Incorrect docker version detection

[abubaca4]

Describe the bug

After updating Docker to 29.0.0, the container detects the API version as 1.25 and does not work. docker version displays the correct API version.
System reboot not help.

Steps to reproduce

Run the container on the system specified in the environment. I think the Debian version specified should also have this issue.

Expected behavior

Just work normal.

Screenshots

No response

Environment

• Openmediavault 7.7.20-1 (Sandworm) (Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm))
• x86_64
• 29.0.0

Your logs

time="2025-11-11T04:00:52+03:00" level=debug msg="Sleeping for a second to ensure the docker api client has been properly initialized."
time="2025-11-11T04:00:53+03:00" level=debug msg="Making sure everything is sane before starting"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:53+03:00" level=debug msg="Retrieving running, stopped, restarting and exited containers"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:53+03:00" level=error msg="Error response from daemon: client version 1.25 is too old. Minimum supported API version is 1.44, please upgrade your client to a newer version"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:53+03:00" level=info msg="Waiting for the notification goroutine to finish" notify=no
time="2025-11-11T04:00:54+03:00" level=debug msg="Sleeping for a second to ensure the docker api client has been properly initialized."
time="2025-11-11T04:00:55+03:00" level=debug msg="Making sure everything is sane before starting"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:55+03:00" level=debug msg="Retrieving running, stopped, restarting and exited containers"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:55+03:00" level=error msg="Error response from daemon: client version 1.25 is too old. Minimum supported API version is 1.44, please upgrade your client to a newer version"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:55+03:00" level=info msg="Waiting for the notification goroutine to finish" notify=no
time="2025-11-11T04:00:55+03:00" level=debug msg="Sleeping for a second to ensure the docker api client has been properly initialized."
time="2025-11-11T04:00:56+03:00" level=debug msg="Making sure everything is sane before starting"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:56+03:00" level=debug msg="Retrieving running, stopped, restarting and exited containers"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:56+03:00" level=error msg="Error response from daemon: client version 1.25 is too old. Minimum supported API version is 1.44, please upgrade your client to a newer version"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:56+03:00" level=info msg="Waiting for the notification goroutine to finish" notify=no
time="2025-11-11T04:00:57+03:00" level=debug msg="Sleeping for a second to ensure the docker api client has been properly initialized."
time="2025-11-11T04:00:58+03:00" level=debug msg="Making sure everything is sane before starting"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:58+03:00" level=debug msg="Retrieving running, stopped, restarting and exited containers"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:58+03:00" level=error msg="Error response from daemon: client version 1.25 is too old. Minimum supported API version is 1.44, please upgrade your client to a newer version"
time="2025-11-11T04:00:58+03:00" level=info msg="Waiting for the notification goroutine to finish" notify=no
time="2025-11-11T04:00:59+03:00" level=debug msg="Sleeping for a second to ensure the docker api client has been properly initialized."

Additional context

No response

[github-actions]

Hi there! 👋🏼 As you're new to this repo, we'd like to suggest that you read our code of conduct as well as our contribution guidelines. Thanks a bunch for opening your first issue! 🙏

[zacharyshale95]

Same issue here

Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
Docker version 29.0.0, build 3d4129b

[Node815]

Use this repo it works:
https://github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower

[cmrtdev]

Traefik has an identical issue (traefik/traefik#12253): the OP there flagged it as caused by https://docs.docker.com/engine/deprecated/#deprecate-legacy-api-versions and there are workarounds posted for Ubuntu and Debian (tl;dr: downgrade docker-ce and related packages to v28)

Use this repo it works:
https://github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower

Oh wow the last commit on this (containrrr/watchtower) repo is from 2 years ago :| gl;hf everyone?

[cmrtdev]

@piksel sorry to ping you directly but you're the last member of the containrrr project who committed to watchtower (in Dec. 2023). Any chance you know anything about the fate of the project?

Without an update to the Docker API, this version of watchtower will not work anymore.

[zacharyshale95]

Traefik has an identical issue (traefik/traefik#12253): the OP there flagged it as caused by https://docs.docker.com/engine/deprecated/#deprecate-legacy-api-versions and there are workarounds posted for Ubuntu and Debian (tl;dr: downgrade docker-ce and related packages to v28)

Use this repo it works:
https://github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower

Oh wow the last commit on this (containrrr/watchtower) repo is from 2 years ago :| gl;hf everyone?

Yes I am also seeing an issue on cAdvisor and others, seems to be a truly breaking change for a lot of things

[Kramoule]

Same error in Debian 12, but using the docker API version argument to set it to 1.44 seems to work (https://containrrr.dev/watchtower/arguments/#docker_api_version)

  Argument: --api-version, -a
Environment Variable: DOCKER_API_VERSION
                Type: String
             Default: "1.24"

But the default value should eventually be changed in the code.

watchtower/internal/flags/flags.go

Line 20 in 76f9cea

const DockerAPIMinVersion string = "1.25"

[ih8d8]

I'm facing the same issue. I really like Watchtower. I hope I don't have to migrate to another tool (e.g. Renovate, WUD, or Diun).

[Write]

Use this repo it works: nicholas-fedor/watchtower

Thanks ! 900 commits ahead !

Use this fork in your docker-compose.yaml:

image:  ghcr.io/nicholas-fedor/watchtower:latest

[Feriman22]

Use this repo it works: https://github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower

Thanks, man! It works well, and the developer is actively working on it. Meanwhile, the containrrr version hasn't been updated for two years!

It's time to switch to this repository. Just replace the image: line in you compose
from:
image: containrrr/watchtower

to:
image: nickfedor/watchtower

[ShlomiD83]

Traefik has an identical issue (traefik/traefik#12253): the OP there flagged it as caused by https://docs.docker.com/engine/deprecated/#deprecate-legacy-api-versions and there are workarounds posted for Ubuntu and Debian (tl;dr: downgrade docker-ce and related packages to v28)

Use this repo it works:
https://github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower

Oh wow the last commit on this (containrrr/watchtower) repo is from 2 years ago :| gl;hf everyone?

thanks, downgrading worked, I think I'll pin my docker version to v28 and never upgrade lol..

[kdpuvvadi]

Seems like a bad couple of weeks for homelab user. It was security fix on runc opencontainers/runc/issues/4968 and now legacy api deprecation on docker.