diff --git a/src/lib/core/env.js b/src/lib/core/env.js
index 9d59850eb2..6e1bb47586 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/env.js
+++ b/src/lib/core/env.js
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 /* global __dirname module process require */
 
 const {execSync} = require('child_process');
-const {delimiter} = require('path');
-const {joinPath} = require('../utils/utils.js');
+const {delimiter, join} = require('path');
 
 function anchoredValue(anchor, value) {
   if (!arguments.length) {
@@ -39,11 +38,11 @@ const DEFAULT_CMD_HISTORY_SIZE = 20;
 anchoredValue(CMD_HISTORY_SIZE, DEFAULT_CMD_HISTORY_SIZE);
 
 const DIAGRAM_PATH = 'DIAGRAM_PATH';
-const DEFAULT_DIAGRAM_PATH = joinPath(anchoredValue(DAPP_PATH), 'diagram.svg');
+const DEFAULT_DIAGRAM_PATH = join(anchoredValue(DAPP_PATH), 'diagram.svg');
 anchoredValue(DIAGRAM_PATH, DEFAULT_DIAGRAM_PATH);
 
 const EMBARK_PATH = 'EMBARK_PATH';
-const DEFAULT_EMBARK_PATH = joinPath(__dirname, '../../..');
+const DEFAULT_EMBARK_PATH = join(__dirname, '../../..');
 anchoredValue(EMBARK_PATH, DEFAULT_EMBARK_PATH);
 
 const PKG_PATH = 'PKG_PATH';
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@ anchoredValue(PKG_PATH, DEFAULT_PKG_PATH);
 
 let YARN_GLOBAL_PATH;
 try {
-  YARN_GLOBAL_PATH = joinPath(
+  YARN_GLOBAL_PATH = join(
     execSync('yarn global dir', {stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'ignore']})
       .toString()
       .trim(),
@@ -65,7 +64,7 @@ try {
 const NODE_PATH = 'NODE_PATH';
 // NOTE: setting NODE_PATH at runtime won't effect lookup behavior in the
 // current process, but will take effect in child processes
-process.env[NODE_PATH] = joinPath(anchoredValue(EMBARK_PATH), 'node_modules') +
+process.env[NODE_PATH] = join(anchoredValue(EMBARK_PATH), 'node_modules') +
   (YARN_GLOBAL_PATH ? delimiter : '') +
   (YARN_GLOBAL_PATH || '') +
   (process.env[NODE_PATH] ? delimiter : '') +
diff --git a/src/lib/core/ipc.js b/src/lib/core/ipc.js
index 8b073935ab..8a9aac451f 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/ipc.js
+++ b/src/lib/core/ipc.js
@@ -1,17 +1,36 @@
 const fs = require('./fs.js');
 const ipc = require('node-ipc');
+const {isDappMountedFromWindowsDockerHost} = require('../utils/host');
+const os = require('os');
 const {parse, stringify} = require('flatted/cjs');
+const utils = require('../utils/utils.js');
 
 class IPC {
-
   constructor(options) {
     this.logger = options.logger;
-    this.socketPath = options.socketPath || fs.dappPath(".embark/embark.ipc");
+    this.socketPath = options.socketPath || IPC.ipcPath('embark.ipc');
     this.ipcRole = options.ipcRole;
     ipc.config.silent = true;
     this.connected = false;
   }
 
+  static ipcPath(basename, usePipePathOnWindows = false) {
+    if (!(basename && typeof basename === 'string')) {
+      throw new TypeError('first argument must be a non-empty string');
+    }
+    let ipcDir;
+    if (process.platform === 'win32' && usePipePathOnWindows) {
+      return `\\\\.\\pipe\\${basename}`;
+    } else if (isDappMountedFromWindowsDockerHost) {
+      ipcDir = utils.joinPath(
+        os.tmpdir(), `embark-${utils.sha512(fs.dappPath()).slice(0, 8)}`
+      );
+    } else {
+      ipcDir = fs.dappPath('.embark');
+    }
+    return utils.joinPath(ipcDir, basename);
+  }
+
   connect(done) {
     const self = this;
     function connecting(_socket) {
@@ -39,7 +58,7 @@ class IPC {
   }
 
   serve() {
-    fs.mkdirpSync(fs.dappPath(".embark"));
+    fs.mkdirpSync(utils.dirname(this.socketPath));
     ipc.serve(this.socketPath, () => {});
     ipc.server.start();
 
diff --git a/src/lib/core/processes/processManager.js b/src/lib/core/processes/processManager.js
index 4922fa7165..4f314598d3 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/processes/processManager.js
+++ b/src/lib/core/processes/processManager.js
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-
 const ProcessState = {
   Unstarted: 'unstarted',
   Starting: 'starting',
diff --git a/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/gethClient.js b/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/gethClient.js
index 6e276e64bd..40fe9175f9 100644
--- a/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/gethClient.js
+++ b/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/gethClient.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const async = require('async');
 const GethMiner = require('./miner');
+const IPC = require('../../core/ipc');
 const semver = require('semver');
 const constants = require('../../constants');
 
