mongodb/node-mongodb-native · error · MongoCompatibilityError

${INVALID_QE_VERSION} The minimum server version required is

Error message

${INVALID_QE_VERSION} The minimum server version required is ${MIN_SUPPORTED_QE_SERVER_VERSION}

What it means

Thrown when creating a collection with Queryable Encryption (encryptedFields) against a server whose wire protocol is older than MIN_SUPPORTED_QE_WIRE_VERSION (21, i.e. MongoDB 7.0). QE v2 requires server-side support for the encrypted auxiliary collections (esc/ecoc), so the driver refuses to even attempt the create.

Source

Thrown at src/operations/create_collection.ts:169

  const timeoutContext = TimeoutContext.create({
    session: options.session,
    serverSelectionTimeoutMS: db.client.s.options.serverSelectionTimeoutMS,
    waitQueueTimeoutMS: db.client.s.options.waitQueueTimeoutMS,
    timeoutMS: options.timeoutMS
  });

  const encryptedFields: Document | undefined =
    options.encryptedFields ??
    db.client.s.options.autoEncryption?.encryptedFieldsMap?.[`${db.databaseName}.${name}`];

  if (encryptedFields) {
    class CreateSupportingFLEv2CollectionOperation extends CreateCollectionOperation {
      override buildCommandDocument(connection: Connection, session?: ClientSession): Document {
        if (
          !connection.description.loadBalanced &&
          maxWireVersion(connection) < MIN_SUPPORTED_QE_WIRE_VERSION
        ) {
          throw new MongoCompatibilityError(
            `${INVALID_QE_VERSION} The minimum server version required is ${MIN_SUPPORTED_QE_SERVER_VERSION}`
          );
        }

        return super.buildCommandDocument(connection, session);
      }
    }

    // Create auxilliary collections for queryable encryption support.
    const escCollection = encryptedFields.escCollection ?? `enxcol_.${name}.esc`;
    const ecocCollection = encryptedFields.ecocCollection ?? `enxcol_.${name}.ecoc`;

    for (const collectionName of [escCollection, ecocCollection]) {
      const createOp = new CreateSupportingFLEv2CollectionOperation(db, collectionName, {
        clusteredIndex: {
          key: { _id: 1 },
          unique: true
        },

View on GitHub (pinned to dce7939f86)

Solutions

1. Upgrade the MongoDB server to 7.0 or later (wire version 21+).
2. If you cannot upgrade, remove the encryptedFields option and the autoEncryption.encryptedFieldsMap entry so the driver does not attempt QE creation.
3. Verify with db.hello().maxWireVersion >= 21 before issuing createCollection when encryptedFields is in play.

Example fix

// before — server is 6.0
await db.createCollection('patients', { encryptedFields });

// after — upgrade server to 7.0+, then the same call works

const hello = await db.command('hello');
if (options.encryptedFields && hello.maxWireVersion < 21) {
  throw new Error('Queryable Encryption requires MongoDB 7.0+ (wire version 21)');
}
await db.createCollection(name, options);

When it happens

Trigger: Calling db.createCollection(name, { encryptedFields }) or letting the autoEncryption.encryptedFieldsMap drive creation against a 6.0-or-earlier MongoDB.

Common situations: Pointing a CSFLE/QE-enabled app at a dev cluster still on 6.0; upgrading the driver (which raised the minimum) without upgrading the server; mixing legacy FLE v1 (which worked on older servers) with new QE v2 code.

Related errors

• Snapshot reads require MongoDB 5.0 or later
• Cannot set both proxyOptions and kmsConnectCallback
• Can only provide a custom AWS credential provider when the s
• `cryptSharedLibRequired` set but no crypt_shared library loa
• Unable to connect to `mongocryptd`, please make sure it is r

AI-assisted analysis of mongodb/node-mongodb-native@dce7939f86 (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/47a3953d9ebd8bfc. Report an issue: GitHub.