From 4c8837565b5ab8d71b6b9ca55b97c8116828bbaf Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 16:22:39 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 01/32] set use_docker to default to true

---
 autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py | 15 +++++-
 autogen/code_utils.py                  | 65 +++++++++++++++++---------
 setup.py                               |  1 +
 website/docs/FAQ.md                    |  2 +-
 4 files changed, 60 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-)

diff --git a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
index 08f71160057..f672a51894b 100644
--- a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
+++ b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 from typing import Any, Awaitable, Callable, Dict, List, Literal, Optional, Tuple, Type, TypeVar, Union
 
 from .. import OpenAIWrapper
-from ..code_utils import DEFAULT_MODEL, UNKNOWN, content_str, execute_code, extract_code, infer_lang
+from ..code_utils import DEFAULT_MODEL, UNKNOWN, content_str, execute_code, extract_code, infer_lang, is_docker_running, in_docker_container
 from ..function_utils import get_function_schema, load_basemodels_if_needed, serialize_to_str
 from .agent import Agent
 from .._pydantic import model_dump
@@ -129,6 +129,19 @@ def __init__(
         self._code_execution_config: Union[Dict, Literal[False]] = (
             {} if code_execution_config is None else code_execution_config
         )
+
+        if isinstance(self._code_execution_config, Dict):
+            if "use_docker" in self._code_execution_config:
+                use_docker = self._code_execution_config["use_docker"]
+            else:
+                use_docker = True
+            if use_docker is not None:
+                inside_docker = in_docker_container()
+                docker_installed_and_running = is_docker_running()
+                if use_docker and not inside_docker and not docker_installed_and_running:
+                    raise RuntimeError("Docker is not running, please make sure docker is running (advised approach for code execution) or set \"use_docker\":False.")
+                if not use_docker:
+                    logger.warning("use_docker was set to False. Any code execution will be run natively but we strongly advise to set \"use_docker\":True. Set \"use_docker\":None to silence this message.")
         self.human_input_mode = human_input_mode
         self._max_consecutive_auto_reply = (
             max_consecutive_auto_reply if max_consecutive_auto_reply is not None else self.MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTO_REPLY
diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index dbb8637162d..4feb337ab0e 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -223,13 +223,35 @@ def _cmd(lang):
         return "powershell"
     raise NotImplementedError(f"{lang} not recognized in code execution")
 
+def is_docker_running():
+    """Check if docker is running.
+
+    Returns:
+        bool: True if docker is running; False otherwise.
+    """
+    if docker is None:
+        return False
+    try:
+        client = docker.from_env()
+        client.ping()
+        return True
+    except docker.errors.DockerException:
+        return False
+
+def in_docker_container():
+    """Check if the code is running in a docker container.
+
+    Returns:
+        bool: True if the code is running in a docker container; False otherwise.
+    """
+    return os.path.exists("/.dockerenv")
 
 def execute_code(
     code: Optional[str] = None,
     timeout: Optional[int] = None,
     filename: Optional[str] = None,
     work_dir: Optional[str] = None,
-    use_docker: Optional[Union[List[str], str, bool]] = None,
+    use_docker: Union[List[str], str, bool] = True,
     lang: Optional[str] = "python",
 ) -> Tuple[int, str, str]:
     """Execute code in a docker container.
@@ -249,15 +271,15 @@ def execute_code(
             If None, a default working directory will be used.
             The default working directory is the "extensions" directory under
             "path_to_autogen".
-        use_docker (Optional, list, str or bool): The docker image to use for code execution.
+        use_docker (list, str or bool): The docker image to use for code execution.
             If a list or a str of image name(s) is provided, the code will be executed in a docker container
             with the first image successfully pulled.
             If None, False or empty, the code will be executed in the current environment.
-            Default is None, which will be converted into an empty list when docker package is available.
+            Default is True.
             Expected behaviour:
-                - If `use_docker` is explicitly set to True and the docker package is available, the code will run in a Docker container.
-                - If `use_docker` is explicitly set to True but the Docker package is missing, an error will be raised.
-                - If `use_docker` is not set (i.e., left default to None) and the Docker package is not available, a warning will be displayed, but the code will run natively.
+                - If `use_docker` is not set (i.e. left default to True) or is explicitly set to True and the docker package is available, the code will run in a Docker container.
+                - If `use_docker` is not set (i.e. left default to True) or is explicitly set to True but the Docker package is missing, an error will be raised.
+                - If `use_docker` is explicitly set to False, a warning will be displayed, but the code will run natively.
             If the code is executed in the current environment,
             the code must be trusted.
         lang (Optional, str): The language of the code. Default is "python".
@@ -272,18 +294,16 @@ def execute_code(
         logger.error(error_msg)
         raise AssertionError(error_msg)
 
-    # Warn if use_docker was unspecified (or None), and cannot be provided (the default).
-    # In this case the current behavior is to fall back to run natively, but this behavior
-    # is subject to change.
-    if use_docker is None:
-        if docker is None:
-            use_docker = False
-            logger.warning(
-                "execute_code was called without specifying a value for use_docker. Since the python docker package is not available, code will be run natively. Note: this fallback behavior is subject to change"
-            )
-        else:
-            # Default to true
-            use_docker = True
+    # # Warn if use_docker was set to False
+    # # In this case the current behavior is to fall back to run natively, but this behavior
+    # # is subject to change.
+    running_inside_docker = in_docker_container()
+    docker_running = is_docker_running()
+
+    if use_docker is not None and not use_docker and not running_inside_docker:
+        logger.warning(
+            "execute_code was called with use_docker set to False. Code will be run natively but we strongly advise to set use_docker=True. Set use_docker=None to silence this message."
+        )
 
     timeout = timeout or DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
     original_filename = filename
@@ -301,9 +321,8 @@ def execute_code(
     if code is not None:
         with open(filepath, "w", encoding="utf-8") as fout:
             fout.write(code)
-    # check if already running in a docker container
-    in_docker_container = os.path.exists("/.dockerenv")
-    if not use_docker or in_docker_container:
+
+    if not use_docker or running_inside_docker:
         # already running in a docker container
         cmd = [
             sys.executable if lang.startswith("python") else _cmd(lang),
@@ -347,7 +366,11 @@ def execute_code(
         return result.returncode, logs, None
 
