diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f507e3c9e..84037aed9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 
 The tool consumes and produces [OCI-compatible container images](https://github.com/opencontainers/image-spec), so you can pull and run images from any standard container registry. You can push images that you build to those registries as well, and run the images in any other OCI-compatible application.
 
+OCI image compatibility means that `container` works with standard container images. It does not mean that `container` exposes a Docker-compatible CLI or Docker Engine API socket. Tools that require the Docker CLI or Docker Engine API need either native `container` integration or an alternate workflow that runs the required service containers directly with `container run`.
+
 `container` uses the [Containerization](https://github.com/apple/containerization) Swift package for low-level container, image, and process management.
 
 ![introductory movie showing some basic commands](./docs/assets/landing-movie.gif)
diff --git a/docs/how-to.md b/docs/how-to.md
index 07697ecd2..1549f8184 100644
--- a/docs/how-to.md
+++ b/docs/how-to.md
@@ -92,6 +92,29 @@ The command to push your multiplatform image to a registry is no different than
 container image push registry.example.com/fido/web-test:latest
 ```
 
+## Work with tools that expect Docker
+
+`container` uses standard OCI images, so it can run images published for Docker and other OCI-compatible runtimes. However, `container` is not a drop-in replacement for the Docker CLI or the Docker Engine API. It does not expose a Docker-compatible API socket such as `/var/run/docker.sock`.
+
+If a development tool only needs a service container, run that service directly with `container run` and point the tool at the published host port. For example, to run PostgreSQL locally:
+
+```bash
+container run -d \
+  --name dev-postgres \
+  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres \
+  -p 127.0.0.1:5432:5432 \
+  postgres:16-alpine
+```
+
+Then connect to `127.0.0.1:5432` from the host. When finished, stop and remove the service:
+
+```bash
+container stop dev-postgres
+container delete dev-postgres
+```
+
+Tools that shell out to the `docker` command or call the Docker Engine API directly need native support for `container`, a compatibility layer, or a tool-specific workflow that avoids the Docker API dependency.
+
 ## Get container or image details
 
 `container image list` and `container list` provide basic information for all of your images and containers. You can also use `list` and `inspect` commands to print detailed machine-readable output for resources.