From f8686bb2b7e4a24eb933546b97dfb64c5dcdc522 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Andras Bacsai <5845193+andrasbacsai@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:45:40 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Add reproducer for coolify#8953: .env not found with preserve
 repository (#65)

Minimal Docker Compose example that triggers the deployment failure when
Preserve Repository is enabled with a custom start command containing
variable interpolation.

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/README.md    | 38 +++++++++++++++++++
 .../docker-compose.prod.yaml                  |  3 ++
 .../docker-compose.yaml                       |  5 +++
 3 files changed, 46 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/README.md
 create mode 100644 docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.prod.yaml
 create mode 100644 docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.yaml

diff --git a/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/README.md b/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb564e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+# Reproducer for coolify#8953
+
+Minimal Docker Compose app that uses `${WEB_PORT}` variable interpolation to
+reproduce the `.env not found` error when **Preserve Repository** is enabled
+with a custom start command.
+
+## Steps to reproduce
+
+1. In Coolify, create a **Docker Compose** application pointing to this
+   repository subdirectory (`docker-compose-preserve-repo-env`).
+2. Add an environment variable: `WEB_PORT=9090`.
+3. In **Advanced** settings, enable **Preserve Repository**.
+4. Set the custom start command to:
+   ```
+   docker compose -f docker-compose.yaml -f docker-compose.prod.yaml up -d
+   ```
+5. Deploy.
+
+### Expected (after fix)
+
+Deployment succeeds. `--project-directory` in the `up -d` command points to
+`/data/coolify/applications/{uuid}` (host path where `.env` exists).
+
+### Actual (before fix)
+
+Deployment fails with:
+
+```
+env file /artifacts/{deployment_uuid}/.env not found
+```
+
+Because `--project-directory` was set to `/artifacts/{deployment_uuid}` (helper
+container path), and Docker Compose resolves `env_file` directives relative to
+that directory.
+
+## Related
+
+- https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify/issues/8953
diff --git a/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.prod.yaml b/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.prod.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..070b28e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.prod.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+services:
+  web:
+    restart: always
diff --git a/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.yaml b/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..993a4c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose-preserve-repo-env/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+services:
+  web:
+    image: nginx:alpine
+    ports:
+      - "${WEB_PORT:-8080}:80"