When a Docker image fails to build and the fallback image is used, Envbuilder still attempts to use the username specified in the broken Dockerfile and tries to connect to the fallback image using that username. Often the fallback image doesn’t have the user in the original image and so we cannot connect to the fallback image.

Reproduction

Dockerfile:

FROM mcr.micrdosoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu-22.04
USER vscode
RUN false

Fallback image: ubuntu:24.04

Should the user be set to root when the fallback image is used or even allow a ENVBUILDER_FALLBACK_IMAGE_USER environment variable to be specified?