diff --git a/.changeset/vast-ravens-invent.md b/.changeset/vast-ravens-invent.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a92722a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/vast-ravens-invent.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+'@offckb/cli': patch
+---
+
+fix(create): ensure CKB binary and devnet config before generating scripts
+
+Fix issue #396 where `offckb create` failed if user hasn't run `offckb node` first.
+
+**Changes:**
+
+- Add imports for `installCKBBinary`, `initChainIfNeeded`, and `readSettings`
+- Call `installCKBBinary` to download CKB binary if not exists
+- Call `initChainIfNeeded` to initialize devnet config if not exists
+- Both calls happen before `genSystemScriptsJsonFile` to ensure dependencies are ready
+
+This makes `offckb create` self-sufficient and doesn't require prior `offckb node` execution.
diff --git a/src/cmd/create.ts b/src/cmd/create.ts
index b9832b0..88dcf89 100644
--- a/src/cmd/create.ts
+++ b/src/cmd/create.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ import { InteractivePrompts } from '../templates/prompts';
 import { genSystemScriptsJsonFile } from '../scripts/gen';
 import { CKBDebugger } from '../tools/ckb-debugger';
 import { logger } from '../util/logger';
+import { installCKBBinary as _installCKBBinary } from '../node/install';
+import { initChainIfNeeded as _initChainIfNeeded } from '../node/init-chain';
+import { readSettings } from '../cfg/setting';
 
 export interface CreateScriptProjectOptions {
   manager?: 'pnpm' | 'yarn' | 'npm';
@@ -100,6 +103,11 @@ export async function createScriptProject(name?: string, options: CreateScriptPr
 
     await processor.generateProject(fullProjectPath, contextWithPath);
 
+    const _settings = readSettings();
+
+    await _installCKBBinary(_settings.bins.defaultCKBVersion);
+    await _initChainIfNeeded();
+
     // Generate system-scripts.json
     logger.info('🔧 Generating system scripts configuration...');
     try {