CircleCI "Orb X not loaded" / cannot find orb error

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

CircleCI tried to resolve an orb declared under orbs and could not. The namespace/name is wrong, the version does not exist, or the orb is private and this project lacks access.

What this error means

Config processing fails with "Cannot find orb [namespace/orb@version] in the registry" or "Orb [name] not loaded. Required orb ... could not be found".

Error: config compilation contained errors:
 * Cannot find orb circleci/node@99.0.0 in the registry.

Common causes

Wrong orb name or version

The namespace/orb@version reference does not exist in the registry, often a typo or a version that was never published.

A private orb without org access

The orb belongs to an org namespace this project cannot read, so resolution is denied.

How to fix it

Pin a published orb version

1. Look up the orb in the CircleCI orb registry.
2. Set namespace/orb@version to a version that exists.
3. Re-process the config to confirm it resolves.

orbs:
  node: circleci/node@5.2.0

Grant access for a private orb

Ensure uncertified or private orbs are enabled for the org and the project has access to the namespace.

circleci orb info my-org/my-orb

How to prevent it

• Pin exact orb versions; avoid floating references.
• Verify orb names in the registry before committing.
• Enable private/uncertified orbs at the org level when needed.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation