diff --git a/doc/conf.py b/doc/conf.py
index c6b0006f21a20ccbc1397f83ffdc41deb8caa8b9..146f5f861aaf8821575242503c3f4a35c263f920 100644
--- a/doc/conf.py
+++ b/doc/conf.py
@@ -308,7 +308,11 @@ def prepare(home, enable_plots, outdir):
             get_obj_name(f): f
             for f in get_plot_methods()
         }
-        dir_cache = DirCache('doc_plots', populate=populate)
+        dir_cache = DirCache(
+            'doc_plots',
+            populate=populate,
+            fmt_version='1',
+        )
         key = (
             sorted(plot_methods.keys()),
             notebooks,
diff --git a/lisa/_kmod.py b/lisa/_kmod.py
index 60ecd58e31bbe51cd9aa9206cb8b8fc5af441cbd..c692421f7ece907f4d933bb5f3a83b0bdf0dfe62 100644
--- a/lisa/_kmod.py
+++ b/lisa/_kmod.py
@@ -2433,6 +2433,7 @@ class _KernelBuildEnv(Loggable, SerializeViaConstructor):
                 dir_cache = DirCache(
                     category='kernels_overlays',
                     populate=populate,
+                    fmt_version='1',
                 )
                 cache_path = dir_cache.get_entry(key)
                 with _overlay_folders([base_path, cache_path], backend=overlay_backend, copy_filter=copy_filter) as path:
@@ -3081,6 +3082,7 @@ class DynamicKmod(Loggable):
             dir_cache = DirCache(
                 category='kernel_modules',
                 populate=populate,
+                fmt_version='1',
             )
             cache_path = dir_cache.get_entry(key)
             with open(cache_path / 'mod.ko', 'rb') as f:
diff --git a/lisa/target.py b/lisa/target.py
index 6a6250f4eca67c3254c49c93a7cbbe559f6ccf81..3855bc2cacb043d84c02e7b75a5b300cd72b5d28 100644
--- a/lisa/target.py
+++ b/lisa/target.py
@@ -517,6 +517,7 @@ class Target(
         dir_cache = DirCache(
             category='target_pull',
             populate=populate,
+            fmt_version='1',
         )
 
         src = Path(src)
diff --git a/lisa/utils.py b/lisa/utils.py
index 8622e219e797f33147b856c36fd10783514e1843..969fce5f9128a364fdbc32d80279d756060da397 100644
--- a/lisa/utils.py
+++ b/lisa/utils.py
@@ -4095,6 +4095,12 @@ class DirCache(Loggable):
         base = _UNVERSIONED_CACHE_HOME if fmt_version else LISA_CACHE_HOME
         base = Path(base) / category
 
+        if fmt_version is None:
+            warnings.warn(
+                'DirCache(..., fmt_version=...) must be set as lisa.version.VERSION_TOKEN is not reliable.',
+                DeprecationWarning
+            )
+
         self._fmt_version = fmt_version
         self._base = base
         self._populate = populate or (lambda *args, **kwargs: None)