diff --git a/cli/internal/validate.go b/cli/internal/validate.go
index 02a024de..8a4debe1 100644
--- a/cli/internal/validate.go
+++ b/cli/internal/validate.go
@@ -35,7 +35,10 @@ func ValidateRecipe(c *cli.Context, ensureLatest bool) recipe.Recipe {
 			}
 			logrus.Warn(err)
 		} else {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
+			if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "template_driver is not allowed") {
+				logrus.Warnf("ensure %s recipe compose.* files include \"version: '3.8'\"", recipeName)
+			}
+			logrus.Fatalf("unable to validate recipe: %s", err)
 		}
 	}