setup-docker

name	setup-docker
description	Install OrbStack on macOS — a fast, lightweight Docker runtime that replaces Docker Desktop. Ships with docker daemon, CLI, compose, buildx, Kubernetes, and Linux VM support. Use this skill when the user mentions installing docker, docker setup, OrbStack, container runtime on Mac, or wants Docker without Docker Desktop's bloat.
allowed-tools	["Bash","Read","Write","Edit"]

Setup Docker (via OrbStack)

Install OrbStack as the macOS Docker runtime. It's the fastest option on Apple Silicon, free for personal use, and ships with everything you need.

Why OrbStack

	OrbStack	Docker Desktop	Colima
Startup	2-3s	30-60s	5-10s
Memory at idle	<1GB	4-8GB	1-2GB
File mount speed	5-10× faster	Slow	Slow
GUI	Menu bar icon only	Heavy dashboard	None
Personal use	Free	Free	Free
Kubernetes built-in	✅ one toggle	✅ but slower	❌ separate setup
Linux VMs included	✅	❌	❌

OrbStack on Apple Silicon is significantly faster than the alternatives — that's the main reason to pick it.

What gets installed

Just one cask: orbstack. It bundles:

• Docker daemon + CLI
• docker compose
• docker buildx (multi-arch)
• Kubernetes (toggle in settings)
• Linux VM support (orb create)

No need to install docker, docker-compose, docker-buildx separately — they all come with it.

Quick setup

bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/setup-docker.sh

The script:

1. Installs orbstack via Homebrew cask
2. Opens the app once to trigger the setup wizard
3. Tells you how to verify

After install, OrbStack auto-starts when you run any docker command — no manual colima start needed.

Verify

docker run hello-world
docker compose version
docker buildx version

Daily use

# Just use docker normally — OrbStack handles starting the VM
docker ps
docker compose up
docker build .

# CLI controls (optional — menu bar icon does the same)
orb status            # show VM state
orb stop              # stop VM (frees ~1GB RAM)
orb start             # start VM (rarely needed — auto-starts on docker call)
orb delete            # nuke the VM and start over

Multi-architecture builds

OrbStack is arm64 native on Apple Silicon. To build/run x86 images:

docker run --platform linux/amd64 ubuntu:22.04
docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 -t myimg .

Kubernetes (optional)

Open OrbStack → Settings → Kubernetes → toggle on. kubectl will work against the cluster automatically:

kubectl get nodes
kubectl run nginx --image=nginx

Linux VMs (bonus)

OrbStack can run lightweight Linux VMs side-by-side with Docker:

orb create ubuntu my-vm    # creates an Ubuntu VM
orb shell my-vm             # SSH into it (just-works, file sharing pre-mounted)

Faster than UTM/Parallels for "just give me a Linux shell" use cases.

License note

OrbStack is free for personal use and free for non-commercial use. Companies pay $8/user/month. For an individual developer working on personal projects or contributing to OSS, free.

Useful aliases (already in setup-zsh)

alias d='docker'
alias dc='docker compose'