diff --git a/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.test.ts b/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.test.ts
index 431d50b0..0fa8ac39 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.test.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,36 @@ describe("ensureBufferDependency", () => {
     expect(result?.added).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  // #98: presence is not enough — an out-of-range version must be corrected.
+  it("should_update_buffer_when_the_declared_version_is_out_of_range", async () => {
+    const cwd = await scaffold({ name: "app", dependencies: { buffer: "^1.0.0" } });
+
+    const result = await ensureBufferDependency(cwd, "./frontend/src/contracts");
+
+    expect(result?.added).toBe(true);
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(await readFile(path.join(cwd, "frontend", "package.json"), "utf8"));
+    expect(pkg.dependencies.buffer).toBe("^6.0.3");
+  });
+
+  it("should_update_an_out_of_range_buffer_in_devDependencies_in_place", async () => {
+    const cwd = await scaffold({ name: "app", devDependencies: { buffer: "5.0.0" } });
+
+    const result = await ensureBufferDependency(cwd, "./frontend/src/contracts");
+
+    expect(result?.added).toBe(true);
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(await readFile(path.join(cwd, "frontend", "package.json"), "utf8"));
+    expect(pkg.devDependencies.buffer).toBe("^6.0.3");
+    expect(pkg.dependencies?.buffer).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("should_be_a_noop_when_a_higher_in_range_version_is_declared", async () => {
+    const cwd = await scaffold({ name: "app", dependencies: { buffer: "^6.1.0" } });
+
+    const result = await ensureBufferDependency(cwd, "./frontend/src/contracts");
+
+    expect(result?.added).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   it("should_return_undefined_when_no_package_json_is_found", async () => {
     tmpDir = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "caatinga-buffer-dep-none-"));
     await mkdir(path.join(tmpDir, "frontend", "src", "contracts"), { recursive: true });
diff --git a/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.ts b/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.ts
index e8ef2a82..781b6db9 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/frontend/ensure-buffer-dependency.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
+import semver from "semver";
 
 // Backs the Buffer polyfill that every generated binding imports. Pinned to the
 // same major the templates ship so behaviour matches across init and adoption.
@@ -75,8 +76,25 @@ export async function ensureBufferDependency(
     return undefined;
   }
 
-  if (pkg.dependencies?.buffer ?? pkg.devDependencies?.buffer) {
-    return { packageJsonPath, added: false };
+  const existing = pkg.dependencies?.buffer ?? pkg.devDependencies?.buffer;
+  if (existing) {
+    // #98: presence alone isn't enough — the templates pin `buffer` to a major
+    // (^6). If the declared range already resolves within the supported range,
+    // leave it; otherwise pin it, so a stale `buffer: "^1.0.0"` gets corrected
+    // instead of silently kept.
+    const minVersion = semver.minVersion(existing);
+    if (minVersion && semver.satisfies(minVersion, BUFFER_DEPENDENCY_RANGE)) {
+      return { packageJsonPath, added: false };
+    }
+
+    // Out of range (or unparseable) — update it in the section it already lives.
+    if (pkg.dependencies?.buffer) {
+      pkg.dependencies.buffer = BUFFER_DEPENDENCY_RANGE;
+    } else {
+      (pkg.devDependencies as Record<string, string>).buffer = BUFFER_DEPENDENCY_RANGE;
+    }
+    await writeFile(packageJsonPath, `${JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2)}\n`, "utf8");
+    return { packageJsonPath, added: true };
   }
 
   pkg.dependencies = { ...(pkg.dependencies ?? {}), buffer: BUFFER_DEPENDENCY_RANGE };