This common Docker error occurs when the build command can't properly resolve the Dockerfile path, typically due to one of these scenarios:

• The Dockerfile doesn't exist in the specified directory
• Symbolic link resolution fails in the path
• Permission issues preventing file access
• Case sensitivity problems (especially on Linux)

Before diving deeper, run these quick checks:

# Verify Dockerfile exists
ls -la Dockerfile

# Check case sensitivity (common issue)
ls | grep -i dockerfile

# Verify file permissions
stat Dockerfile

Solution 1: Explicitly Specify Dockerfile

Instead of relying on the default behavior, explicitly point to your Dockerfile:

docker build -t myimage -f ./Dockerfile .

Or with a full path:

docker build -t myimage -f /full/path/to/Dockerfile .

Solution 2: Handle Symbolic Links Properly

If you're working with symlinks, try building from the original directory:

cd /original/path/containing/Dockerfile
docker build -t myimage .

Solution 3: Docker Context Issues

The error might indicate context problems. Try:

# Create a clean build context
mkdir -p /tmp/docker-build
cp Dockerfile /tmp/docker-build/
cp -r needed_files/ /tmp/docker-build/
cd /tmp/docker-build
docker build -t myimage .

Checking Docker Debug Output

Enable debug mode for more information:

DOCKER_BUILDKIT=0 docker --debug build -t myimage .

File System Considerations

On some network filesystems (NFS, SMB), you might need to:

# Copy to local filesystem first
cp -r project/ /tmp/local_build
cd /tmp/local_build
docker build -t myimage .

Here's how I fixed this in a CI pipeline:

#!/bin/bash

# Ensure proper working directory
cd "${WORKSPACE}/project-root" || exit 1

# Verify Dockerfile exists
if [ ! -f "Dockerfile" ]; then
  echo "ERROR: Dockerfile not found in ${PWD}"
  exit 1
fi

# Build with explicit path
docker build -f "${PWD}/Dockerfile" -t "${IMAGE_TAG}" .

• Always use absolute paths in CI/CD pipelines
• Add existence checks for Dockerfile in scripts
• Consider using BuildKit for better error messages
• Standardize on lowercase 'Dockerfile' naming

---

This frustrating error typically occurs when executing:

docker build -t imagename .

The complete error message looks like:

unable to prepare context: unable to evaluate symlinks in Dockerfile path: 
lstat /path/to/Dockerfile: no such file or directory

After debugging numerous cases, I've found these primary causes:

• Case sensitivity issues with "Dockerfile" naming
• Symbolic link resolution problems in the build context path
• Incorrect working directory when running the build command
• Filesystem permission constraints

First confirm these fundamentals:

# Check file exists with exact name
ls -la Dockerfile

# Verify case sensitivity (common on macOS/Linux)
ls -la | grep -i dockerfile

# Check permissions
stat Dockerfile

Instead of relying on implicit Dockerfile discovery:

# Specify Dockerfile path explicitly
docker build -t myapp -f ./Dockerfile .

# Alternative with full path
docker build -t myapp -f $(pwd)/Dockerfile .

For projects with complex directory structures:

# Resolve symlinks first
docker build -t myapp -f $(realpath Dockerfile) .

# Or create temporary context
TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
cp -rL . ${TMP_DIR}
docker build -t myapp ${TMP_DIR}
rm -rf ${TMP_DIR}

When standard solutions fail:

# Enable Docker debug mode
DOCKER_BUILDKIT=0 docker --debug build -t myapp .

# Check build context
docker build -t myapp --no-cache --progress=plain .

Windows-specific issues often require:

# Force Unix-style paths in Git Bash
export MSYS_NO_PATHCONV=1
docker build -t myapp -f $(cygpath -w ${PWD}/Dockerfile) .

• Always use explicit -f flag in CI/CD pipelines
• Standardize on lowercase 'dockerfile' naming
• Implement build context validation in scripts
• Consider using BuildKit for better diagnostics