Setup & Installation

clawhub install docker-socket-proxy

Or with OpenClaw CLI:

openclaw skills install docker-socket-proxy

What This Skill Does

Docker Socket Proxy is a Creative & Media skill that manage a remote Docker host via a Tecnativa docker-socket-proxy instance. Unlike raw Docker socket access (which is root-equivalent), docker-socket-proxy acts as a firewall: each API section is individually enabled or disabled via env vars, so the agent only gets access to what you explicitly allow. Requires docker-socket-proxy exposed over TCP. Covers the full Docker REST API surface: container lifecycle (list, start, stop, restart, kill, pause, unpause, rename, exec), inspection (logs, stats, top, changes), images, networks, volumes, Swarm, plugins, system info, and event streaming..

Docker Socket Proxy

Manages Docker containers via the tecnativa/docker-socket-proxy REST API using curl and jq. Which modes are available depends on which API sections the proxy instance has enabled.

Trigger conditions

  • User asks to list, start, stop, restart, kill, pause, or unpause a container or service
  • User wants container logs, stats, top processes, or filesystem changes
  • User asks about Docker images, networks, volumes, swarm services, or tasks
  • A service needs to be restarted after a config change

Usage

bash {baseDir}/scripts/run-docker.sh <mode> [args...]

Run with no arguments for full usage. Proxy URL is resolved from $DOCKER_PROXY_URL$DOCKER_HOST (tcp→http) → http://localhost:2375.

Modes

System

Mode Description
ping Health check
version Docker version
info Host summary (containers, memory, etc.)
events [--since T] [--until T] [--filters k=v] Recent events (1s window)
system-df Disk usage by images/containers/volumes

Containers

Mode Description
list Running containers
list-all All containers including stopped
inspect <name> Full container details
top <name> [ps-args] Running processes inside container
logs <name> [tail] Container logs (default tail=100)
stats <name> CPU, memory, network, block I/O
changes <name> Filesystem changes since start
start <name> Start container
stop <name> [timeout] Stop container
restart <name> [timeout] Restart container
kill <name> [signal] Kill container (default SIGKILL)
pause <name> Pause container
unpause <name> Unpause container
rename <name> <new-name> Rename container
exec <name> <cmd> [args...] Run command in container
prune-containers Remove stopped containers

Images

Mode Description
images List images
image-inspect <name> Image details
image-history <name> Layer history
prune-images Remove unused images

Networks

Mode Description
networks List networks
network-inspect <name> Network details and connected containers
prune-networks Remove unused networks

Volumes

Mode Description
volumes List volumes
volume-inspect <name> Volume details
prune-volumes Remove unused volumes

Swarm

Mode Description
swarm Swarm info
nodes List nodes
node-inspect <name> Node details
services List services
service-inspect <name> Service details
service-logs <name> [tail] Service logs
tasks List tasks
configs List configs
secrets List secrets

Plugins

Mode Description
plugins List plugins

Name matching

Container names can be partial — myapp matches project-myapp-1. Exact match is tried first, then substring. Errors clearly if 0 or 2+ containers match.

Notes

  • Modes that require disabled proxy sections (e.g. IMAGES, NETWORKS, VOLUMES, SYSTEM) will return HTTP 403. This is expected — enable the relevant env var on the proxy to unlock them.
  • exec is two-step (create + start) and streams multiplexed output.
  • events uses a 1-second window by default; use --since / --until to adjust.

Version History

Latest version: 1.0.0

First published: Mar 10, 2026. Last updated: Mar 10, 2026.

1 version released.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Docker Socket Proxy free to use?
Yes. Docker Socket Proxy is a free, open-source skill available on the OpenClaw Skills Registry.
What platforms does Docker Socket Proxy support?
It runs on any platform that supports OpenClaw, including macOS, Linux, and Windows.