In my local development environment using Podman Desktop and Kind (Kubernetes in Docker) on Windows, I encountered a persistent and frustrating error that prevented Podman from starting its own VM.

The Problem

Every time I restarted my machine or Podman, I was greeted with this error:

CreateFile \\.\pipe\docker_engine: All pipe instances are busy.

This error indicated that the “bridge” between the Windows host and the Podman engine inside WSL2 was broken. Specifically, the Named Pipe (\\.\pipe\docker_engine)—which allows Windows tools like kubectl to talk to the container engine—was either locked or failing to initialize.

The Solution: wsl --update

After attempting to restart services and prune containers to no avail, the fix turned out to be updating the WSL subsystem itself.

wsl --update
wsl --shutdown

Why did this work?

  1. Kernel Stability: wsl --update installs the latest Microsoft Linux kernel. Newer kernels have improved handling of AF_UNIX sockets and Named Pipe translations, which are critical for Podman’s “Docker Compatibility” mode.
  2. Process Cleanup: The update process forces a clean state. Unlike a simple restart, it ensures that no “zombie” processes (like gvproxy.exe or win-sshproxy.exe) are holding onto the docker_engine pipe in a hung state.
  3. Bridge Reliability: Podman on Windows relies on an SSH tunnel to forward the socket from inside the VM to Windows. Updates often resolve bugs in the WSL networking stack that cause these tunnels to fail with “Pipe instances are busy.”

Key Takeaways for Podman + Kind Users

If you are running a heavy stack like ArgoCD inside Kind on Podman, keep these three things in mind:

  • Resource Exhaustion: Kubernetes is memory-intensive. If your Podman Machine runs out of RAM, it can hang the entire WSL instance, leading to pipe errors.

  • Tip: Use podman machine set --memory 8192 to give it enough breathing room.

  • The “Golden” Reset: When in doubt, wsl --shutdown is your best friend. It releases all file handles and pipes that might be stuck.
  • Version Sync: Always ensure your WSL version is up to date. The bridge between Windows and Linux is complex and frequently patched.

Conclusion

If your kubectl commands are failing and Podman reports that “pipe instances are busy,” don’t just restart the app. Update the infrastructure. A simple wsl --update can resolve deep-seated networking conflicts that manual troubleshooting cannot touch.

discussion