     # create a docker client
+    if use_docker and not docker_running:
+        raise RuntimeError("Docker package is missing or docker is not running. Please make sure docker is running or set use_docker=False.")
+
     client = docker.from_env()
+
     image_list = (
         ["python:3-alpine", "python:3", "python:3-windowsservercore"]
         if use_docker is True
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index ea8f83be279..1789fdb4fef 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
     "python-dotenv",
     "tiktoken",
     "pydantic>=1.10,<3",  # could be both V1 and V2
+    "docker",
 ]
 
 setuptools.setup(
diff --git a/website/docs/FAQ.md b/website/docs/FAQ.md
index dcd4dab6f54..37b699027a5 100644
--- a/website/docs/FAQ.md
+++ b/website/docs/FAQ.md
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ The `AssistantAgent` doesn't save all the code by default, because there are cas
 We strongly recommend using docker to execute code. There are two ways to use docker:
 
 1. Run autogen in a docker container. For example, when developing in GitHub codespace, the autogen runs in a docker container.
-2. Run autogen outside of a docker, while perform code execution with a docker container. For this option, make sure the python package `docker` is installed. When it is not installed and `use_docker` is omitted in `code_execution_config`, the code will be executed locally (this behavior is subject to change in future).
+2. Run autogen outside of a docker container, while performing code execution with a docker container. For this option, make sure the python package `docker` is installed. When it is not installed and `use_docker` is explicitly set to False in `code_execution_config`, the code will be executed locally (this behavior is subject to change in future).
 
 ### Enable Python 3 docker image
 

From a21e800efc6d8a4a9483555bcaab3c1a5f04caaa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 16:31:33 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 02/32] black formatting

---
 autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py | 19 ++++++++++++++++---
 autogen/code_utils.py                  |  7 ++++++-
 2 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
index f672a51894b..012215b5a01 100644
--- a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
+++ b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
@@ -8,7 +8,16 @@
 from typing import Any, Awaitable, Callable, Dict, List, Literal, Optional, Tuple, Type, TypeVar, Union
 
 from .. import OpenAIWrapper
-from ..code_utils import DEFAULT_MODEL, UNKNOWN, content_str, execute_code, extract_code, infer_lang, is_docker_running, in_docker_container
+from ..code_utils import (
+    DEFAULT_MODEL,
+    UNKNOWN,
+    content_str,
+    execute_code,
+    extract_code,
+    infer_lang,
+    is_docker_running,
+    in_docker_container,
+)
 from ..function_utils import get_function_schema, load_basemodels_if_needed, serialize_to_str
 from .agent import Agent
 from .._pydantic import model_dump
@@ -139,9 +148,13 @@ def __init__(
                 inside_docker = in_docker_container()
                 docker_installed_and_running = is_docker_running()
                 if use_docker and not inside_docker and not docker_installed_and_running:
-                    raise RuntimeError("Docker is not running, please make sure docker is running (advised approach for code execution) or set \"use_docker\":False.")
+                    raise RuntimeError(
+                        'Docker is not running, please make sure docker is running (advised approach for code execution) or set "use_docker":False.'
+                    )
                 if not use_docker:
-                    logger.warning("use_docker was set to False. Any code execution will be run natively but we strongly advise to set \"use_docker\":True. Set \"use_docker\":None to silence this message.")
+                    logger.warning(
+                        'use_docker was set to False. Any code execution will be run natively but we strongly advise to set "use_docker":True. Set "use_docker":None to silence this message.'
+                    )
         self.human_input_mode = human_input_mode
         self._max_consecutive_auto_reply = (
             max_consecutive_auto_reply if max_consecutive_auto_reply is not None else self.MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTO_REPLY
diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index 4feb337ab0e..5ef1adf03ad 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ def _cmd(lang):
         return "powershell"
     raise NotImplementedError(f"{lang} not recognized in code execution")
 
+
 def is_docker_running():
     """Check if docker is running.
 
@@ -238,6 +239,7 @@ def is_docker_running():
     except docker.errors.DockerException:
         return False
 
+
 def in_docker_container():
     """Check if the code is running in a docker container.
 
@@ -246,6 +248,7 @@ def in_docker_container():
     """
     return os.path.exists("/.dockerenv")
 
+
 def execute_code(
     code: Optional[str] = None,
     timeout: Optional[int] = None,
@@ -367,7 +370,9 @@ def execute_code(
 
     # create a docker client
     if use_docker and not docker_running:
-        raise RuntimeError("Docker package is missing or docker is not running. Please make sure docker is running or set use_docker=False.")
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            "Docker package is missing or docker is not running. Please make sure docker is running or set use_docker=False."
+        )
 
     client = docker.from_env()
 

From 9ebb4fac85db868286d915ecf4229b9815afcf20 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 19:11:52 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 03/32] test

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 15 +++++++++++++--
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index 5ef1adf03ad..d0a4e2618bf 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import logging
 import os
+import platform
 import pathlib
 import re
 import subprocess
@@ -231,12 +232,15 @@ def is_docker_running():
         bool: True if docker is running; False otherwise.
     """
     if docker is None:
+        print("******** docker not installed ********")
         return False
     try:
         client = docker.from_env()
         client.ping()
         return True
-    except docker.errors.DockerException:
+    except docker.errors.DockerException as e:
+        print("******** docker not running ********")
+        print(e)
         return False
 
