diff --git a/cli/commands/generate/command.ts b/cli/commands/generate/command.ts
index 5b7b2ffc1a..510c66c3a4 100644
--- a/cli/commands/generate/command.ts
+++ b/cli/commands/generate/command.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,77 @@ import { cliLogger } from "#cli/utils";
 import { createError, toError } from "veryfront/errors";
 import { generateIntegration } from "./integration-generator.ts";
 import { isScaffoldType, scaffoldProjectFile } from "../../scaffold/engine.ts";
+import { exists, readTextFile } from "#veryfront/compat/fs.ts";
+import { join } from "#veryfront/compat/path";
+import { parseExtensionManifest } from "#veryfront/extensions/manifest-reader.ts";
+
+const PROJECT_MARKERS = [
+  "veryfront.config.ts",
+  "veryfront.config.js",
+  "veryfront.config.mjs",
+  // Legacy, but still read and merged by the CLI config loader, so a project
+  // identified only by this file is a real project. `veryfront.config.json` is
+  // deliberately absent — the loader does not recognise that name.
+  "veryfront.json",
+] as const;
+
+// Deno accepts JSONC grammar for `deno.json` as well as `deno.jsonc`, matching
+// `src/extensions/discovery.ts`. Parsing those with strict JSON makes a
+// commented manifest look like no evidence at all and fires a false warning.
+const PROJECT_MANIFESTS = [
+  { name: "package.json", syntax: "json" },
+  { name: "deno.json", syntax: "jsonc" },
+  { name: "deno.jsonc", syntax: "jsonc" },
+] as const;
+
+/**
+ * `generate` writes into whatever directory it is invoked from, so running it
+ * one level above the project (or in the wrong terminal tab) silently produces
+ * a stray `app/` tree. `dev` already warns in this situation; match it rather
+ * than failing, so scaffolding into a not-yet-configured directory still works.
+ */
+async function looksLikeVeryfrontProject(projectDir: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  for (const marker of PROJECT_MARKERS) {
+    if (await exists(join(projectDir, marker))) return true;
+  }
+
+  for (const manifest of PROJECT_MANIFESTS) {
+    const path = join(projectDir, manifest.name);
+    if (!(await exists(path))) continue;
+    try {
+      const parsed = parseExtensionManifest<{
+        dependencies?: Record<string, unknown>;
+        devDependencies?: Record<string, unknown>;
+        imports?: Record<string, unknown>;
+      }>(await readTextFile(path), manifest.syntax, manifest.name);
+      const specifiers = [
+        ...Object.keys(parsed.dependencies ?? {}),
+        ...Object.keys(parsed.devDependencies ?? {}),
+        ...Object.keys(parsed.imports ?? {}),
+      ];
+      if (
+        specifiers.some((s) => s === "veryfront" || s.startsWith("veryfront/"))
+      ) {
+        return true;
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // An unparseable manifest is not evidence either way; keep looking.
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
+async function warnIfOutsideProject(projectDir: string): Promise<void> {
+  if (await looksLikeVeryfrontProject(projectDir)) return;
+  // Deliberately no path: `projectDir` is an absolute machine path, which
+  // AGENTS.md forbids in user-facing output. The directory is where the user
+  // already is, so naming it adds nothing they cannot see.
+  cliLogger.warn(
+    `The current directory does not look like a Veryfront project; scaffolding here anyway. ` +
+      `Run this from your project root, or create one with "npm create veryfront".`,
+  );
+}
 
 async function getPreferredRouter(
   projectDir: string,
@@ -25,6 +96,8 @@ export async function generateCommand(
   type: string,
   name: string,
 ): Promise<void> {
+  await warnIfOutsideProject(projectDir);
+
   const preferred = await getPreferredRouter(projectDir);
 
   if (type === "integration") {
diff --git a/cli/commands/generate/generate.integration.test.ts b/cli/commands/generate/generate.integration.test.ts
index ae8724afa3..ae90ee7358 100644
--- a/cli/commands/generate/generate.integration.test.ts
+++ b/cli/commands/generate/generate.integration.test.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,15 @@ import "#veryfront/schemas/_test-setup.ts";
 import { assert } from "#veryfront/testing/assert";
 import { join } from "#veryfront/compat/path";
 import { describe, it } from "#veryfront/testing/bdd";
-import { exists, remove, writeTextFile } from "#veryfront/compat/fs.ts";
+import { exists, makeTempDir, remove, writeTextFile } from "#veryfront/compat/fs.ts";
 import { generateCommand } from "./index.ts";
 import { type TestContext, withTestContext } from "../../../tests/_helpers/context.ts";
+import {
+  __registerLogRecordEmitter,
+  __resetLoggerConfigForTests,
+  __resetLogRecordEmitterForTests,
+  type LogEntry,
+} from "#veryfront/utils/logger/logger.ts";
 
