diff --git a/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest.go b/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest.go
index f791465..f623db9 100644
--- a/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest.go
+++ b/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 
 	gname "github.com/google/go-containerregistry/pkg/name"
 	ocispec "github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/specs-go/v1"
+	"golang.org/x/mod/semver"
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 
 	"hauler.dev/go/hauler/v2/internal/flags"
@@ -65,6 +66,13 @@ func CreateManifestCmd(ctx context.Context, o *flags.CreateManifestOpts, s *stor
 		l.SetLevel("fatal")
 	}
 
+	// Warn when the store predates the provenance metadata this command relies on
+	// to faithfully reconstruct the manifest. Written to stderr so it stays visible
+	// even in stdout mode (where the logger is silenced and stdout carries the YAML).
+	if version, err := readStoreHaulerVersion(s.Root); err != nil || storeLacksProvenance(version) {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "WARNING: The version of Hauler used to create this store did not include provenance metadata to reconstruct the manifest. Please confirm the generated manifest is accurate.")
+	}
+
 	var images []manifestImage
 	var charts []manifestChart
 	var files []manifestFile
@@ -237,6 +245,50 @@ func CreateManifestCmd(ctx context.Context, o *flags.CreateManifestOpts, s *stor
 	return nil
 }
 
+// provenanceMinVersion is the first Hauler release whose stores record enough
+// provenance metadata for `store create manifest` to faithfully reconstruct
+// them. Stores written by earlier versions (or with no recorded version) get a
+// best-effort manifest and a warning.
+const provenanceMinVersion = "v2.1.0"
+
+// storeVersionMetadata mirrors the subset of store.json this command reads to
+// decide whether the store carries reliable provenance metadata.
+type storeVersionMetadata struct {
+	HaulerVersion string `json:"hauler-version"`
+}
+
+// readStoreHaulerVersion returns the "hauler-version" recorded in the store's
+// store.json, or an error if the file is missing or unparseable.
+func readStoreHaulerVersion(root string) (string, error) {
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(root, consts.DefaultStoreMetadataName))
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	var m storeVersionMetadata
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &m); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return m.HaulerVersion, nil
+}
+
+// storeLacksProvenance reports whether a store written by haulerVersion predates
+// provenanceMinVersion. An empty or unparseable version is treated as lacking
+// provenance. The comparison is by major.minor so that pre-releases of the
+// threshold (e.g. v2.1.0-rc1) are not flagged.
+func storeLacksProvenance(haulerVersion string) bool {
+	v := strings.TrimSpace(haulerVersion)
+	if v == "" {
+		return true
+	}
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(v, "v") {
+		v = "v" + v
+	}
+	if !semver.IsValid(v) {
+		return true
+	}
+	return semver.Compare(semver.MajorMinor(v), semver.MajorMinor(provenanceMinVersion)) < 0
+}
+
 func writeDoc(out *strings.Builder, header string, kind string, name string, spec interface{}) error {
 	doc := manifestDoc{
 		APIVersion: consts.ContentGroup + "/v1",
diff --git a/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest_test.go b/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest_test.go
index 1201c66..92d056e 100644
--- a/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest_test.go
+++ b/cmd/hauler/cli/store/create_manifest_test.go
@@ -327,6 +327,67 @@ func TestCreateManifestCmd_MixedContent(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestStoreLacksProvenance(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		version string
+		want    bool
+	}{
+		{name: "empty version", version: "", want: true},
+		{name: "whitespace only", version: "   ", want: true},
+		{name: "unparseable", version: "not-a-version", want: true},
+		{name: "older patch", version: "v2.0.2", want: true},
+		{name: "older minor", version: "v2.0.99", want: true},
+		{name: "older major", version: "v1.9.9", want: true},
+		{name: "pseudo-version before threshold", version: "v2.0.2-0.20260728211252-c6fbcc97b769+dirty", want: true},
+		{name: "threshold exactly", version: "v2.1.0", want: false},
+		{name: "threshold pre-release", version: "v2.1.0-rc1", want: false},
+		{name: "newer patch", version: "v2.1.5", want: false},
+		{name: "newer major", version: "v3.0.0", want: false},
+		{name: "missing v prefix still parses", version: "2.0.2", want: true},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := storeLacksProvenance(tc.version); got != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("storeLacksProvenance(%q) = %v, want %v", tc.version, got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReadStoreHaulerVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "store.json")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(`{"store-id":"abc","hauler-version":"v2.0.2"}`), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err := readStoreHaulerVersion(dir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("readStoreHaulerVersion: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got != "v2.0.2" {
+		t.Errorf("readStoreHaulerVersion = %q, want %q", got, "v2.0.2")
+	}
+
+	// A store.json with no hauler-version field yields an empty string (which the
+	// caller treats as lacking provenance).
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(`{"store-id":"abc"}`), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err = readStoreHaulerVersion(dir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("readStoreHaulerVersion (no version): %v", err)
+	}
+	if got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("readStoreHaulerVersion (no version) = %q, want empty", got)
+	}
+
+	// A missing store.json is surfaced as an error.
+	if _, err := readStoreHaulerVersion(t.TempDir()); err == nil {
+		t.Error("expected error reading version from a directory with no store.json")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDecodeOriginalChartRef(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name        string