Error - Incorrect client version detection

[PaPaTheGMan]

Describe the bug
When running lazydocker an error message reports:
Docker eventstream returned error: 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.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. enter 'lazydocker' from any terminal screen

Expected behaviour
Lazydocker start up and list active containers, etc. with no error

Screenshots
If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• OS: Ubuntu 25.10 x86_64
• Lazydocker Version 24.1

Additional context
Add any other context about the problem here.
Docker Version Info: (note API is 1.52, well above 1.44 minimum)
Client: Docker Engine - Community
Version: 29.0.0-rc.3
API version: 1.52
Go version: go1.25.3
Git commit: ee244f2
Built: Fri Nov 7 00:41:58 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Context: default

Server: Docker Engine - Community
Engine:
Version: 29.0.0-rc.3
API version: 1.52 (minimum version 1.44)
Go version: go1.25.3
Git commit: cb8228b
Built: Fri Nov 7 00:41:58 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Experimental: false
containerd:
Version: v1.7.29
GitCommit: 442cb34bda9a6a0fed82a2ca7cade05c5c749582
runc:
Version: 1.3.3
GitCommit: v1.3.3-0-gd842d771
docker-init:
Version: 0.19.0
GitCommit: de40ad0

[Nekomich]

I can confirm that this also occurs under Debian.

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
I get the message by mail from Watchtower.

System:
Debian GNU/Linux 13 (trixie)
latest Watchtower release

Additional context:
Client: Docker Engine - Community
Version: 29.0.0
API version: 1.52
Go version: go1.25.4
Git commit: 3d4129b
Built: Mon Nov 10 21:46:28 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Context: default

Server: Docker Engine - Community
Engine:
Version: 29.0.0
API version: 1.52 (minimum version 1.44)
Go version: go1.25.4
Git commit: d105562
Built: Mon Nov 10 21:46:28 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Experimental: false
containerd:
Version: v2.1.5
GitCommit: fcd43222d6b07379a4be9786bda52438f0dd16a1
runc:
Version: 1.3.3
GitCommit: v1.3.3-0-gd842d771
docker-init:
Version: 0.19.0
GitCommit: de40ad0

[diego-velez]

This occurs in Fedora.

Lazydocker error:

Docker event stream returned error: 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

Docker installed:

Client: Docker Engine - Community
 Version:           29.0.0
 API version:       1.52
 Go version:        go1.25.4
 Git commit:        3d4129b
 Built:             Mon Nov 10 21:49:33 2025
 OS/Arch:           linux/amd64
 Context:           default

Server: Docker Engine - Community
 Engine:
  Version:          29.0.0
  API version:      1.52 (minimum version 1.44)
  Go version:       go1.25.4
  Git commit:       d105562
  Built:            Mon Nov 10 21:46:21 2025
  OS/Arch:          linux/amd64
  Experimental:     false
 containerd:
  Version:          v2.1.5
  GitCommit:        fcd43222d6b07379a4be9786bda52438f0dd16a1
 runc:
  Version:          1.3.3
  GitCommit:        v1.3.3-0-gd842d771
 docker-init:
  Version:          0.19.0
  GitCommit:        de40ad0

[diego-velez]

I installed an older version of docker, and it works now.

[pxy0592]

Recently, occured after I've completed an upgrading for the docker engine in Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS.

Client: Docker Engine - Community
 Version:           29.0.0
 API version:       1.52
 Go version:        go1.25.4
 Git commit:        3d4129b
 Built:             Mon Nov 10 21:46:31 2025
 OS/Arch:           linux/amd64
 Context:           default

Server: Docker Engine - Community
 Engine:
  Version:          29.0.0
  API version:      1.52 (minimum version 1.44)
  Go version:       go1.25.4
  Git commit:       d105562
  Built:            Mon Nov 10 21:46:31 2025
  OS/Arch:          linux/amd64
  Experimental:     false
 containerd:
  Version:          v2.1.5
  GitCommit:        fcd43222d6b07379a4be9786bda52438f0dd16a1
 runc:
  Version:          1.3.3
  GitCommit:        v1.3.3-0-gd842d771
 docker-init:
  Version:          0.19.0
  GitCommit:        de40ad0
 rootlesskit:
  Version:          2.3.5
  ApiVersion:       1.1.1
  NetworkDriver:    slirp4netns
  PortDriver:       builtin
  StateDir:         /run/user/1000/dockerd-rootless
 slirp4netns:
  Version:          1.2.1
  GitCommit:        09e31e92fa3d2a1d3ca261adaeb012c8d75a8194

[luminecs]

This error also occurs on the latest versions of Docker Engine in Fedora 42 and Rocky 10.

user@fedora:~$ docker version
Client: Docker Engine - Community
 Version:           29.0.0
 API version:       1.52
 Go version:        go1.25.4
 Git commit:        3d4129b
 Built:             Mon Nov 10 21:49:33 2025
 OS/Arch:           linux/amd64
 Context:           default

Server: Docker Engine - Community
 Engine:
  Version:          29.0.0
  API version:      1.52 (minimum version 1.44)
  Go version:       go1.25.4
  Git commit:       d105562
  Built:            Mon Nov 10 21:46:21 2025
  OS/Arch:          linux/amd64
  Experimental:     false
 containerd:
  Version:          v2.1.5
  GitCommit:        fcd43222d6b07379a4be9786bda52438f0dd16a1
 runc:
  Version:          1.3.3
  GitCommit:        v1.3.3-0-gd842d771
 docker-init:
  Version:          0.19.0
  GitCommit:        de40ad0

[theldurin]

Can also confirm this is happening on Debian 13. Downgraded to the previous version and it fixed things, seems the new package upped the minimum API version. Here is a downgrade workaround from a similar issue for Traefik traefik/traefik#12253 (comment)

[balcala]

I can confirm that downgrading Docker fixes the issue

 [ben] docker-pve ~ [ 4s]  23:20
❯ docker version
Client: Docker Engine - Community
Version: 28.5.2
API version: 1.51
...
Server: Docker Engine - Community
Engine:
Version: 28.5.2
API version: 1.51 (minimum version 1.24)

[brtwrst]

So with @jesseduffield stepping down from his open source projects #668 what is the way forward here?

Seems like lazydocker uses the go module github.com/docker/docker/client, see here: https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker/blob/master/main.go#L11C3-L11C34

According to https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.0.0 , this is deprecated as well.
The Go module github.com/docker/docker is deprecated in favor of github.com/moby/moby/client and github.com/moby/moby/api. The github.com/moby/moby module is considered an internal implementation detail - the only supported public modules are client and api. Starting with v29, releases are tagged with the docker- prefix (e.g., docker-v29.0.0). This only affects Go module users and package maintainers.

seems important

[pcace]

same problem here. any other idea how to fix it?

[brtwrst]

downgrading docker is the quickest fix traefik/traefik#12253 (comment)

after downgrading you can pin the packages, for ubuntu this is done with sudo apt-mark hold docker-ce docker-ce-cli

[zyncc]

having the same issue. is there any fix yet?

[FabianRingel]

I created merge request #699

just changing the Docker API variable in pkg/commands/docker.go to 1.44 works on debian 13

[cybertaurus]

This one solves the problem caused by updating Docker to 29.0: portainer/portainer#12925 (comment)

systemctl edit docker.service

### Add this part above the line ### Lines below this comment will be discarded:

[Service]
Environment=DOCKER_MIN_API_VERSION=1.24

### Save the file and exit
systemctl restart docker

For further information on the changes (deprecated legacy API versions) with 29.0 read this: https://docs.docker.com/engine/deprecated/#deprecate-legacy-api-versions