Ubuntu WSL integration does not recover after Ubuntu is terminated; Windows Docker engine remains available #833

Bug report

Ubuntu's enabled WSL integration does not recover after the Ubuntu distribution is terminated and starts again. Docker Desktop's Windows engine remains available.

Reproduction

1. Start with Docker working from both Windows and Ubuntu against the same engine, with Ubuntu selected in Docker Desktop's WSL integration settings.
2. From Windows, run wsl.exe --terminate Ubuntu once.
3. Allow Ubuntu to return.
4. Observe both Docker connections for five minutes without manually restarting integration:
   • Windows: docker.exe --context desktop-linux info
   • Ubuntu: docker --host unix:///var/run/docker.sock info

Actual result

Ubuntu returned. Docker logged that docker-desktop-user-distro proxy exited with status 1 and displayed “Restart the WSL integration.”

Docker commands from Windows succeeded, but commands using Ubuntu's /var/run/docker.sock failed throughout the observation. Ubuntu remained selected in Docker's integration settings.

The independent Windows test supervisor recorded a single termination and a 300,034 ms observation ending at its five-minute limit: Windows engine check passed; Ubuntu integration check failed. Automatic Ubuntu relaunch was observed but its initiating source was not attributed. No manual integration restart occurred within that observation.

Expected result

Docker Desktop restores its enabled Ubuntu integration automatically when Ubuntu returns.

Request

Please identify why the Ubuntu integration remains stopped after this restart and whether Docker Desktop supports automatic recovery for this case.

Platform

Windows

Version information

• Docker Desktop: 4.98.0
• WSL: 3.0.3.0
• Windows: 10.0.26300.9818
• Distribution: Ubuntu, with Docker Desktop WSL integration enabled

Diagnostics ID

DBFEC38E-912C-48B5-8498-9A80EB4E8C9B/20261108152830