diff --git a/src/docker_data/mod.rs b/src/docker_data/mod.rs
index f71a5f7..69e58a6 100644
--- a/src/docker_data/mod.rs
+++ b/src/docker_data/mod.rs
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ impl DockerData {
         gui_state: Arc<Mutex<GuiState>>,
         is_running: Arc<AtomicBool>,
     ) {
-        let args = app_data.lock().args;
+        let args = app_data.lock().args.clone();
         if app_data.lock().get_error().is_none() {
             let mut inner = Self {
                 app_data,
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 29db59b..2d6fe97 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -17,17 +17,20 @@
 
 use app_data::AppData;
 use app_error::AppError;
-use bollard::Docker;
+use bollard::{Docker, API_DEFAULT_VERSION};
 use docker_data::DockerData;
 use input_handler::InputMessages;
 use parking_lot::Mutex;
 use parse_args::CliArgs;
-use std::sync::{
-    atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering},
-    Arc,
+use std::{
+    process,
+    sync::{
+        atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering},
+        Arc,
+    },
 };
 use tokio::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, Sender};
-use tracing::{info, Level};
+use tracing::{error, info, Level};
 
 mod app_data;
 mod app_error;
@@ -44,6 +47,7 @@ use crate::docker_data::DockerMessage;
 const ENTRY_POINT: &str = "/app/oxker";
 const ENV_KEY: &str = "OXKER_RUNTIME";
 const ENV_VALUE: &str = "container";
+const DOCKER_HOST: &str = "DOCKER_HOST";
 
 /// Enable tracing, only really used in debug mode, for now
 /// write to file if `-g` is set?
@@ -62,6 +66,18 @@ fn check_if_containerised() -> bool {
     }
 }
 
+/// Read the optional docker_host path, the cli args take priority over the DOCKER_HOST env
+fn read_docker_host(args: &CliArgs) -> Option<String> {
+    args.host.as_ref().map_or_else(
+        || {
+            std::env::vars()
+                .find(|x| x.0 == DOCKER_HOST)
+                .map(|(_, val)| val)
+        },
+        |x| Some(x.to_string()),
+    )
+}
+
 /// Create docker daemon handler, and only spawn up the docker data handler if a ping returns non-error
 async fn docker_init(
     app_data: &Arc<Mutex<AppData>>,
@@ -69,8 +85,13 @@ async fn docker_init(
     docker_rx: Receiver<DockerMessage>,
     gui_state: &Arc<Mutex<GuiState>>,
     is_running: &Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    host: Option<String>,
 ) {
-    if let Ok(docker) = Docker::connect_with_socket_defaults() {
+    let connection = host.map_or_else(Docker::connect_with_socket_defaults, |host| {
+        Docker::connect_with_socket(&host, 120, API_DEFAULT_VERSION)
+    });
+
+    if let Ok(docker) = connection {
         if docker.ping().await.is_ok() {
             let app_data = Arc::clone(app_data);
             let gui_state = Arc::clone(gui_state);
@@ -120,13 +141,25 @@ async fn main() {
     setup_tracing();
 
     let args = CliArgs::new();
-    let app_data = Arc::new(Mutex::new(AppData::default(args)));
+    let host = read_docker_host(&args);
+
+    //todo if host in arg, use that instead of env?
+
+    let app_data = Arc::new(Mutex::new(AppData::default(args.clone())));
     let gui_state = Arc::new(Mutex::new(GuiState::default()));
     let is_running = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(true));
     let (docker_sx, docker_rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::channel(32);
     let (input_sx, input_rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::channel(32);
 
-    docker_init(&app_data, containerised, docker_rx, &gui_state, &is_running).await;
+    docker_init(
+        &app_data,
+        containerised,
+        docker_rx,
+        &gui_state,
+        &is_running,
+        host,
+    )
+    .await;
 
     handler_init(&app_data, &docker_sx, &gui_state, input_rx, &is_running);
 
@@ -134,9 +167,13 @@ async fn main() {
         Ui::create(app_data, docker_sx, gui_state, is_running, input_sx).await;
     } else {
         info!("in debug mode");
+		// Debug mode for testing, mostly pointless, doesn't take terminal
         while is_running.load(Ordering::SeqCst) {
-            // Debug mode for testing, mostly pointless, doesn't take terminal
             loop {
+                if let Some(err) = app_data.lock().get_error() {
+                    error!("{}", err);
+                    process::exit(1);
+                }
                 docker_sx.send(DockerMessage::Update).await.ok();
                 tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(u64::from(
                     args.docker_interval,
diff --git a/src/parse_args/mod.rs b/src/parse_args/mod.rs
index d6c823d..7a69053 100644
--- a/src/parse_args/mod.rs
+++ b/src/parse_args/mod.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use std::process;
 use clap::Parser;
 use tracing::error;
 
-#[derive(Parser, Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+#[derive(Parser, Debug, Clone)]
 #[allow(clippy::struct_excessive_bools)]
 #[command(version, about)]
 pub struct CliArgs {
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ pub struct CliArgs {
     #[clap(short = 'c', conflicts_with = "raw")]
     pub color: bool,
 
+    /// Docker host, defaults to `/var/run/docker.sock`
+    #[clap(long, short = None)]
+    pub host: Option<String>,
+
     /// Show raw logs, default is to remove ansi formatting, conflicts with "-c"
     #[clap(short = 'r', conflicts_with = "color")]
     pub raw: bool,
@@ -46,6 +50,7 @@ impl CliArgs {
         Self {
             color: args.color,
             docker_interval: args.docker_interval,
+            host: args.host,
             gui: !args.gui,
             show_self: !args.show_self,
             raw: args.raw,