From f07bec20cf408498ab338e98c4d0036a426cee83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Nicolas De Loof <nicolas.deloof@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:55:52 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] fix(create, start): clear error when targeting a job by name

docker compose create <job> / start <job> failed with the raw
compose-go error "no such service: <name>", since project loading
rejects the job name before rejectScheduledJobs or any job-aware
logic ever runs -- unlike run, neither command knows how to detect
that a name is a declared job. The result gave no hint that jobs
exist or that run is the right command.

Jobs stay run-only by design; this only replaces the error message
when the target is a declared job, via a small helper (jobTargetErr)
shared by both commands, reloading unselected exactly like run's own
job-detection fallback. Any other "no such service" (a real typo)
keeps the original, precise error.

Signed-off-by: Nicolas De Loof <nicolas.deloof@gmail.com>
---
 cmd/compose/create.go | 16 +++++++++++++---
 cmd/compose/run.go    | 28 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 cmd/compose/start.go  |  3 +++
 3 files changed, 44 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cmd/compose/create.go b/cmd/compose/create.go
index 81f45e97b..211ec2bae 100644
--- a/cmd/compose/create.go
+++ b/cmd/compose/create.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 
+	"github.com/docker/compose/v5/cmd/display"
 	"github.com/docker/compose/v5/pkg/api"
 	"github.com/docker/compose/v5/pkg/compose"
 )
@@ -71,9 +72,18 @@ func createCommand(p *ProjectOptions, dockerCli command.Cli, backendOptions *Bac
 			}
 			return nil
 		}),
-		RunE: p.WithServices(dockerCli, func(ctx context.Context, project *types.Project, services []string) error {
-			return runCreate(ctx, dockerCli, backendOptions, opts, buildOpts, project, services)
-		}),
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			err := p.WithServices(dockerCli, func(ctx context.Context, project *types.Project, services []string) error {
+				return runCreate(ctx, dockerCli, backendOptions, opts, buildOpts, project, services)
+			})(cmd, args)
+			if jobErr, replaced := jobTargetErr(cmd.Context(), dockerCli, p, args, err); replaced {
+				if display.Mode == display.ModeJSON {
+					return makeJSONError(jobErr)
+				}
+				return jobErr
+			}
+			return err
+		},
 		ValidArgsFunction: completeServiceNames(dockerCli, p),
 	}
 	flags := cmd.Flags()
diff --git a/cmd/compose/run.go b/cmd/compose/run.go
index aba0acea8..f3964f00b 100644
--- a/cmd/compose/run.go
+++ b/cmd/compose/run.go
@@ -322,6 +322,34 @@ func isNoSuchServiceErr(err error) bool {
 	return strings.Contains(err.Error(), "no such service")
 }
 
+// jobTargetErr recognizes an otherwise-raw compose-go selection error as
+// targeting a declared job: unlike run, create and start don't materialize
+// jobs — targeting one with either is run-only by design — so on a match it
+// only returns a clearer error message (replaced=true), never falls
+// through to acting on the job. names is the caller's original
+// (unselected-by-profile) argument list, checked as-is against
+// project.AllJobs() the same way run's own fallback resolves a job name.
+func jobTargetErr(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, p *ProjectOptions, names []string, err error) (jobErr error, replaced bool) {
+	if err == nil || len(names) == 0 || !isNoSuchServiceErr(err) {
+		return err, false
+	}
+	backend, berr := compose.NewComposeService(dockerCli)
+	if berr != nil {
+		return err, false
+	}
+	unselected, _, uerr := p.ToProject(ctx, dockerCli, backend, nil, skipUnsupportedAttributesWarning, composecli.WithoutEnvironmentResolution)
+	if uerr != nil {
+		return err, false
+	}
+	jobs := unselected.AllJobs()
+	for _, name := range names {
+		if _, ok := jobs[name]; ok {
+			return fmt.Errorf("job %q can only be triggered with \"docker compose run\"", name), true
+		}
+	}
+	return err, false
+}
+
 func runRun(ctx context.Context, backend api.Compose, project *types.Project, options runOptions, createOpts createOptions, buildOpts buildOptions, dockerCli command.Cli) error {
 	project, err := options.apply(project)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/compose/start.go b/cmd/compose/start.go
index 7ecde69e1..b1d06c950 100644
--- a/cmd/compose/start.go
+++ b/cmd/compose/start.go
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ func startCommand(p *ProjectOptions, dockerCli command.Cli, backendOptions *Back
 func runStart(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, backendOptions *BackendOptions, opts startOptions, services []string) error {
 	project, name, err := opts.projectOrName(ctx, dockerCli, services...)
 	if err != nil {
+		if jobErr, replaced := jobTargetErr(ctx, dockerCli, opts.ProjectOptions, services, err); replaced {
+			return jobErr
+		}
 		return err
 	}
 	// a label-reconstructed project (no compose file) declares no jobs;