 async function setPreferredRouter(
   context: TestContext,
@@ -101,4 +107,116 @@ describe("CLI generate command", () => {
       assert(await exists(join(context.projectDir, "skills", "code-review", "SKILL.md")));
     });
   });
+
+  describe("outside a Veryfront project", () => {
+    function captureLogs(): LogEntry[] {
+      const entries: LogEntry[] = [];
+      __resetLoggerConfigForTests();
+      __registerLogRecordEmitter((entry) => entries.push(entry));
+      return entries;
+    }
+
+    it("warns before scaffolding into a directory that is not a project", async () => {
+      const bare = await makeTempDir({ prefix: "generate-not-a-project-" });
+      const entries = captureLogs();
+      try {
+        await generateCommand(bare, "page", "about");
+
+        const warning = entries.find((entry) =>
+          entry.level === "warn" && entry.message.includes("does not look like a Veryfront project")
+        );
+        assert(
+          warning !== undefined,
+          "expected a warning that the target directory is not a Veryfront project",
+        );
+        // Still scaffolds — the warning informs, it does not block.
+        assert(await exists(join(bare, "app", "about", "page.tsx")));
+      } finally {
+        __resetLogRecordEmitterForTests();
+        __resetLoggerConfigForTests();
+        await remove(bare, { recursive: true });
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("does not leak an absolute machine path into the warning", async () => {
+      // AGENTS.md forbids local absolute paths in user-facing output.
+      const bare = await makeTempDir({ prefix: "generate-no-path-leak-" });
+      const entries = captureLogs();
+      try {
+        await generateCommand(bare, "page", "about");
+
+        const warning = entries.find((entry) =>
+          entry.level === "warn" && entry.message.includes("does not look like a Veryfront project")
+        );
+        assert(warning !== undefined, "expected the outside-project warning");
+        assert(
+          !warning.message.includes(bare),
+          `warning must not contain the absolute path: ${warning?.message}`,
+        );
+      } finally {
+        __resetLogRecordEmitterForTests();
+        __resetLoggerConfigForTests();
+        await remove(bare, { recursive: true });
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("treats a commented deno.jsonc with a veryfront import as a project", async () => {
+      // Deno permits comments and trailing commas here; strict JSON parsing
+      // made such a project look like no project at all.
+      const dir = await makeTempDir({ prefix: "generate-denojsonc-" });
+      const entries = captureLogs();
+      try {
+        await writeTextFile(
+          join(dir, "deno.jsonc"),
+          '{\n  // the framework\n  "imports": {\n    "veryfront": "npm:veryfront@^0.1.0",\n  },\n}\n',
+        );
+        await generateCommand(dir, "page", "about");
+
+        const warning = entries.find((entry) =>
+          entry.level === "warn" && entry.message.includes("does not look like a Veryfront project")
+        );
+        assert(warning === undefined, "a commented deno.jsonc must count as project evidence");
+      } finally {
+        __resetLogRecordEmitterForTests();
+        __resetLoggerConfigForTests();
+        await remove(dir, { recursive: true });
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("treats a legacy veryfront.json as a project marker", async () => {
+      const dir = await makeTempDir({ prefix: "generate-legacy-config-" });
+      const entries = captureLogs();
+      try {
+        await writeTextFile(join(dir, "veryfront.json"), '{ "projectSlug": "legacy-app" }\n');
+        await generateCommand(dir, "page", "about");
+
+        const warning = entries.find((entry) =>
+          entry.level === "warn" && entry.message.includes("does not look like a Veryfront project")
+        );
+        assert(warning === undefined, "veryfront.json is still read by the config loader");
+      } finally {
+        __resetLogRecordEmitterForTests();
+        __resetLoggerConfigForTests();
+        await remove(dir, { recursive: true });
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("stays quiet inside a real project", async () => {
+      await withTestContext("generate-in-project-quiet", async (context: TestContext) => {
+        const entries = captureLogs();
+        try {
+          await generateCommand(context.projectDir, "page", "about");
+
+          const warning = entries.find((entry) =>
+            entry.level === "warn" &&
+            entry.message.includes("does not look like a Veryfront project")
+          );
+          assert(warning === undefined, "must not warn inside a real project");
+        } finally {
+          __resetLogRecordEmitterForTests();
+          __resetLoggerConfigForTests();
+        }
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });