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Entrypoint Contract

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Stefan Kuhn edited this page Aug 26, 2026 · 5 revisions

Entrypoint contract

aicage images start through entrypoint.sh.

Most users do not need to set its variables directly. aicage normally passes them for you. This page is mainly useful when you:

  • inspect aicage --dry-run
  • debug a container startup issue
  • run an image manually with docker run
  • work on aicage or the image repos

What the entrypoint expects

The entrypoint reacts to these environment variables:

Variable Meaning
AICAGE_UID Runtime user id inside the container.
AICAGE_GID Runtime group id inside the container.
AICAGE_HOST_USER Runtime user name inside the container.
AICAGE_HOME Runtime home directory inside the container.
AICAGE_MOUNT_HOME Host-home mount anchor when mounted home content lives somewhere other than the active HOME. Mainly relevant for Windows and root-compatible setups.
AICAGE_WORKSPACE Working directory the container starts in.
AICAGE_ENTRYPOINT_CMD Final command the entrypoint executes.
TZ Optional timezone to apply inside the container.

Normal behavior

For the common Linux case, aicage passes a host-like runtime identity:

  • AICAGE_UID and AICAGE_GID match the host user
  • AICAGE_HOST_USER matches the host username
  • AICAGE_HOME matches the mounted home path in the container

The entrypoint then:

  • prepares that user if needed
  • sets HOME and USER
  • adjusts a few ownership details for workspace and mounted home paths
  • starts the agent command

Root behavior

If AICAGE_UID=0 and AICAGE_GID=0, the entrypoint stays on container root instead of switching to a generated user.

This is the behavior used for root-compatible setups such as:

  • Windows / non-Linux host compatibility
  • rootless Docker on Linux

In that case:

  • AICAGE_HOST_USER is root
  • AICAGE_HOME is /root
  • AICAGE_MOUNT_HOME may point at a different mounted host-home path when mounted host-home content should still be visible under /root

What does not happen in that mode:

  • no dynamic runtime user creation
  • no host username matching
  • no host-home remapping to become root's active HOME

What users usually need to know

  • aicage --entrypoint bash -- <agent> skips the entrypoint completely.
  • aicage -e AICAGE_ENTRYPOINT_CMD=bash -- <agent> still runs the entrypoint, but starts a shell instead of the agent.
  • If config files under your mounted home are not readable in the container, check the generated UID/GID, HOME, and mount paths first.

Manual docker run example

Typical Linux non-root example:

docker run --rm -it \
  -e AICAGE_UID="$(id -u)" \
  -e AICAGE_GID="$(id -g)" \
  -e AICAGE_HOST_USER="$USER" \
  -e AICAGE_HOME="$HOME" \
  -e AICAGE_WORKSPACE="$PWD" \
  --mount "type=bind,src=$PWD,dst=$PWD" \
  ghcr.io/aicage/aicage:codex-ubuntu

Typical root-compatible example:

docker run --rm -it \
  -e AICAGE_UID=0 \
  -e AICAGE_GID=0 \
  -e AICAGE_HOST_USER=root \
  -e AICAGE_HOME=/root \
  -e AICAGE_MOUNT_HOME=/some/other/home \
  -e AICAGE_WORKSPACE="$PWD" \
  --mount "type=bind,src=$PWD,dst=$PWD" \
  ghcr.io/aicage/aicage:codex-ubuntu

That is only a debugging example. For normal use, prefer running through aicage so the full mount and environment setup stays consistent.

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