WebdriverIO "session not created: This version of ChromeDriver" in CI

WebdriverIO surfaces the underlying WebDriver session-not-created error when the resolved ChromeDriver and the installed Chrome are different majors. The session fails to start and the run aborts.

What this error means

wdio fails launching sessions with "session not created: This version of ChromeDriver only supports Chrome version X (Current browser version is Y)".

webdriverio

ERROR @wdio/local-runner: Failed launching session:
session not created: This version of ChromeDriver only supports Chrome version 114
Current browser version is 126.0.6478.126

Common causes

A cached driver lags the updated browser

The driver manager reused a cached ChromeDriver from a prior run while Chrome on the image moved to a newer major.

A pinned driver version in the config

An explicit driver version in wdio.conf or the capabilities pins an old major that no longer matches Chrome.

How to fix it

Let wdio resolve the driver for the installed browser

Remove any hard-pinned ChromeDriver version from the config.
Update @wdio packages so the driver manager resolves the current browser.
Re-run so a matching driver is fetched.

wdio.conf.js

// wdio.conf.js: drop pinned driver; let wdio auto-resolve
exports.config = { capabilities: [{ browserName: 'chrome' }] }

Pin browser and driver together

If you must pin, pin Chrome and ChromeDriver to the same major from Chrome for Testing so they stay aligned.

.github/workflows/ci.yml

- uses: browser-actions/setup-chrome@v1
  with:
    chrome-version: '126'
    install-chromedriver: true

How to prevent it

Do not pin a ChromeDriver major independent of the browser.
Avoid caching the driver across runs where Chrome auto-updates.
Keep @wdio packages current so the driver manager tracks new browsers.