 
@@ -399,6 +403,13 @@ def execute_code(
     # get a randomized str based on current time to wrap the exit code
     exit_code_str = f"exitcode{time.time()}"
     abs_path = pathlib.Path(work_dir).absolute()
+    host_os = platform.system()
+    if host_os == "Windows":
+        volume_path = str(abs_path).replace("\\", "/")
+        volume_path = volume_path[0].lower() + volume_path[1:]
+    else:
+        volume_path = str(abs_path)
+
     cmd = [
         "sh",
         "-c",
@@ -411,7 +422,7 @@ def execute_code(
         working_dir="/workspace",
         detach=True,
         # get absolute path to the working directory
-        volumes={abs_path: {"bind": "/workspace", "mode": "rw"}},
+        volumes={volume_path: {"bind": "/workspace", "mode": "rw"}},
     )
     start_time = time.time()
     while container.status != "exited" and time.time() - start_time < timeout:

From 6a82fae057faa49d3e9789377ffe4440c866df09 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 19:38:54 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 04/32] test

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 6 +++++-
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index d0a4e2618bf..b325dbf6f8e 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -237,10 +237,11 @@ def is_docker_running():
     try:
         client = docker.from_env()
         client.ping()
+        print("******** docker is running ********")
         return True
     except docker.errors.DockerException as e:
         print("******** docker not running ********")
-        print(e)
+        print(f"******** {e} ********")
         return False
 
 
@@ -374,6 +375,7 @@ def execute_code(
 
     # create a docker client
     if use_docker and not docker_running:
+        print("******** docker not running raising runtime error ********")
         raise RuntimeError(
             "Docker package is missing or docker is not running. Please make sure docker is running or set use_docker=False."
         )
@@ -410,6 +412,8 @@ def execute_code(
     else:
         volume_path = str(abs_path)
 
+    print(f"***** volume_path: {volume_path} *****")
+
     cmd = [
         "sh",
         "-c",

From a2b05fd65a498e5244ad0c280cdac43f3031f182 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 21:23:57 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 05/32] test test

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 13 +++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index b325dbf6f8e..c83b0efcbf6 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -325,6 +325,19 @@ def execute_code(
         work_dir = WORKING_DIR
     filepath = os.path.join(work_dir, filename)
     file_dir = os.path.dirname(filepath)
+
+    path = pathlib.Path(work_dir)
+    print(f"printing contents of {path}")
+    for item in os.listdir(path):
+        print(item)
+    pparent = path.parent
+    print(f"printing contents of {pparent}")
+    for item in os.listdir(pparent):
+        print(item)
+    ppparent = pparent.parent
+    print(f"printing contents of {ppparent}")
+    for item in os.listdir(ppparent):
+        print(item)
     os.makedirs(file_dir, exist_ok=True)
     if code is not None:
         with open(filepath, "w", encoding="utf-8") as fout:

From 69e99af9921463ea29866958fb632a53f944ea82 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 21:28:12 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 06/32] ..

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 8 +++-----
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index c83b0efcbf6..0e8a8e7fc3a 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -326,6 +326,8 @@ def execute_code(
     filepath = os.path.join(work_dir, filename)
     file_dir = os.path.dirname(filepath)
 
+    os.makedirs(file_dir, exist_ok=True)
+
     path = pathlib.Path(work_dir)
     print(f"printing contents of {path}")
     for item in os.listdir(path):
@@ -334,11 +336,7 @@ def execute_code(
     print(f"printing contents of {pparent}")
     for item in os.listdir(pparent):
         print(item)
-    ppparent = pparent.parent
-    print(f"printing contents of {ppparent}")
-    for item in os.listdir(ppparent):
-        print(item)
-    os.makedirs(file_dir, exist_ok=True)
+
     if code is not None:
         with open(filepath, "w", encoding="utf-8") as fout:
             fout.write(code)

From 6ca7a255867f7a7f4668fc0b6e6447ac24a09d76 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 23:16:52 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 07/32] ..

---
 test/test_code.py | 10 ++++++++--
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/test_code.py b/test/test_code.py
index ec8ada2c906..c0432b4e98b 100644
--- a/test/test_code.py
+++ b/test/test_code.py
@@ -305,10 +305,16 @@ def test_execute_code(use_docker=None):
         docker = None
     if use_docker is None:
         use_docker = docker is not None
-    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker)
+    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
+        "print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp"
+    )
     assert exit_code == 0 and msg == "hello world\n", msg
     # read a file
-    print(execute_code("with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker))
+    print(
+        execute_code(
+            "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp"
+        )
+    )
     # create a file
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
         "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')",

From 59dbe7e0f21b21c0fe592b0404de48366972ff32 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 23:25:45 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 08/32] ..

---
 test/test_code.py | 23 ++++++++---------------
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/test_code.py b/test/test_code.py
index c0432b4e98b..8383259a4be 100644
--- a/test/test_code.py
+++ b/test/test_code.py
@@ -305,35 +305,28 @@ def test_execute_code(use_docker=None):
         docker = None
     if use_docker is None:
         use_docker = docker is not None
-    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
-        "print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp"
-    )
+    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("print('hello world')", filename="codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker)
     assert exit_code == 0 and msg == "hello world\n", msg
     # read a file
-    print(
-        execute_code(
-            "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp"
-        )
-    )
+    print(execute_code("with open('codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker))
     # create a file
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
-        "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')",
+        "with open('codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')",
         work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp",
-        filename="tmp2/codetest.py",
+        filename="codetest2.py",
         use_docker=use_docker,
     )
     assert exit_code and (
-        'File "tmp2/codetest.py"'.replace("/", PATH_SEPARATOR) in msg
-        or 'File ".\\tmp2/codetest.py' in msg  # py3.8 + win32
+        'File "codetest2.py"'.replace("/", PATH_SEPARATOR) in msg or 'File ".\\codetest2.py' in msg  # py3.8 + win32
     ), msg
     print(
         execute_code(
-            "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')", work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp", use_docker=use_docker
+            "with open('codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')", work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp", use_docker=use_docker
         )
     )
     # execute code in a file
-    print(execute_code(filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker))
-    print(execute_code("python tmp/codetest.py", lang="sh", use_docker=use_docker))
+    print(execute_code(filename="codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker))
+    print(execute_code("python codetest.py", lang="sh", use_docker=use_docker))
     # execute code for assertion error
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("assert 1==2", use_docker=use_docker)
     assert exit_code, msg

