GoogleChrome/lighthouse · error · LighthouseError

UNSUPPORTED_OLD_CHROME

UNSUPPORTED_OLD_CHROME

Error message

This version of Chrome is too old to support '{featureName}'. Use a newer version to see full results.

What it means

Thrown as a LighthouseError with code UNSUPPORTED_OLD_CHROME from Responsiveness.findInteractionEvent() when every EventTiming candidate trace event lacks `args.data.frame`. Chrome before milestone 103 stored the frame ID in `args.frame`; m103+ moved it to `args.data.frame`. Lighthouse no longer provides a fallback for old-format traces, so it cannot reliably correlate responsiveness events to interaction events on pre-m103 Chrome.

Source

Thrown at core/computed/metrics/responsiveness.js:91

   * if the closest match is off by more than 4ms.
   * TODO: this doesn't try to match inputs to interactions and break ties if more than
   * one interaction had this duration by returning the first found.
   * @param {ResponsivenessEvent} responsivenessEvent
   * @param {LH.Trace} trace
   * @return {EventTimingEvent}
   */
  static findInteractionEvent(responsivenessEvent, {traceEvents}) {
    const candidates = traceEvents.filter(/** @return {evt is EventTimingEvent} */ evt => {
      // Examine only beginning/instant EventTiming events.
      return evt.name === 'EventTiming' && evt.ph !== 'e';
    });

    // If trace is from < m103, the timestamps cannot be trusted
    // <m103 traces (bad) had a   args.frame (we used to provide a fallback trace event, but not
    //                                        any more)
    // m103+ traces (good) have a args.data.frame (https://crrev.com/c/3632661)
    if (candidates.length && candidates.every(candidate => !candidate.args.data?.frame)) {
      throw new LighthouseError(
        LighthouseError.errors.UNSUPPORTED_OLD_CHROME,
        {featureName: 'detailed EventTiming trace events'}
      );
    }

    const {maxDuration, interactionType} = responsivenessEvent.args.data;
    let bestMatchEvent;
    let minDurationDiff = Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY;
    for (const candidate of candidates) {
      // Must be from same frame.
      if (candidate.args.data.frame !== responsivenessEvent.args.frame) continue;

      // TODO(bckenny): must be in same navigation as well.

      const {type, duration} = candidate.args.data;
      // Discard if type is incompatible with responsiveness interactionType.
      const matchingTypes = interactionTypeToType[interactionType];
      if (!matchingTypes) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 9515cd4e58)

Solutions

Upgrade Chrome to version 103 or newer (ideally the latest stable)
If using Puppeteer/Playwright, update the browser binary or remove a pinned executablePath
In CI, use a Chrome for Testing or Chrome Headless Shell image that is version 103+
If stuck on old Chrome, accept that the Responsiveness/INP metric will not be available

Example fix

// before (puppeteer pinned to old chrome)
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
  executablePath: '/opt/google/chrome-old/chrome',
});

// after (let puppeteer use bundled/up-to-date chrome)
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Check Chrome version before requesting Responsiveness
function getChromeMajorVersion(userAgent) {
  const match = /Chrome\/(\d+)/.exec(userAgent);
  return match ? parseInt(match[1], 10) : 0;
}
if (getChromeMajorVersion(navigator.userAgent) < 103) {
  console.warn('Chrome < 103 does not support detailed EventTiming — Responsiveness unavailable');
}

Try / catch

try {
  const responsiveness = await Responsiveness.request(data, context);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof LighthouseError && e.code === 'UNSUPPORTED_OLD_CHROME') {
    // Chrome too old — Responsiveness/INP not available
    return { notApplicable: true, reason: 'UNSUPPORTED_OLD_CHROME' };
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Always use Chrome 103 or newer when collecting traces for Responsiveness/INP
Keep Puppeteer/Playwright browser binaries updated or unpinned
In CI, use Chrome for Testing images that track the latest stable version
Check the Chrome version before requesting the Responsiveness artifact

When it happens

Trigger: The Responsiveness computed artifact is requested (which calls findInteractionEvent), and the trace contains EventTiming events but all of them have `!candidate.args.data?.frame` (i.e., they use the pre-m103 format). The throw includes featureName: 'detailed EventTiming trace events' in the interpolated message.

Common situations: Running Lighthouse with a Chrome binary older than version 103. Using a pinned or legacy Chrome in CI that hasn't been updated. Testing against a Chromium fork that lags behind mainline. Puppeteer/Playwright with a fixed `executablePath` pointing to old Chrome.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of GoogleChrome/lighthouse@9515cd4e58 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0bf8a1f4dd0feb91. Report an issue: GitHub.