diff --git a/.changeset/fix-cli-node-minimum.md b/.changeset/fix-cli-node-minimum.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0069bbada05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-cli-node-minimum.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@agent-native/core": patch
+---
+
+Enforce the package's Node.js 22.22.0 minimum in the CLI before scaffolding.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/cli/index.ts b/packages/core/src/cli/index.ts
index d24f4453c64..7716a681ad2 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/cli/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/cli/index.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,26 @@ try {
   _version = pkg.version;
 } catch {}
 
+// Fail fast on unsupported Node versions. The package engine is only
+// advisory — npx/pnpm merely warn — so without this an older Node first fails
+// deep inside a scaffold dynamic import with a cryptic ERR_MODULE / syntax
+// error that `handleScaffoldImportError` misreports as a corrupt npx cache.
+const REQUIRED_NODE_MAJOR = 22;
+const REQUIRED_NODE_MINOR = 22;
+const _nodeVersion = process.versions.node;
+const _nodeIsStable = /^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/.test(_nodeVersion);
+const [_nodeMajor, _nodeMinor] = _nodeVersion.split(".").map(Number);
+const _unsupportedNode =
+  !_nodeIsStable ||
+  _nodeMajor < REQUIRED_NODE_MAJOR ||
+  (_nodeMajor === REQUIRED_NODE_MAJOR && _nodeMinor < REQUIRED_NODE_MINOR);
+if (_unsupportedNode) {
+  console.error(
+    `agent-native requires Node.js ${REQUIRED_NODE_MAJOR}.${REQUIRED_NODE_MINOR}.0 or newer, but you're on Node ${process.versions.node}.\n` +
+      `Upgrade Node (https://nodejs.org) and re-run. With nvm: \`nvm install ${REQUIRED_NODE_MAJOR}\`.`,
+  );
+  process.exit(1);
+}
 /**
  * Build a redacted "command" tag from process.argv. Strips the value that
  * follows any --token / --key / --secret / --password / --api-key flag so