Docker Desktop "Mounts denied: path is not shared" in CI/Local

Docker Desktop (macOS/Windows) only allows bind mounts from paths on its file-sharing list. A mount from a directory outside that list is rejected with "Mounts denied: path is not shared".

What this error means

A docker run -v or compose bind mount fails to start with Mounts denied: The path /some/dir is not shared from the host and is not known to Docker. The same compose file works on a Linux runner where there is no file-sharing gate.

docker run output

docker: Error response from daemon: Mounts denied:
The path /Users/ci/work/data is not shared from the host and is not known to Docker.

Common causes

Bind source outside Docker Desktop’s shared paths

Docker Desktop on macOS/Windows mediates host file access. Only configured shared directories (and their subpaths) can be bind-mounted; anything else is denied.

A macOS/Windows-only assumption in a Linux pipeline

A compose file mounting an absolute host path that exists on Linux runners fails on a Docker Desktop machine where that path is not shared.

How to fix it

Add the path to Docker Desktop file sharing

Open Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources → File sharing.
Add the parent directory of the bind source, then apply & restart.
Re-run the container so the now-shared path mounts.

Mount a relative path under the project, or use a named volume

Keep bind sources inside the (already shared) project directory, or avoid host binds with a named volume.

Terminal

# relative to the project (typically already shared):
docker run -v "$PWD/data:/data" myorg/api
# or a named volume that needs no host sharing:
docker volume create appdata

How to prevent it

Keep bind-mount sources inside the project directory for cross-platform CI.
Add required directories to Docker Desktop file sharing on dev machines.
Prefer named volumes over absolute-path host binds where the host path may differ.