ipfs/kubo · error

Your programs version (%d) is lower than your repos (%d). Pl

Error message

Your programs version (%d) is lower than your repos (%d).
Please update ipfs to a version that supports the existing repo, or run
a migration in reverse.

See https://github.com/ipfs/fs-repo-migrations/blob/master/run.md for details.

What it means

Error "Your programs version (%d) is lower than your repos (%d). Please update ipfs to a version that supports the existing repo, or run a migration in reverse. See https://github.com/ipfs/fs-repo-migrations/blob/master/run.md for details." thrown in ipfs/kubo.

Source

Thrown at repo/fsrepo/fsrepo.go:191

		if !keepLocked {
			r.lockfile.Close()
		}
	}()

	// Check version, and error out if not matching
	ver, err := migrations.RepoVersion(r.path)
	if err != nil {
		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
			return nil, ErrNoVersion
		}
		return nil, err
	}

	if RepoVersion > ver {
		return nil, ErrNeedMigration
	} else if ver > RepoVersion {
		// program version too low for existing repo
		return nil, fmt.Errorf(programTooLowMessage, RepoVersion, ver)
	}

	// check repo path, then check all constituent parts.
	if err := fsutil.DirWritable(r.path); err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	if err := r.openConfig(); err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	if err := r.openUserResourceOverrides(); err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	if err := r.openDatastore(); err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 329838acdf)

Solutions

1. Upgrade kubo to a version whose RepoVersion is >= the on-disk repo version
2. Or run fs-repo-migrations in reverse to downgrade the repo (https://github.com/ipfs/fs-repo-migrations/blob/master/run.md)
3. Check with the error's second number what repo version is on disk before choosing

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at repo/fsrepo/fsrepo.go:191 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of ipfs/kubo@329838acdf (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ed206977dbfdd2c6. Report an issue: GitHub.