Run builds on Windows

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Set it up

1. In a WSL2 shell, install and start Docker Engine 26 or later, following Docker’s instructions for your Linux distribution. Install Docker’s Buildx plugin too, version 0.18 or later. The runner builds images with it; see Image builds.
2. Check the shell and the engine:
   # Prints a line: this shell is WSL2.
   grep -i microsoft /proc/version
   # Does not print "Docker Desktop".
   docker info --format '{{.OperatingSystem}}'
   # Prints 26 or later.
   docker version --format '{{.Server.Version}}'
   
3. From the same shell, follow Set up a host. outerlayer runner init names builtin:container when it finds Docker Engine in WSL2. Otherwise it refuses and says what is missing; --allow-process-builds names builtin:process instead, with no isolation.
4. Run outerlayer doctor. The Build isolation line should say builtin:container.

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Keep the runner running

• It writes the systemd unit inside WSL2 and enables it.
• It makes a Windows scheduled task that starts the distribution when you log in and keeps it running, with schtasks.exe through WSL2’s Windows interop. The task has the unit’s name, outerlayer-runner. The runner runs from when you log in, not before. For a host that runs before anyone logs in, use Linux.

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What doctor says