diff --git a/commands/bake.go b/commands/bake.go
index 53d2f6715e59..d9145a660567 100644
--- a/commands/bake.go
+++ b/commands/bake.go
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ func runBake(dockerCli command.Cli, targets []string, in bakeOptions) (err error
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	resp, err := build.Build(ctx, dis, bo, dockerAPI(dockerCli), confutil.ConfigDir(dockerCli), printer)
+	resp, err := build.Build(ctx, dis, bo, dockerAPI(ctx, dockerCli), confutil.ConfigDir(dockerCli), printer)
 	if err != nil {
 		return wrapBuildError(err, true)
 	}
diff --git a/commands/build.go b/commands/build.go
index 70a745b4090c..19025c0fa1f7 100644
--- a/commands/build.go
+++ b/commands/build.go
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ func buildTargets(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, opts map[string]bu
 
 	printer := progress.NewPrinter(ctx2, os.Stderr, os.Stderr, progressMode)
 
-	resp, err := build.Build(ctx, dis, opts, dockerAPI(dockerCli), confutil.ConfigDir(dockerCli), printer)
+	resp, err := build.Build(ctx, dis, opts, dockerAPI(ctx, dockerCli), confutil.ConfigDir(dockerCli), printer)
 	err1 := printer.Wait()
 	if err == nil {
 		err = err1
diff --git a/commands/util.go b/commands/util.go
index 9d90098e293b..539e42de1a14 100644
--- a/commands/util.go
+++ b/commands/util.go
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func driversForNodeGroup(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, ng *store.N
 		}
 	} else {
 		ep := ng.Nodes[0].Endpoint
-		dockerapi, err := clientForEndpoint(dockerCli, ep)
+		dockerapi, err := clientForEndpoint(ctx, dockerCli, ep)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ func driversForNodeGroup(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, ng *store.N
 					dis[i] = di
 				}()
 
-				dockerapi, err := clientForEndpoint(dockerCli, n.Endpoint)
+				dockerapi, err := clientForEndpoint(ctx, dockerCli, n.Endpoint)
 				if err != nil {
 					di.Err = err
 					return nil
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ func configFromContext(endpointName string, s ctxstore.Reader) (clientcmd.Client
 }
 
 // clientForEndpoint returns a docker client for an endpoint
-func clientForEndpoint(dockerCli command.Cli, name string) (dockerclient.APIClient, error) {
+func clientForEndpoint(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, name string) (dockerclient.APIClient, error) {
 	list, err := dockerCli.ContextStore().List()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -193,7 +193,14 @@ func clientForEndpoint(dockerCli command.Cli, name string) (dockerclient.APIClie
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
-			return dockerclient.NewClientWithOpts(clientOpts...)
+			client, err := dockerclient.NewClientWithOpts(clientOpts...)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			if _, err = client.Ping(ctx); err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return client, nil
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -399,11 +406,15 @@ func hasNodeGroup(list []*nginfo, ngi *nginfo) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-func dockerAPI(dockerCli command.Cli) *api {
-	return &api{dockerCli: dockerCli}
+func dockerAPI(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli) *api {
+	return &api{
+		ctx:       ctx,
+		dockerCli: dockerCli,
+	}
 }
 
 type api struct {
+	ctx       context.Context
 	dockerCli command.Cli
 }
 
@@ -411,7 +422,7 @@ func (a *api) DockerAPI(name string) (dockerclient.APIClient, error) {
 	if name == "" {
 		name = a.dockerCli.CurrentContext()
 	}
-	return clientForEndpoint(a.dockerCli, name)
+	return clientForEndpoint(a.ctx, a.dockerCli, name)
 }
 
 type dinfo struct {