Docker Agent Config
DockerOfficialPublished by Docker
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Agent tooling
- Apache-2.0
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AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides guidance for creating and maintaining agent.yaml configuration files for Docker Agent. It covers the definition of agents, model and provider configurations, integration of built-in and MCP toolsets, and the orchestration of multi-agent teams. It ensures users can structure their agent configurations effectively while adhering to best practices for model selection, tool management, and security.
What it does
- Defines agent properties including models, instructions, and toolsets.
- Configures providers and model settings for local or cloud-based LLMs.
- Integrates built-in toolsets like filesystem, shell, and memory.
- References MCP servers for extended agent capabilities.
- Sets up multi-agent teams with coordinator and specialist roles.
- Implements security practices like secret redaction and iteration limits.
When to use it
- Creating or editing an agent.yaml, agent.yml, or agent.hcl configuration file.
- Adding new tools, MCP servers, or sub-agents to an existing configuration.
- Configuring model providers or defining custom model settings.
- Structuring a multi-agent team for task delegation.
Advantages
- Centralizes agent logic and configuration in a declarative YAML format.
- Supports modular design through sub-agents and reusable model definitions.
- Provides flexible integration with both built-in tools and external MCP servers.
- Enables secure configuration management with secret redaction and environment variable support.
Usage examples
- “Create a basic agent.yaml for a coding assistant using Claude.”
- Generates a YAML configuration with a root agent, Anthropic provider settings, and essential toolsets like filesystem and shell.
- “How do I add a DuckDuckGo search tool to my agent?”
- Provides the MCP toolset configuration snippet to reference the docker:duckduckgo server.
- “Set up a team of agents where a coordinator delegates to a coder.”
- Provides a configuration structure using the sub_agents property to enable task transfer between a root coordinator and a coder agent.
- “How can I make my agent use a local model instead of an API?”
- Explains how to configure the dmr (Docker Model Runner) provider within the models section of the config.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/docker/docker-agent-config/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip docker-agent-config.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Docker
Docker Agent Configuration
Overview
Docker Agent (the CLI is docker agent, the open-source project is cagent)
runs AI agents declared in a YAML file instead of application code. This
skill owns the agent.yaml artifact: the agents section (each entry's
model, instruction, and its own toolsets/sub_agents), the top-level
models/providers sections referenced from agents, and a top-level
commands group agents can opt into with use_commands. It does not cover
invoking the CLI or serving/sharing the config — see Related
skills.
When to use this skill
Activate this skill when:
The user is creating, editing, or reviewing an
agent.yaml/agent.yml/agent.hclfile.The user wants to add a tool/toolset, an MCP server, or a sub-agent to an agent config.
The user wants to choose or configure a model/provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Bedrock, Docker Model Runner, custom endpoint) for an agent.
The user wants a multi-agent "team" with a coordinator delegating to specialists.
Do not use this skill when
Do not use this skill when:
The task is about running the CLI (
docker agent runflags,--safety,--sandbox, aliases, worktrees) — usedocker-agent-run.The task is about exposing an agent as a server (
serve mcp/api/a2a/acp/chat), distributing it (share push/pull), or evaluating it (evaluation sessions,--baselineregression gates) — usedocker-agent-deploy.The task is about a generic Dockerfile or Compose service unrelated to Docker Agent — use
docker-build-strategiesordocker-compose-patterns.
Core guidance
File structure
Every config needs at least one agent under top-level
agents:. The agent namedroot, or the first agent defined, is the entry point that receives user messages.agents: root: model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5 description: A coding assistant instruction: | You are an expert developer. Help users write clean, efficient code. Explain your reasoning step by step. toolsets: - type: filesystem - type: shell - type: thinkRequired agent properties:
model,description,instruction(orinstruction_file).descriptionis not decoration — other agents read it to decide whether to delegate to this one, so keep it accurate.Use
instruction_file(a relative path, no..) instead of an inlineinstructionfor long prompts; this keeps diffs focused on behavior, not YAML escaping.instructionandinstruction_fileare mutually exclusive.instruction_fileis not supported for agents loaded from an OCI reference or URL — inlineinstructionthere.
