Docker-Shell

Control what a Docker container and local AI agents may do with your folders — straight from the file manager.

Docker-Shell adds a small control panel to your file manager. Right-click a folder and change a running compose container's access without manually editing YAML. Useful for local coding agents, automatic tools and experimental containers that should not have unrestricted access to your files.

Right-click a folder → Docker Konfig → pick a running compose container → configure:

Feature	What it does
Web / Network	Toggle full network isolation (network_mode: none) per project
Memory limit	Cap the container's RAM in 1-GB steps
Mount mode	Read-Write · Read-Only · Hidden (masked) · Main folder only
Add folders	Folders not mounted yet can be added on the fly
Unmask	One click resets all masks back to read-only
Make permanent / Remove share	Persist a folder's config into the main compose file, or remove its mount entirely
Settings (⋯ menu)	Window position, UI size, language, add-folder naming, defaults, network scope, project reset

The masking trick

Hidden (masked) bind-mounts an empty sacrificial folder over the real one inside the container. Your data stays physically on disk but becomes invisible to the container — an effective guard against rm -rf, runaway scripts and AI-agent hallucinations. Main folder only keeps the top level readable while masking every first-level subdirectory individually.

How changes are applied

file manager trigger
  → docker inspect            (scan + live status)
  → PyYAML                    (<compose>.override.yml — regenerated per apply)
  → main compose edit         (network_mode only, with automatic backup)
  → docker compose up -d

The main compose file is only ever touched for the network toggle, and the original is backed up to .docker_shell_compose_bak before the first edit. Everything else lives in the override file, which can be deleted at any time to return to the original configuration. Safety defaults (UID/GID mapping, log rotation) are always included.

Note: Docker-Shell rewrites compose YAML with PyYAML — comments and custom formatting in the main compose file are not preserved when the network toggle is used (backup exists). The override file is fully owned by the tool.

Requirements

• Linux, Python ≥ 3.8 with tkinter (sudo apt install python3-tk)
• Docker with Compose v2, user in the docker group
• Supported compose file names: compose.yaml, compose.yml, docker-compose.yml, docker-compose.yaml

Install

git clone https://github.com/nixxterger/Docker_shell.git
cd Docker_shell
bash setup.sh

Installs to ~/.local/share/docker-shell (venv included), adds a docker-shell <folder> CLI launcher and hooks into the file managers it finds. GUI language follows the system locale (English default, German built in, more via language files). Remove everything with bash uninstall.sh.

File manager integrations

File manager	Integration	Installed by setup.sh
Nemo (Mint/Cinnamon)	Right-click a folder → "Docker Konfig"	✔
Nautilus (GNOME)	Right-click → Scripts → "Docker Konfig"	✔
Dolphin (KDE)	Folder context menu → "Docker Config"	✔
Thunar (XFCE)	Custom action, see integrations/thunar	manual
Any / none	docker-shell <folder> from a terminal	✔

Settings

The ⋯ menu opens a settings dialog (stored in ~/.config/docker-shell/config.yml — the tool works fine without ever opening it):

Key	Values (default first)	Meaning
window_position	pointer / center	Where the window opens
ui_scale	auto / small / medium / large	Widget scaling
language	auto / en / de / <code>	UI language (auto = system locale)
add_new_mode	host_path / preset / ask	Container path when adding a new folder
add_new_preset	/mnt/{name}	Template for preset mode ({name} = folder name)
new_mount_default	ro / rw	Preselected mode for newly added folders
network_scope	all / service	Network toggle hits the whole project or only the selected service
temp_leer	path	Custom sacrificial folder

The menu also offers Reset project: deletes the override file and restores the main compose file from its backup.

Custom languages: drop a lang/<code>.yml file (English string → translation, see lang/TEMPLATE.yml.example) next to the app or into ~/.local/share/docker-shell/lang/, then select the code in the settings.

Tests

python3 tests/test_e2e.py   # needs Docker; uses a throwaway alpine container

⚠️ Hobby project maintained by one person. Use at your own risk (backups included by design).

License

MIT