VibePod CLI 0.16: Rootless Podman support

2026-06-20 · Release · CLI · Podman

Rootless detection, not root

VibePod now auto-detects a rootless Podman runtime and adapts container launches accordingly, so the same vp run <agent> and vp task commands work under Podman exactly as they do under Docker. When rootless Podman is detected, VibePod passes the keep-id user-namespace mode so the container user maps to your host user instead of root. Files created inside agent and task containers are therefore owned by your real host UID and GID, avoiding the "everything is root" problem that usually bites rootless workflows.

Pointing VibePod at the Podman socket

Podman exposes its runtime over a Unix socket. Set DOCKER_HOST to that socket path and VibePod will talk to Podman exactly as it talks to the Docker daemon:

# Rootless Podman socket (typical path)
export DOCKER_HOST="unix://$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/podman/podman.sock"

vp run claude
vp logs start

Because VibePod uses the standard container API, the Docker runtime label is preserved in CLI output; only the underlying engine changes.

Container-network DNS: dnsname vs Netavark

Agent and task containers frequently need to resolve service names from a Compose network. DNS handling depends on the Podman network backend:

CNI backend (older Podman): install the dnsname plugin so containers on a named network resolve one another. Without it, short service names will not resolve even though the network exists.
Netavark backend (Podman 4.0+, the default on newer installs): DNS is included out of the box, so no extra plugin is required.

See the Quickstart for the recommended setup for your Podman version and the INSERT-free detection flow.

Example commands

export DOCKER_HOST="unix://$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/podman/podman.sock"
vp run claude
vp task create --image vibepod/claude:latest
vp logs start

Release details