From 5ce8e9ea54d68a2421da2eb8fecb43f4a65ea07a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 23:37:41 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 09/32] ..

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 14 +++-----------
 test/test_code.py     | 17 +++++++++--------
 2 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index 0e8a8e7fc3a..e39f17bc39b 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -323,20 +323,11 @@ def execute_code(
         filename = f"tmp_code_{code_hash}.{'py' if lang.startswith('python') else lang}"
     if work_dir is None:
         work_dir = WORKING_DIR
+
     filepath = os.path.join(work_dir, filename)
     file_dir = os.path.dirname(filepath)
-
     os.makedirs(file_dir, exist_ok=True)
 
-    path = pathlib.Path(work_dir)
-    print(f"printing contents of {path}")
-    for item in os.listdir(path):
-        print(item)
-    pparent = path.parent
-    print(f"printing contents of {pparent}")
-    for item in os.listdir(pparent):
-        print(item)
-
     if code is not None:
         with open(filepath, "w", encoding="utf-8") as fout:
             fout.write(code)
@@ -419,7 +410,8 @@ def execute_code(
     host_os = platform.system()
     if host_os == "Windows":
         volume_path = str(abs_path).replace("\\", "/")
-        volume_path = volume_path[0].lower() + volume_path[1:]
+        volume_path = volume_path.replace(":", "").lower()
+        volume_path = "//" + volume_path[0].lower() + volume_path[1:]
     else:
         volume_path = str(abs_path)
 
diff --git a/test/test_code.py b/test/test_code.py
index 8383259a4be..ec8ada2c906 100644
--- a/test/test_code.py
+++ b/test/test_code.py
@@ -305,28 +305,29 @@ def test_execute_code(use_docker=None):
         docker = None
     if use_docker is None:
         use_docker = docker is not None
-    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("print('hello world')", filename="codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker)
+    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker)
     assert exit_code == 0 and msg == "hello world\n", msg
     # read a file
-    print(execute_code("with open('codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker))
+    print(execute_code("with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker))
     # create a file
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
-        "with open('codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')",
+        "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')",
         work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp",
-        filename="codetest2.py",
+        filename="tmp2/codetest.py",
         use_docker=use_docker,
     )
     assert exit_code and (
-        'File "codetest2.py"'.replace("/", PATH_SEPARATOR) in msg or 'File ".\\codetest2.py' in msg  # py3.8 + win32
+        'File "tmp2/codetest.py"'.replace("/", PATH_SEPARATOR) in msg
+        or 'File ".\\tmp2/codetest.py' in msg  # py3.8 + win32
     ), msg
     print(
         execute_code(
-            "with open('codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')", work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp", use_docker=use_docker
+            "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')", work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp", use_docker=use_docker
         )
     )
     # execute code in a file
-    print(execute_code(filename="codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker))
-    print(execute_code("python codetest.py", lang="sh", use_docker=use_docker))
+    print(execute_code(filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker))
+    print(execute_code("python tmp/codetest.py", lang="sh", use_docker=use_docker))
     # execute code for assertion error
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("assert 1==2", use_docker=use_docker)
     assert exit_code, msg

From 35fced0218e99250bd91bc52877590889a94dea9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 23:38:32 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 10/32] ..

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 3 +++
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index e39f17bc39b..cef4a6543a6 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -407,6 +407,9 @@ def execute_code(
     # get a randomized str based on current time to wrap the exit code
     exit_code_str = f"exitcode{time.time()}"
     abs_path = pathlib.Path(work_dir).absolute()
+    non_abs_path = pathlib.Path(work_dir)
+    print(f"***** abs_path: {abs_path} *****")
+    print(f"***** non_abs_path: {non_abs_path} *****")
     host_os = platform.system()
     if host_os == "Windows":
         volume_path = str(abs_path).replace("\\", "/")

From 0342f0f848791985b68ccd32b5eba0f66adfa043 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 23:46:42 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 11/32] ..

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 5 -----
 1 file changed, 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index cef4a6543a6..589b799e4fd 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -407,14 +407,9 @@ def execute_code(
     # get a randomized str based on current time to wrap the exit code
     exit_code_str = f"exitcode{time.time()}"
     abs_path = pathlib.Path(work_dir).absolute()
-    non_abs_path = pathlib.Path(work_dir)
-    print(f"***** abs_path: {abs_path} *****")
-    print(f"***** non_abs_path: {non_abs_path} *****")
     host_os = platform.system()
     if host_os == "Windows":
         volume_path = str(abs_path).replace("\\", "/")
-        volume_path = volume_path.replace(":", "").lower()
-        volume_path = "//" + volume_path[0].lower() + volume_path[1:]
     else:
         volume_path = str(abs_path)
 

From 1f684c13fd12ef6fa57685abd7aaddcf38ce3f28 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2024 23:51:28 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 12/32] ..