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ class GethClient {
   needKeepAlive() {
     // TODO: check version also (geth version < 1.8.15)
     if (this.isDev) {
-      // Trigger regular txs due to a bug in geth (< 1.8.15) and stuck transactions in --dev mode.   
+      // Trigger regular txs due to a bug in geth (< 1.8.15) and stuck transactions in --dev mode.
       return true;
     }
     return false;
@@ -78,6 +79,8 @@ class GethClient {
       cmd.push("--verbosity=" + config.verbosity);
     }
 
+    cmd.push(`--ipcpath=${IPC.ipcPath('geth.ipc', true)}`);
+
     return cmd;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/miner.js b/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/miner.js
index 79f132b83c..559a5e9e23 100644
--- a/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/miner.js
+++ b/src/lib/modules/blockchain_process/miner.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 const async = require('async');
+const IPC = require('../../core/ipc');
 const NetcatClient = require('netcat/client');
 
 //Constants
@@ -43,14 +44,7 @@ class GethMiner {
       }
     }
 
-    const isWin = process.platform === "win32";
-
-    let ipcPath;
-    if (isWin) {
-      ipcPath = '\\\\.\\pipe\\geth.ipc';
-    } else {
-      ipcPath = this.datadir + '/geth.ipc';
-    }
+    const ipcPath = IPC.ipcPath('geth.ipc', true);
 
     this.client = new NetcatClient();
     this.client.unixSocket(ipcPath)
diff --git a/src/lib/utils/host.ts b/src/lib/utils/host.ts
index 3e1a1c3795..89b6e2fd1d 100644
--- a/src/lib/utils/host.ts
+++ b/src/lib/utils/host.ts
@@ -1,30 +1,59 @@
-const isDocker = (() => {
-  let isDockerProcess;
+const {execSync} = require("child_process");
+const {anchoredValue, DAPP_PATH} = require("../core/env");
+const {hostname} = require("os");
+
+const dappPath = anchoredValue(DAPP_PATH);
 
-  const hostname = require("os").hostname();
-  const pattern = new RegExp(
-    "[0-9]+\:[a-z_-]+\:\/docker\/" + hostname + "[0-9a-z]+", "i",
-  );
+function subdir(pdir_, dir_) {
+  let pdir = path.resolve(path.normalize(pdir_)) + (path.sep || "/");
+  const dir = path.resolve(pdir, path.normalize(dir_));
+  if (pdir === "//") { pdir = "/"; }
+  if (pdir === dir) { return false; }
+  return dir.slice(0, pdir.length) === pdir;
+}
+
+const isDocker = (() => {
+  // assumption: an Embark container is always a Linux Docker container, though
+  // the Docker host may be Linux, macOS, or Windows
+  if (process.platform !== "linux") { return false; }
+  try {
+    return (
+      new RegExp(`[0-9]+\:[a-z_-]+\:\/docker\/${hostname()}[0-9a-z]+`, "i")
+    ).test(
+      execSync(
+        "cat /proc/self/cgroup",
+        {stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "ignore"]},
+      ).toString(),
+    );
+  } catch (e) {
+    return false;
+  }
+})();
 
+const isDappMountedFromWindowsDockerHost = (() => {
+  if (!isDocker) { return false; }
   try {
-    isDockerProcess = require("child_process")
-    .execSync(
-      "cat /proc/self/cgroup",
+    return execSync(
+      "mount",
       {stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "ignore"]},
     )
-    .toString().match(pattern) !== null;
+      .toString()
+      .split("\n")
+      .filter((line) => /nounix/.test(line))
+      .some((line) => {
+        const mount = line.match(/on (\/.*) type/)[1];
+        return mount === dappPath || subdir(mount, dappPath);
+      });
   } catch (e) {
-    isDockerProcess = false;
+    return false;
   }
-
-  return isDockerProcess;
 })();
 
 const defaultHost = isDocker ? "0.0.0.0" : "localhost";
 
-// when we"re runing in Docker, we can expect (generally, in a development
+// when we're runing in Docker, we can expect (generally, in a development
 // scenario) that the user would like to connect to the service in the
-// container via the **host"s** loopback address, so this helper can be used to
+// container via the **host's** loopback address, so this helper can be used to
 // swap 0.0.0.0 for localhost in code/messages that pertain to client-side
 function canonicalHost(host: string): string {
   return isDocker && host === "0.0.0.0" ? "localhost" : host;
@@ -41,5 +70,6 @@ export {
   defaultCorsHost,
   defaultHost,
   dockerHostSwap,
+  isDappMountedFromWindowsDockerHost,
   isDocker,
 };
diff --git a/src/lib/utils/utils.js b/src/lib/utils/utils.js
index c747377b2a..dbc680be37 100644
--- a/src/lib/utils/utils.js
+++ b/src/lib/utils/utils.js
@@ -390,6 +390,12 @@ function sha3(arg) {
   return Web3.utils.sha3(arg);
 }
 
+function sha512(arg) {
+  const crypto = require('crypto');
+  const hash = crypto.createHash('sha512');
+  return hash.update(arg, 'utf8').digest('hex');
+}
+
 function soliditySha3(arg) {
   const Web3 = require('web3');
   return Web3.utils.soliditySha3(arg);
@@ -640,6 +646,7 @@ module.exports = {
   getExternalContractUrl,
   toChecksumAddress,
   sha3,
+  sha512,
   soliditySha3,
   normalizeInput,
   buildUrl,