Docker Desktop 4.88.1 fails to start on Windows: AF_UNIX socket file cannot be accessed

kevinhengl8122 · August 27, 2026, 7:25pm

Issue
Docker Desktop 4.88.1 on Windows x64 fails before the engine starts. The backend reports an AF_UNIX runtime-socket cleanup failure. The failing runtime names have included dockerInference, docker-secrets-engine/engine.sock, and sailor-ingest.sock.

Error
starting services: initializing Inference manager ... The file cannot be accessed by the system.

What I have already tried

Restarted Windows and Docker Desktop.
Disabled Docker AI/inference settings.
Shut down WSL.
Performed an in-place repair/update from Docker Desktop 4.86.0 to 4.88.1.
Renamed the affected local runtime folders aside only after Docker was stopped; I did not factory-reset or delete Docker data.

The failure persists, although the specific socket name changes. I need a safe fix that preserves local containers, images, volumes, and settings.

I have Docker diagnostics and the support-case information available privately to Docker staff if needed.

Has anyone seen this on recent Docker Desktop for Windows releases, and is there a supported recovery path short of uninstalling/resetting?

rimelek · August 27, 2026, 7:40pm

Did you create this issue?

github.com/docker/desktop-feedback

Docker Desktop fails during startup: malformed dockerInference runtime endpoint cannot be removed

opened 04:36PM - 26 Aug 26 UTC

619916cgh

platform/windows kind/bug

### Bug report ## Bug description Docker Desktop on Windows fails before the L…inux engine becomes available. The backend stops while initializing the Inference manager because it cannot remove a runtime endpoint named `dockerInference`. This appears to be an invalid or malformed filesystem/reparse-point-like runtime object. Standard exact file-removal commands cannot access or delete it. ### Expected behavior Docker Desktop should safely remove and recreate this transient Inference/Model Runner runtime endpoint during startup, or bypass/reset only this transient endpoint when it is malformed, then start the backend and Linux engine normally. ### Actual behavior Docker Desktop fails during startup. The Docker CLI cannot connect because the Desktop Linux engine pipe is never created: ```text failed to connect to the docker API at npipe:////./pipe/dockerDesktopLinuxEngine; check if the path is correct and if the daemon is running: open //./pipe/dockerDesktopLinuxEngine: The system cannot find the file specified. ``` Representative backend error, with the local user path redacted: ```text starting services: initializing Inference manager: listening on unix://C:/Users/<redacted>/AppData/Local/Docker/run/dockerInference: remove ... dockerInference: The file cannot be accessed by the system. (listener: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.) ``` ## Reproduction steps 1. Fully exit Docker Desktop. 2. Shut down WSL. 3. Perform offline compaction of the Docker Desktop data VHDX. 4. Start Docker Desktop again. 5. Docker Desktop fails while initializing the Inference manager. The VHDX compaction may only be correlated with the issue; it has not been established as the cause. ## What I tried - Fully exited Docker Desktop and shut down WSL before each repair attempt. - Confirmed that the problematic runtime object exists after the failure. - Attempted exact, non-recursive removal only of the `dockerInference` object with PowerShell `Remove-Item -LiteralPath`, `del /f /q`, and `fsutil reparsepoint query`; Windows could not access the object or reported invalid filename/directory/volume syntax. - Disabled Docker AI / inference-related settings after backing them up. Docker Desktop still initialized the Inference manager and failed. - Ran the documented `docker desktop disable model-runner` command, but it could not run because Docker Desktop had already failed before its backend API pipe became available. - Ran `docker desktop diagnose` locally without uploading diagnostics. I intentionally did not use Clean/Purge data, Factory Reset, uninstall, broad deletion of the Docker runtime directory, or any Docker prune command that could delete user data. ## Request Is there a supported way to repair or recreate only this malformed `dockerInference` runtime endpoint while Docker Desktop is stopped, without resetting Docker Desktop data? Also, should Docker Desktop tolerate a failed cleanup of this endpoint and continue startup when Inference/Model Runner is disabled? I can provide the locally generated diagnostic bundle privately if maintainers request it through an appropriate channel. ### Platform Windows ### Version information ```bash Docker Desktop version: unavailable because Docker Desktop fails before the backend becomes available. Windows: Windows 10 Home China, version 25H2, build 26200.8037 WSL: 2.7.8.0 Backend: WSL 2 ``` ### Diagnostics ID _No response_

kevinhengl8122 · August 27, 2026, 7:42pm

Yes, this appears to be the same issue. My Docker Desktop 4.88.1 installation fails on Windows with the same dockerInference runtime-endpoint/socket cleanup error; after repair it also surfaced related runtime socket failures. I have paid-support case 00232067 and diagnostics available.

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Docker Desktop 4.88.1 fails to start on Windows: AF_UNIX socket file cannot be accessed

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