---
 test/test_code.py | 10 ++++++++--
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/test_code.py b/test/test_code.py
index ec8ada2c906..92028eb1cce 100644
--- a/test/test_code.py
+++ b/test/test_code.py
@@ -305,10 +305,16 @@ def test_execute_code(use_docker=None):
         docker = None
     if use_docker is None:
         use_docker = docker is not None
-    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker)
+    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
+        "print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp1"
+    )
     assert exit_code == 0 and msg == "hello world\n", msg
     # read a file
-    print(execute_code("with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker))
+    print(
+        execute_code(
+            "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp1"
+        )
+    )
     # create a file
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
         "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')",

From 3c563c8e8012cce85eca1770f1874c1c5a849081 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:00:36 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 13/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 3 +++
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 2f1af9ab744..da09770f80f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - run: |
+          echo ${{ github.workspace }}
+          echo $GITHUB_WORKSPACE
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From d8928925724ce6295cf83c70a026757b3ee2b309 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:00:54 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 14/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 3 ---
 1 file changed, 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index da09770f80f..2f1af9ab744 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -31,9 +31,6 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-      - run: |
-          echo ${{ github.workspace }}
-          echo $GITHUB_WORKSPACE
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From 22ca0a4e25d496e878e361424ec11d07ddec30fa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:11:08 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 15/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 2f1af9ab744..d2edd804cf6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - run: |
+          docker ps
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From ecb23a496ecb2d09447f92b077a97b957780db0e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:19:44 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 16/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index d2edd804cf6..f21e48bbf40 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v1
       - run: |
           docker ps
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}

From 0f4426c45a5b61010cf0f2921cabd6b723f46c02 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:22:46 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 17/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 11 +++++++----
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index f21e48bbf40..cd0a2be8e1f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -31,10 +31,13 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v1
-      - run: |
-          docker ps
+      - name: Run a Python container and execute script
+        run: |
+          docker run \
+            --name py-container \
+            -v ${{ github.workspace }}:/workspace \
+            python:3.8 \
+            python print("hello world")
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From 7f273588f8a2ae0991b9b8bb5fb2f52513d85332 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:25:03 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 18/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index cd0a2be8e1f..57a73fa010a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ jobs:
             --name py-container \
             -v ${{ github.workspace }}:/workspace \
             python:3.8 \
-            python print("hello world")
+            python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From 3a6e35be2e79340c1916a207b714b1bdd0038e27 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:29:40 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 19/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 7 +------
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 57a73fa010a..3d9642899d6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -32,12 +32,7 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
       - name: Run a Python container and execute script
-        run: |
-          docker run \
-            --name py-container \
-            -v ${{ github.workspace }}:/workspace \
-            python:3.8 \
-            python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
+        run: docker run --name py-container -v ${{ github.workspace }}:/workspace python:3.8 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From 1663f8c14f88abbe96eff0604709d8b791ef353e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:31:45 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 20/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 3d9642899d6..2b3ceb522e9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
       - name: Run a Python container and execute script
-        run: docker run --name py-container -v ${{ github.workspace }}:/workspace python:3.8 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
+        run: docker run --name py-container -v ${{ github.workspace }}:/workspace python:3 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From d083897031662491aeeb9917ad1bfd9ea6bef7ea Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:46:27 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 21/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 5 ++++-
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 2b3ceb522e9..b1c686d3214 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
       - name: Run a Python container and execute script
-        run: docker run --name py-container -v ${{ github.workspace }}:/workspace python:3 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
+        run: |
+          $path = "${{ github.workspace }}".Replace("\", "/")
+          docker run --name py-container -v $path:/workspace python:3.8 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
+        shell: pwsh
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From 4eec002c8257a5a57e77e5e604ab1df3b1b5c48b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:49:04 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 22/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index b1c686d3214..c8654ea309b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run a Python container and execute script
         run: |
           $path = "${{ github.workspace }}".Replace("\", "/")
-          docker run --name py-container -v $path:/workspace python:3.8 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
+          docker run --name py-container -v ${path}:/workspace python:3.8 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
         shell: pwsh
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4

From b6712d19a887f58c1d079eff939496217cdb9b8f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 00:50:34 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 23/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index c8654ea309b..07bd096e561 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run a Python container and execute script
         run: |
           $path = "${{ github.workspace }}".Replace("\", "/")
-          docker run --name py-container -v ${path}:/workspace python:3.8 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
+          docker run --name py-container -v ${path}:/workspace python:3 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
         shell: pwsh
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4

From 8bef15b6a4d5802e146b119ad2a274f5a10851af Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 01:00:14 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 24/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 2 +-
 autogen/code_utils.py       | 5 +++--
 test/test_code.py           | 7 +++++++
 3 files changed, 11 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 07bd096e561..f76195ac29c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run a Python container and execute script
         run: |
           $path = "${{ github.workspace }}".Replace("\", "/")
-          docker run --name py-container -v ${path}:/workspace python:3 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
+          docker run --name py-container -v ${path}:c:/workspace python:3 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
         shell: pwsh
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index 589b799e4fd..fff6235fef2 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -421,13 +421,14 @@ def execute_code(
         f"{_cmd(lang)} {filename}; exit_code=$?; echo -n {exit_code_str}; echo -n $exit_code; echo {exit_code_str}",
     ]
     # create a docker container
+    workspace = "c:/workspace" if host_os == "Windows" else "/workspace"
     container = client.containers.run(
         image,
         command=cmd,
-        working_dir="/workspace",
+        working_dir=workspace,
         detach=True,
         # get absolute path to the working directory
-        volumes={volume_path: {"bind": "/workspace", "mode": "rw"}},
+        volumes={volume_path: {"bind": workspace, "mode": "rw"}},
     )
     start_time = time.time()
     while container.status != "exited" and time.time() - start_time < timeout:
diff --git a/test/test_code.py b/test/test_code.py
index 92028eb1cce..2dbbf36bc1b 100644
--- a/test/test_code.py
+++ b/test/test_code.py
@@ -303,6 +303,13 @@ def test_execute_code(use_docker=None):
     except ImportError as exc:
         print(exc)
         docker = None
+
+    import platform
+
+    host_os = platform.system()
+    if host_os == "Darwin":
+        print("Skip test_execute_code on MacOS")
+        use_docker = False
     if use_docker is None:
         use_docker = docker is not None
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(

From 12e2a66f93727721cefae76b15ccc3260037caf6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 01:09:48 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 25/32] ..

