Storybook Addon Incompatible Version - Fix in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

Storybook addons must match the core major version. After a partial upgrade, an addon on the old major loads against new core APIs and the build (or preview) fails.

What this error means

The build fails loading an addon, or warns that addon and core versions differ. Common right after a major Storybook bump.

WARN Found incompatible Storybook packages:
WARN @storybook/addon-essentials@7.6.0 (expected ^8.0.0)
Error: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'channel')

Common causes

Partial major upgrade

Core was bumped to a new major but one or more addons were left on the previous major.

Pinned mismatched versions

package.json pins addons to versions that do not match the core range.

How to fix it

Upgrade all Storybook packages together

1. Use the Storybook upgrade command to align core and addons.
2. Run the doctor to confirm.

npx storybook@latest upgrade
npx storybook doctor

Align versions manually

1. Set every @storybook/* package to the same major range and reinstall.

npm install -D @storybook/addon-essentials@^8 @storybook/react-vite@^8 storybook@^8

How to prevent it

• Upgrade core and addons in one change; never piecemeal.
• Run storybook doctor after dependency changes.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• Node.js documentation
• npm CLI documentation
• GitHub Actions documentation