What problem does it solve? Docker Compose work involves more than one file: service dependencies, environment variables, ports, volumes, networks, and logs all interact. This Skill provides a safe, systematic workflow for creating, validating, starting, and debugging Compose stacks without destroying user data or hijacking occupied ports. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Compose Discovery & Validation: Locates compose.yaml, compose.yml, docker-compose.yml, or README-documented startup commands, then runs docker compose config before any startup. - Safe Startup & Troubleshooting: Diagnoses exited, restarting, or unhealthy containers from the outside in—logs, ports, environment, networking, volumes, and builds—without deleting volumes or stopping unrelated processes. - Automatic Port Allocation: The bootstrap script probes the host, reserves available host-side ports across repos, and generates a minimal compose.yaml for frontend (Node), backend (Python/Postgres), or generic apps. - Use Case: Your backend container fails with "connection refused to localhost:5432". The Skill explains Compose service-name networking, fixes the DATABASE_URL to use db:5432, and verifies the stack with bounded log output. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to start and verify the Docker Compose stack for this project, diagnosing any services that fail to become healthy.