Models and providers
Two ways to set a model: inline
provider/modelshorthand, or a named entry under top-levelmodels:referencing aprovider. Use the named form whenever you needtemperature,max_tokens,thinking_budget, or reuse across agents.models: claude: provider: anthropic model: claude-sonnet-4-5 max_tokens: 64000 agents: root: model: claudeBuilt-in provider keys:
openai,anthropic,google,amazon-bedrock,dmr(Docker Model Runner, local, no API key),ollama(local). Dozens of additional built-in aliases exist (mistral,groq,xai,together,azure,github-copilot,openrouter, ...) — each needs its own<PROVIDER>_API_KEY-style env var; rundocker agent models --allto see what's resolvable, anddocker agent setupto register credentials interactively instead of hand-editing env vars.Never hardcode an API key in
agent.yaml. Provider credentials come from environment variables (token_keyfor custom providers) or from~/.config/cagent/.envwritten bydocker agent setup.Prefer
dmr/<model>for agents that must run offline or must not send data to a third party; it costs nothing and needs no credential. Use a paid cloud provider only when the task needs it.Give resilience-critical agents a
fallbackso a provider outage or rate limit does not stop the run:agents: root: model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5 fallback: models: [openai/gpt-5, google/gemini-3.5-flash] retries: 2 # per model, for 5xx errors cooldown: 1m # stick with fallback after a 429For a self-hosted/OpenAI-compatible endpoint (vLLM, LiteLLM, a corporate gateway), define a
providers:entry withbase_urlandtoken_keyrather than putting the URL inline on every model:providers: my_gateway: base_url: https://api.example.com/v1 token_key: MY_API_KEY models: my_model: provider: my_gateway model: gpt-4o
Toolsets
Built-in toolsets need no external dependency:
filesystem,shell,think,todo,tasks,memory,fetch,background-jobs,script,lsp,api. Add one per list entry:toolsets: - type: filesystem - type: shellIf an agent only describes a plan but never executes it, add
type: todo(orshell) — a common symptom of an agent missing the tool it needs to act, not a model problem.For external tools, prefer an MCP server from Docker's MCP catalog over a bespoke integration — it runs containerized and is reusable across agents:
toolsets: - type: mcp ref: docker:duckduckgoLocal stdio and remote HTTP/SSE MCP servers are also supported; see
references/toolsets-and-providers.md.Use
defer: trueon a toolset (MCP or otherwise) to load its tools on-demand instead of at startup, when the agent has many toolsets and startup latency matters.Set
readonly: trueon an agent to restrict every toolset it uses to read-only tools — use this for reviewer/analysis agents that must not mutate anything.
Multi-agent teams
A coordinator delegates via
sub_agents: [name, ...]; listing sub-agents automatically enables thetransfer_tasktool on the parent.# Fragment: coder and reviewer are defined separately in the full asset. agents: root: sub_agents: [coder, reviewer]Use
assets/team-agent.yamlfor the complete runnable team, including the reviewer'sreadonly: truerestriction. Keep that restriction when adapting the template; a filesystem toolset alone also exposes writes.sub_agentsalso accepts external OCI references (myorg/agent:tag). Pin external references to a digest (name@sha256:...) in production configs to skip the per-run registry lookup that a tag incurs.Use
transfer_task(viasub_agents) for delegation with a clean, isolated result; use acommands:entry with anagent:field only when you want the user to become that agent for the rest of the session.
Safety and hygiene
Set
redact_secrets: trueon any agent that runs shell/fetch tools against untrusted input. It scrubs recognized secret patterns from tool arguments, outgoing messages, and tool output. This is defense in depth, not a guarantee: arbitrary passwords, tokens, or customer data may go undetected.Set
max_iterationson any agent that loops autonomously (default is unlimited) to bound cost and prevent runaway loops;max_consecutive_tool_calls(default 5) already guards against identical-call loops.Keep credentials, tokens, and sensitive customer data out of
instruction,instruction_file, and command prompts, whether literal or interpolated.${env.VAR}expands values into prompt text sent to the model; storing a value in an env file does not prevent this disclosure. Use interpolation only for non-sensitive context.Supply provider credentials through
docker agent setupor the provider's supported environment variables. For custom providers,token_key: MY_API_KEYnames the environment variable, not its value; do not interpolate it. Configure tool/MCP credentials through that integration's authentication mechanism, not through prompts or model-supplied tool arguments. Prompts should describe the authenticated capability without containing its secret. Do not ask the agent to read or print credential files or environment values to check authentication.
Related skills
For running the agent (
docker agent run, safety modes, sandbox, aliases), usedocker-agent-run.For serving, sharing, or evaluating the agent, use
docker-agent-deploy.
References
references/toolsets-and-providers.md— full built-in toolset list, MCP connection modes, and the provider/env-var table.references/sources.md— provenance of every rule in this skill.
Assets
assets/team-agent.yaml— a runnable multi-agent team template (coordinator + coder + reviewer).
Checks
Before running an agent, follow
checks/verification.mdto confirm its resolved config, exposed tools, and provider connectivity, then smoke-test it.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer830 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md9.7 KiB
- agents/openai.yaml369 B
- assets/team-agent.yaml936 B
- checks/verification.md2.2 KiB
- references/sources.md1.8 KiB
- references/toolsets-and-providers.md3.3 KiB
- skill.yaml1.0 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs an MCP server, Needs an API key
The author says: Requires the docker-agent CLI plugin (Docker Desktop 4.63+, or standalone via Homebrew/GitHub releases). Verified against docker-agent as shipped with Docker CLI 29.7.2. Config directories still use the legacy `cagent` name (`~/.config/cagent`, `~/.cagent`).
Security
No issues found by our static scan· No issues found
A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.
Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Docker
- Publisher
- Docker (Official)
- Source
- docker/skills · skills/docker-agent-config · commit 9f04a05
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Docker.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download docker-agent-config.zip