[JENKINS-51462] archiveArtifacts and fileExists inconsistent in docker.inside() closure

The following Pipeline code produces an error:

def image = docker.image("any_existing_image_eg_alpine")

image.inside {

    sh 'date > /tmp/test.txt'

    sh 'cat /tmp/test.txt' //works, shows file



    def fileContents = readFile '/tmp/test.txt' //works

    echo "Contents: ${fileContents}" //works, shows file



    echo "Exists: ${fileExists('/tmp/test.txt')}" //FAILS (returns false)

    archiveArtifacts '/tmp/*.txt' //FAILS the build

}

archiveArtifacts always reports that it matched no files (except in $WORKSPACE, see below).

DSL steps in docker summary (what I've tried):

• readFile(): works correctly on files in or out of $WORKSPACE


• writeFile(): works correctly on files in or out of $WORKSPACE


• fileExists(): works correctly only on files in $WORKSPACE (auto-mounted volume)


• archiveArtifacts(): archives only files in $WORKSPACE  (auto-mounted volume) 

So I guess there is a pattern ... and yet the behavior is inconsistent.  I could not find any documentation that explains what the rules are.

UPDATE: readFile() now throws NoSuchFileException (docker-pipeline 1.17 and pipeline-basic-steps 2.7) for files outside the workspace, which is probably better.

 

 

---
Originally reported by akom, imported from: archiveArtifacts and fileExists inconsistent in docker.inside() closure

• status: Open
  
• priority: Minor
  
• component(s): docker-workflow-plugin
  
• resolution: Unresolved
  
• votes: 3
  
• watchers: 7
  
• imported: 2025-12-07
  

Raw content of original issue

The following Pipeline code produces an error:



def image = docker.image("any_existing_image_eg_alpine")

image.inside {

    sh 'date > /tmp/test.txt'

    sh 'cat /tmp/test.txt' //works, shows file



    def fileContents = readFile '/tmp/test.txt' //works

    echo "Contents: ${fileContents}" //works, shows file



    echo "Exists: ${fileExists('/tmp/test.txt')}" //FAILS (returns false)

    archiveArtifacts '/tmp/*.txt' //FAILS the build

}





archiveArtifacts always reports that it matched no files (except in $WORKSPACE, see below).


DSL steps in docker summary (what I've tried):



	
readFile(): works correctly on files in or out of $WORKSPACE

	
writeFile(): works correctly on files in or out of $WORKSPACE

	
fileExists(): works correctly only on files in $WORKSPACE (auto-mounted volume)

	
archiveArtifacts(): archives only files in $WORKSPACE  (auto-mounted volume) 



So I guess there is a pattern ... and yet the behavior is inconsistent.  I could not find any documentation that explains what the rules are.


UPDATE: readFile() now throws NoSuchFileException (docker-pipeline 1.17 and pipeline-basic-steps 2.7) for files outside the workspace, which is probably better.


 


 

environment

```
Jenkins 2.112

Docker Pipeline 1.15, 1.17
```