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TANK JAY
TANK JAY

Posted on Originally published at jaytank.hashnode.dev

exec /entrypoint.sh: no such file or directory? Fix CRLF line endings, shebangs and chmod before Docker runs

#docker #vscode #devops #linux

The image builds, the container exits instantly, and the log says:

exec /entrypoint.sh: no such file or directory
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ls -l /entrypoint.sh inside the image shows the file right there. So what is missing?

The kernel reads your first line

For a script, execve() reads the #! line and runs the interpreter it names. Four invisible problems break that step:

In the file The kernel sees You get
CRLF line endings interpreter /bin/sh\r no such file or directory
#!/usr/bin/env bash + CRLF a program called bash\r /usr/bin/env: 'bash\r': No such file or directory
No shebang, or a UTF-8 BOM before it no #! at all exec format error
Git mode 100644 a non-executable file permission denied

The missing file is the interpreter, but the message names your script. The usual source is a Windows checkout with core.autocrlf=true: docker build sends that CRLF working tree, and COPY puts it in the image (real example, Moby's request for a better error).

Fix it by hand 

file entrypoint.sh               # "with CRLF line terminators"?
git ls-files -s entrypoint.sh    # 100644 = not executable

sed -i 's/\r$//' entrypoint.sh
echo '*.sh text eol=lf' >> .gitattributes && git add --renormalize .
git update-index --chmod=+x entrypoint.sh
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The .gitattributes rule is the part that stops it coming back.

Catch it in the editor

I built EntryCheck, a free VS Code extension that follows Dockerfile ENTRYPOINT/CMD/RUN (through COPY and WORKDIR), compose entrypoint/command, GitHub Actions run:, GitLab CI script:, package.json scripts and Husky hooks to the scripts they execute, and flags:

  • EC001 CRLF line endings (Quick Fix: convert to LF, or add the .gitattributes rule)
  • EC002 missing or non-absolute shebang on a directly executed script
  • EC003 UTF-8 BOM before the shebang (Quick Fix: strip it)
  • EC004 mode 100644 in git, unless the Dockerfile already does chmod +x or COPY --chmod=755
  • EC005 no .gitattributes eol rule for *.sh

The diagnostic lands on the line that launches the script, and a Failing scripts panel in the activity bar lists every problem by script name with one-click fixes. No network, no telemetry, and the git check only runs in trusted workspaces. It does not check that the interpreter exists in your image (#!/bin/bash on Alpine still fails), and it does not follow compose build.context or variable paths.

code --install-extension jaytankdev.entrycheck
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Source (MIT): github.com/jay-tank/entrycheck

Full write-up (every error explained, the BOM fix, how it resolves container paths, limitations, FAQ): exec /entrypoint.sh: no such file or directory? Fix CRLF, shebangs and chmod

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