cline/cline · error

An incompatible Cline Hub is still running at ${expectedUrl}

Error message

An incompatible Cline Hub is still running at ${expectedUrl} and could not be retired automatically. Run 'cline doctor fix' to stop stale hub daemons before starting a new hub.

What it means

Error "An incompatible Cline Hub is still running at ${expectedUrl} and could not be retired automatically. Run 'cline doctor fix' to stop stale hub daemons before starting a new hub." thrown in cline/cline.

Source

Thrown at sdk/packages/core/src/hub/daemon/index.ts:667

			);
			if (
				nextOutcome === "deferred_busy" &&
				nextDiscovery?.authToken &&
				(await verifyHubConnection(nextExpected.url, {
					authToken: nextDiscovery.authToken,
				}))
			) {
				return rememberIfManaged({
					url: nextExpected.url,
					authToken: nextDiscovery.authToken,
				});
			}
			if (
				nextOutcome === "failed" &&
				endpointOverrides.allowPortFallback !== true &&
				endpoint.port !== 0
			) {
				throw new Error(
					`An incompatible Cline Hub is still running at ${expectedUrl} and could not be retired automatically. Run 'cline doctor fix' to stop stale hub daemons before starting a new hub.`,
				);
			}
		}
		await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, HUB_STARTUP_POLL_MS));
	}
	throw new Error("Timed out waiting for detached hub startup.");
}

export async function ensureDetachedHubServer(
	workspaceRoot: string,
	endpointOverrides: HubEndpointOverrides & {
		allowPortFallback?: boolean;
	} = {},
): Promise<DetachedHubResolution> {
	const owner = resolveDefaultHubOwnerContext();
	return await withHubStartupLock(owner.discoveryPath, async () =>
		ensureDetachedHubServerLocked(owner, workspaceRoot, endpointOverrides),

View on GitHub (pinned to 491b30b806)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at sdk/packages/core/src/hub/daemon/index.ts:667 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of cline/cline@491b30b806 (2026-08-25). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1a568677c65c6a13. Report an issue: GitHub.