---
 autogen/code_utils.py |  2 +-
 test/test_code.py     | 10 ++--------
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index fff6235fef2..ac2b81b65b6 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ def execute_code(
             try:
                 client.images.pull(image)
                 break
-            except docker.errors.DockerException:
+            except (docker.errors.DockerException, docker.errors.APIError):
                 print("Failed to pull image", image)
     # get a randomized str based on current time to wrap the exit code
     exit_code_str = f"exitcode{time.time()}"
diff --git a/test/test_code.py b/test/test_code.py
index 2dbbf36bc1b..e68d78fb3ff 100644
--- a/test/test_code.py
+++ b/test/test_code.py
@@ -312,16 +312,10 @@ def test_execute_code(use_docker=None):
         use_docker = False
     if use_docker is None:
         use_docker = docker is not None
-    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
-        "print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp1"
-    )
+    exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker)
     assert exit_code == 0 and msg == "hello world\n", msg
     # read a file
-    print(
-        execute_code(
-            "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker, work_dir=f"{here}/my_tmp1"
-        )
-    )
+    print(execute_code("with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'r') as f: a=f.read()", use_docker=use_docker))
     # create a file
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code(
         "with open('tmp/codetest.py', 'w') as f: f.write('b=1')",

From c4f49bbb6f9311cdfdc117aeb959fe46e572ec87 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 01:10:40 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 26/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 5 -----
 1 file changed, 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index f76195ac29c..2f1af9ab744 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -31,11 +31,6 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-      - name: Run a Python container and execute script
-        run: |
-          $path = "${{ github.workspace }}".Replace("\", "/")
-          docker run --name py-container -v ${path}:c:/workspace python:3 python -c "print('Hello, World!')"
-        shell: pwsh
       - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:

From 2f89091a3b9a1f3a77a6b0d6daee44756a7d9393 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 02:39:43 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 27/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml            |  6 +++
 autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py | 59 +++++++++++++++++++-------
 test/test_code.py                      |  6 ---
 3 files changed, 50 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 2f1af9ab744..488d6d8b0dd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -41,6 +41,12 @@ jobs:
           pip install -e .
           python -c "import autogen"
           pip install -e. pytest mock
+      - name: Set environment variable based on OS
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ matrix.os }}" = "macos-latest" ]; then
+            echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          elif [ "${{ matrix.os }}" = "windows-latest" ]; then
+            echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Test with pytest
         if: matrix.python-version != '3.10'
         run: |
diff --git a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
index 012215b5a01..7881acee85b 100644
--- a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
+++ b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import os
 import asyncio
 import copy
 import functools
@@ -37,6 +38,45 @@ def colored(x, *args, **kwargs):
 F = TypeVar("F", bound=Callable[..., Any])
 
 
+def check_and_decide_use_docker(code_execution_config: Dict) -> bool:
+    if "use_docker" in code_execution_config:
+        use_docker = code_execution_config["use_docker"]
+    else:
+        env_var_use_docker = os.environ.get("AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER", "True")
+
+        truthy_values = {"1", "true", "yes", "t"}
+        falsy_values = {"0", "false", "no", "f"}
+
+        # Convert the value to lowercase for case-insensitive comparison
+        env_var_use_docker_lower = env_var_use_docker.lower()
+
+        # Determine the boolean value based on the environment variable
+        if env_var_use_docker_lower in truthy_values:
+            use_docker = True
+        elif env_var_use_docker_lower in falsy_values:
+            use_docker = False
+        elif env_var_use_docker_lower == "none":  # Special case for 'None' as a string
+            use_docker = None
+        else:
+            # Raise an error for any unrecognized value
+            raise ValueError(
+                f'Invalid value for AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER: {env_var_use_docker}. Please set AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER to "1/True/yes", "0/False/no", or "None".'
+            )
+
+    if use_docker is not None:
+        inside_docker = in_docker_container()
+        docker_installed_and_running = is_docker_running()
+        if use_docker and not inside_docker and not docker_installed_and_running:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                'Docker is not running, please make sure docker is running (advised approach for code execution) or set "use_docker":False.'
+            )
+        if not use_docker:
+            logger.warning(
+                'use_docker was set to False. Any code execution will be run natively but we strongly advise to set "use_docker":True. Set "use_docker":None to silence this message.'
+            )
+    return use_docker
+
+
 class ConversableAgent(Agent):
     """(In preview) A class for generic conversable agents which can be configured as assistant or user proxy.
 
