Project was created with an older Coherent version than the installed CLI
The CLI's config schema, generator templates, and validator rules evolve across releases. A project initialized with an older CLI may have a config shape that the newer CLI's downstream code doesn't expect — e.g., a missing field on a page that the new generator dereferences. Pre-v0.13.1 the CLI printed a soft warning and continued, leading to cryptic generic `TypeError` mid-generation. v0.13.1 makes this a hard stop at config-load time so the actionable fix shows BEFORE any state mutation.
When you see it
Running `coherent chat "..."` on a project whose `design-system.config.ts` has a `coherentVersion` field older than the CLI you are running.
Why
A project on an older config schema cannot be reliably driven by a newer generator without first being migrated. The hard stop prevents partial-state corruption that the soft-warn path could create.
Fix options
- 1
Run `coherent update` in the project
Applies the new CLI's rules and templates to your existing project without modifying your generated pages and components. Then re-run `coherent chat`.
$ cd your-project && coherent update - 2
Pin your global CLI to the old version
If you need to keep matching production parity with an older Coherent version, install the matching CLI globally instead of upgrading the project.
$ npm install -g @getcoherent/cli@<old-version>