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Home / Troubleshoot / Docker Exit Code 137
Docker · Exit Code 137

Docker Container Exited Code 137: How to Diagnose and Fix It

By the Tech Matrix engineering team · Updated June 2026

Exit code 137 means the container received SIGKILL (128 + 9). Nine times out of ten that's the kernel OOM-killer reclaiming memory — either the container hit its limit, or the host ran out. Here's how to tell which.

Step 1 — Confirm it was OOMKilled

docker inspect <container> --format '{{.State.OOMKilled}}'

If this returns true, the kernel killed it for exceeding a memory limit. Cross-check the host's kernel log:

dmesg -T | grep -i -E 'killed process|out of memory'

Step 2 — Container limit or host pressure?

  • Container hit its own limit: the container has a --memory limit and its working set exceeded it. docker stats <container> shows usage vs limit climbing to 100%.
  • Host out of memory: no per-container limit, but the host ran out and the kernel killed the biggest offender. free -h and the dmesg line tell you.

If OOMKilled is false, exit 137 instead means something sent SIGKILL — commonly a docker stop whose grace period expired (the app didn't shut down in time and was force-killed).

Step 3 — The fixes

  • Raise the limit if the workload legitimately needs more: docker run --memory=1g … (or the Compose mem_limit).
  • Fix the leak if usage grows unbounded — that's an application bug, not a sizing problem.
  • Add host memory / swap if the host itself is over-committed.
  • Increase the stop grace period (docker stop -t 30) if the container is being force-killed during shutdown.

How Tech Matrix solves this in ~60 seconds

Exit 137 is terse, and confirming OOM means cross-checking inspect, docker stats and dmesg. Tech Matrix reads them on your host via a secure agent, tells you whether it was the container limit, a leak, or host pressure, and gives the exact fix — grounded in your Docker and kernel versions, with your approval.

Create free account →See how it works

Frequently asked questions

What does Docker exit code 137 mean?

It means the container received SIGKILL (128 + 9). Most often the kernel OOM-killer terminated it for exceeding a memory limit; sometimes it's a docker stop that timed out and force-killed the process.

How do I know if my container was OOMKilled?

Run 'docker inspect --format "{{.State.OOMKilled}}"'. If true, it was killed for memory. Confirm with 'dmesg -T | grep -i oom'.

How do I stop a container from being OOMKilled?

Raise its --memory limit if the workload needs it, fix the memory leak if usage grows unbounded, or add host memory/swap if the host is over-committed.