@@ -140,21 +180,10 @@ def __init__(
         )
 
         if isinstance(self._code_execution_config, Dict):
-            if "use_docker" in self._code_execution_config:
-                use_docker = self._code_execution_config["use_docker"]
-            else:
-                use_docker = True
-            if use_docker is not None:
-                inside_docker = in_docker_container()
-                docker_installed_and_running = is_docker_running()
-                if use_docker and not inside_docker and not docker_installed_and_running:
-                    raise RuntimeError(
-                        'Docker is not running, please make sure docker is running (advised approach for code execution) or set "use_docker":False.'
-                    )
-                if not use_docker:
-                    logger.warning(
-                        'use_docker was set to False. Any code execution will be run natively but we strongly advise to set "use_docker":True. Set "use_docker":None to silence this message.'
-                    )
+            use_docker = check_and_decide_use_docker(self._code_execution_config)
+            self._code_execution_config["use_docker"] = use_docker
+            print(f"Code execution is set to use docker: {use_docker}")
+
         self.human_input_mode = human_input_mode
         self._max_consecutive_auto_reply = (
             max_consecutive_auto_reply if max_consecutive_auto_reply is not None else self.MAX_CONSECUTIVE_AUTO_REPLY
diff --git a/test/test_code.py b/test/test_code.py
index e68d78fb3ff..6b02a3b0656 100644
--- a/test/test_code.py
+++ b/test/test_code.py
@@ -304,12 +304,6 @@ def test_execute_code(use_docker=None):
         print(exc)
         docker = None
 
-    import platform
-
-    host_os = platform.system()
-    if host_os == "Darwin":
-        print("Skip test_execute_code on MacOS")
-        use_docker = False
     if use_docker is None:
         use_docker = docker is not None
     exit_code, msg, image = execute_code("print('hello world')", filename="tmp/codetest.py", use_docker=use_docker)

From 06c18f3d893b2adbbef1402951cd09cf9e92dbd5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 02:42:56 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 28/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 488d6d8b0dd..99b111edb70 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ jobs:
             echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           elif [ "${{ matrix.os }}" = "windows-latest" ]; then
             echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          fi
       - name: Test with pytest
         if: matrix.python-version != '3.10'
         run: |

From b082678ee6104d64dc764607dd44462283bd0bbc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 02:47:42 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 29/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 11 +++++------
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 99b111edb70..9a1fb33fc37 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -41,13 +41,12 @@ jobs:
           pip install -e .
           python -c "import autogen"
           pip install -e. pytest mock
-      - name: Set environment variable based on OS
+      - name: Set AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER based on OS
         run: |
-          if [ "${{ matrix.os }}" = "macos-latest" ]; then
-            echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          elif [ "${{ matrix.os }}" = "windows-latest" ]; then
-            echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          fi
+          if ($env:matrix_os -eq "macos-latest" -or $env:matrix_os -eq "windows-latest") {
+            "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" | Out-File -Append -FilePath $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          } # Add other conditions or an else clause as needed
+        shell: pwsh  # Specify pwsh as the shell for this step
       - name: Test with pytest
         if: matrix.python-version != '3.10'
         run: |

From dad98543ee5b3db33a8b678c06fd4c70eb24c075 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 03:33:03 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 30/32] ...

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml            |  2 +-
 autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py | 48 +++-------------------
 autogen/code_utils.py                  | 55 +++++++++++++++++++++-----
 3 files changed, 53 insertions(+), 52 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 9a1fb33fc37..41d6b7e432e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ jobs:
           pip install -e. pytest mock
       - name: Set AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER based on OS
         run: |
-          if ($env:matrix_os -eq "macos-latest" -or $env:matrix_os -eq "windows-latest") {
+          if ($env:matrix_os -eq "macos-latest" -or $env:matrix_os -eq "windows-2019") {
             "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" | Out-File -Append -FilePath $env:GITHUB_ENV
           } # Add other conditions or an else clause as needed
         shell: pwsh  # Specify pwsh as the shell for this step
diff --git a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
index 7881acee85b..8a3b7467748 100644
--- a/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
+++ b/autogen/agentchat/conversable_agent.py
@@ -13,12 +13,13 @@
     DEFAULT_MODEL,
     UNKNOWN,
     content_str,
+    check_use_docker,
+    decide_use_docker,
     execute_code,
     extract_code,
     infer_lang,
-    is_docker_running,
-    in_docker_container,
 )
+
 from ..function_utils import get_function_schema, load_basemodels_if_needed, serialize_to_str
 from .agent import Agent
 from .._pydantic import model_dump
@@ -38,45 +39,6 @@ def colored(x, *args, **kwargs):
 F = TypeVar("F", bound=Callable[..., Any])
 
 
-def check_and_decide_use_docker(code_execution_config: Dict) -> bool:
-    if "use_docker" in code_execution_config:
-        use_docker = code_execution_config["use_docker"]
-    else:
-        env_var_use_docker = os.environ.get("AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER", "True")
-
-        truthy_values = {"1", "true", "yes", "t"}
-        falsy_values = {"0", "false", "no", "f"}
-
-        # Convert the value to lowercase for case-insensitive comparison
-        env_var_use_docker_lower = env_var_use_docker.lower()
-
-        # Determine the boolean value based on the environment variable
-        if env_var_use_docker_lower in truthy_values:
-            use_docker = True
-        elif env_var_use_docker_lower in falsy_values:
-            use_docker = False
-        elif env_var_use_docker_lower == "none":  # Special case for 'None' as a string
-            use_docker = None
-        else:
-            # Raise an error for any unrecognized value
-            raise ValueError(
-                f'Invalid value for AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER: {env_var_use_docker}. Please set AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER to "1/True/yes", "0/False/no", or "None".'
-            )
-
-    if use_docker is not None:
-        inside_docker = in_docker_container()
-        docker_installed_and_running = is_docker_running()
-        if use_docker and not inside_docker and not docker_installed_and_running:
-            raise RuntimeError(
-                'Docker is not running, please make sure docker is running (advised approach for code execution) or set "use_docker":False.'
-            )
-        if not use_docker:
-            logger.warning(
-                'use_docker was set to False. Any code execution will be run natively but we strongly advise to set "use_docker":True. Set "use_docker":None to silence this message.'
-            )
-    return use_docker
-
-
 class ConversableAgent(Agent):
     """(In preview) A class for generic conversable agents which can be configured as assistant or user proxy.
 
