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Custom Images

This is the guide for people who want their own deva image instead of the stock one.

Common reasons:

  • you want extra tools baked in
  • you want a personal image in your own registry
  • you want local experiments without waiting for upstream releases

That is fine. deva does not care where the image came from. It cares that the image exists and that the tag you asked for is real.

The Two Knobs

Deva picks the runtime image from two host-side variables:

  • DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE
  • DEVA_DOCKER_TAG

If you do nothing, it uses:

DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=ghcr.io/thevibeworks/deva
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=latest

For the rust profile, the default tag becomes rust.

Important detail:

  • if you set only DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE, PROFILE=rust can still change the tag to rust
  • if you want zero surprises, set both DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE and DEVA_DOCKER_TAG

Build A Local Image

Base image:

docker build -t deva-local:latest .

Rust profile image:

docker build -f Dockerfile.rust -t deva-local:rust .

Then run deva against it:

DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=deva-local \
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=latest \
deva.sh codex

Or for the rust image:

DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=deva-local \
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=rust \
deva.sh claude

Deva checks local images first. If the image is already there, it does not need to pull anything.

Build A Personal Registry Image

If you want your own registry namespace, tag it that way from the start:

docker build -t ghcr.io/yourname/deva:daily .
docker push ghcr.io/yourname/deva:daily

Then point deva at it:

export DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=ghcr.io/yourname/deva
export DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=daily
deva.sh codex

That is the whole trick. This is not Kubernetes. It is just an image name plus a tag.

Keep It Personal

If this is only for you, put the override in .deva.local:

DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=ghcr.io/yourname/deva
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=daily

That file is the right place for personal registry tags, private images, and "I am trying weird stuff" experiments.

If the whole team should use the same custom image, put it in .deva instead:

DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=ghcr.io/acme/deva
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=team-rust-20260312

Yes, deva's config loader will export those variables for the wrapper. That is intentional.

Extend The Official Image Instead Of Starting From Nothing

If you just need a few extra tools, do not rebuild the universe.

Use the published image as your base:

FROM ghcr.io/thevibeworks/deva:latest

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    graphviz \
    postgresql-client \
 && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

Build and run it:

docker build -t deva-local:extras .
DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=deva-local DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=extras deva.sh gemini

That is usually the sane move.

What Still Comes From The Wrapper

Changing the image does not change the wrapper model.

Deva still controls:

  • workspace mounts
  • auth mounts
  • config-home wiring
  • container naming
  • persistent vs ephemeral behavior
  • debug and dry-run output

So a custom image is not a custom launcher. It is just a different root filesystem under the same wrapper behavior.

Personal Use Without Installing Anything Globally

You do not need to replace your whole system install.

Per-shell:

DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=deva-local \
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=latest \
deva.sh codex

Per-project:

# .deva.local
DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=deva-local
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=latest

That way your personal image only affects the project where you meant to use it. Amazing concept.

Gotchas

  • If you set only the image and forget the tag, profile defaults may still pick latest or rust.
  • If the image is private, pulls need auth. Public docs pointing at a private image are broken by definition.
  • If you build a custom image that removes expected tools or paths, deva will not magically repair your bad Dockerfile.
  • If your image tag does not exist locally and cannot be pulled, deva fails fast. Good. Silent nonsense would be worse.

Sanity Check

Use this before blaming the wrapper:

DEVA_DOCKER_IMAGE=deva-local \
DEVA_DOCKER_TAG=latest \
deva.sh codex --debug --dry-run

If the printed image is wrong, your override is wrong. If the printed image is right, the problem is somewhere else.