative pipelines and one of the steps uses the Dockerfile agent and mounts the workspace as a volume inside the container and then runs a simple test to make sure a file exists. Frequently the step fails despite it clearly exiting with a 0. This test was originally put in place because later in our pipeline we were getting strange build fails and I needed to verify the volume was correctly mounted by the Dockerfile agent. It is strange it regularly (and randomly) fails despite clearly succeeding.


 



    stage('Dockerfile volume test') {

      agent {

    dockerfile {

      dir 'docker/web_base'

      args '-v $WORKSPACE:/var/www'

    }

      }

      steps {

    echo 'Testing volume is mounted'

    sh '''

        if [ -f /var/www/readme.MD ]; then

          echo "Volume mounted"

          exit 0

        else

          echo "Error volume not mounted"

          exit 1

        fi

           '''

      }

    }





Here is some sanitised console output from the relevant stage:



Jenkins does not seem to be running inside a container

$ docker run -t -d -u 1000:1000 -v $WORKSPACE:/var/www -w /var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@2 -v /var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@2:/var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@2:rw,z -v /var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@2@tmp:/var/jenkins_home/workspace/****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@2@tmp:rw,z -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** -e ******** --entrypoint cat c922be38aabaa3f9b626be62fcd3107c46ab8f7b

[Pipeline] {

[Pipeline] echo

Testing volume is mounted

[Pipeline] sh

[****_feature_****-XQI4C6XJ4O5UMBXPFXK73HT2RDSRQFVROIGJ25NECTJ73F7HNLVQ@2] Running shell script

+ [ -f /var/www/readme.MD ]

+ echo Volume mounted

Volume mounted

+ exit 0

[Pipeline] }

$ docker stop --time=1 3cda9418fb950f1004224a071cde0260b3b387997041380a220230038f5eda0d

$ docker rm -f 3cda9418fb950f1004224a071cde0260b3b387997041380a220230038f5eda0d





It is curious that it reports Jenkins does not appear to be running in a container. We are using sibling containers. I am not sure that is directly relevant to the issue though.


 


 

• environment: Jenkins 2.73.2 docker image (extended to include a few extra required tools installed via apt), running on a Kubernetes cluster using sibling containers.

1 attachment

- [Screenshot from 2017-11-09 12-42-00.png](https://issues.jenkins.io/secure/attachment/40271/Screenshot%20from%202017-11-09%2012-42-00.png)
>