@@ -180,7 +142,9 @@ def __init__(
         )
 
         if isinstance(self._code_execution_config, Dict):
-            use_docker = check_and_decide_use_docker(self._code_execution_config)
+            use_docker = self._code_execution_config.get("use_docker", None)
+            use_docker = decide_use_docker(use_docker)
+            check_use_docker(use_docker)
             self._code_execution_config["use_docker"] = use_docker
             print(f"Code execution is set to use docker: {use_docker}")
 
diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index ac2b81b65b6..ae5edff8e02 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 except ImportError:
     docker = None
 
+SENTINEL = object()
 DEFAULT_MODEL = "gpt-4"
 FAST_MODEL = "gpt-3.5-turbo"
 # Regular expression for finding a code block
@@ -254,12 +255,51 @@ def in_docker_container():
     return os.path.exists("/.dockerenv")
 
 
+def decide_use_docker(use_docker) -> bool:
+    if use_docker is None:
+        env_var_use_docker = os.environ.get("AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER", "True")
+
+        truthy_values = {"1", "true", "yes", "t"}
+        falsy_values = {"0", "false", "no", "f"}
+
+        # Convert the value to lowercase for case-insensitive comparison
+        env_var_use_docker_lower = env_var_use_docker.lower()
+
+        # Determine the boolean value based on the environment variable
+        if env_var_use_docker_lower in truthy_values:
+            use_docker = True
+        elif env_var_use_docker_lower in falsy_values:
+            use_docker = False
+        elif env_var_use_docker_lower == "none":  # Special case for 'None' as a string
+            use_docker = None
+        else:
+            # Raise an error for any unrecognized value
+            raise ValueError(
+                f'Invalid value for AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER: {env_var_use_docker}. Please set AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER to "1/True/yes", "0/False/no", or "None".'
+            )
+    return use_docker
+
+
+def check_use_docker(use_docker) -> None:
+    if use_docker is not None:
+        inside_docker = in_docker_container()
+        docker_installed_and_running = is_docker_running()
+        if use_docker and not inside_docker and not docker_installed_and_running:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                'Docker is not running, please make sure docker is running (advised approach for code execution) or set "use_docker":False.'
+            )
+        if not use_docker:
+            logger.warning(
+                'use_docker was set to False. Any code execution will be run natively but we strongly advise to set "use_docker":True. Set "use_docker":None to silence this message.'
+            )
+
+
 def execute_code(
     code: Optional[str] = None,
     timeout: Optional[int] = None,
     filename: Optional[str] = None,
     work_dir: Optional[str] = None,
-    use_docker: Union[List[str], str, bool] = True,
+    use_docker: Union[List[str], str, bool] = SENTINEL,
     lang: Optional[str] = "python",
 ) -> Tuple[int, str, str]:
     """Execute code in a docker container.
@@ -302,16 +342,14 @@ def execute_code(
         logger.error(error_msg)
         raise AssertionError(error_msg)
 
-    # # Warn if use_docker was set to False
-    # # In this case the current behavior is to fall back to run natively, but this behavior
-    # # is subject to change.
     running_inside_docker = in_docker_container()
     docker_running = is_docker_running()
 
-    if use_docker is not None and not use_docker and not running_inside_docker:
-        logger.warning(
-            "execute_code was called with use_docker set to False. Code will be run natively but we strongly advise to set use_docker=True. Set use_docker=None to silence this message."
-        )
+    print(f"BEFORE check_and_decide_use_docker: {use_docker}")
+    if use_docker is SENTINEL:
+        use_docker = decide_use_docker(use_docker=None)
+    print(f"AFTER check_and_decide_use_docker: {use_docker}")
+    check_use_docker(use_docker)
 
     timeout = timeout or DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
     original_filename = filename
@@ -377,7 +415,6 @@ def execute_code(
 
     # create a docker client
     if use_docker and not docker_running:
-        print("******** docker not running raising runtime error ********")
         raise RuntimeError(
             "Docker package is missing or docker is not running. Please make sure docker is running or set use_docker=False."
         )

From 52db2b0f6871d87476a06495d0496d623cae223e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 03:43:07 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 31/32] ..

---
 autogen/code_utils.py | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/autogen/code_utils.py b/autogen/code_utils.py
index ae5edff8e02..471ebbfaff5 100644
--- a/autogen/code_utils.py
+++ b/autogen/code_utils.py
@@ -256,8 +256,10 @@ def in_docker_container():
 
 
 def decide_use_docker(use_docker) -> bool:
+    print(f"inside decide_use_docker: {use_docker}")
     if use_docker is None:
         env_var_use_docker = os.environ.get("AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER", "True")
+        print(f"env_var_use_docker: {env_var_use_docker}")
 
         truthy_values = {"1", "true", "yes", "t"}
         falsy_values = {"0", "false", "no", "f"}

From 355d11532a62f74cc9d72d8bb05a49f1f610779a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: olgavrou <olgavrou@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2024 03:53:08 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 32/32] ..

---
 .github/workflows/build.yml | 13 +++++++++----
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 41d6b7e432e..dde7594fcda 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -42,11 +42,16 @@ jobs:
           python -c "import autogen"
           pip install -e. pytest mock
       - name: Set AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER based on OS
+        shell: bash
         run: |
-          if ($env:matrix_os -eq "macos-latest" -or $env:matrix_os -eq "windows-2019") {
-            "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" | Out-File -Append -FilePath $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          } # Add other conditions or an else clause as needed
-        shell: pwsh  # Specify pwsh as the shell for this step
+          if [[ ${{ matrix.os }} == windows-2019 ]]; then
+            echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          elif [[ ${{ matrix.os }} == macos-latest ]]; then
+            echo "AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER=False" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          fi
+      - name: Use the Environment Variable
+        run: echo "The value of AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER is $AUTOGEN_USE_DOCKER"
+        shell: bash
       - name: Test with pytest
         if: matrix.python-version != '3.10'
         run: |