diff --git a/internal/sync/api/client_test.go b/internal/sync/api/client_test.go
index ffe994f59..7fff01351 100644
--- a/internal/sync/api/client_test.go
+++ b/internal/sync/api/client_test.go
@@ -528,6 +528,25 @@ func TestClientPatchesSyncManifest(t *testing.T) {
 	}`, string(request.Body))
 }
 
+// LaunchDarkly answers a project and a source that no sync wrote yet with an
+// empty manifest that has no formatVersion. That is an empty manifest, not
+// an unsupported one.
+func TestClientAcceptsAnUnwrittenSyncManifest(t *testing.T) {
+	transport := &recordingClient{Responses: [][]byte{[]byte(`{"items":[],"source":"git:example.com/acme/repo"}`)}}
+	client := NewClient(transport, "token", "https://example.com")
+
+	manifest, err := client.GetSyncManifest("project", "git:example.com/acme/repo")
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Empty(t, manifest.Items)
+	assert.True(t, manifest.Unwritten())
+
+	transport = &recordingClient{Responses: [][]byte{[]byte(`{"items":[{"resourceKind":"variation","resourceLookupKey":"support/helpful","fingerprint":"sha256:abc","version":1}],"source":"git:example.com/acme/repo"}`)}}
+	client = NewClient(transport, "token", "https://example.com")
+	_, err = client.GetSyncManifest("project", "git:example.com/acme/repo")
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "unsupported formatVersion 0", "entries without a format version are not an unwritten manifest")
+}
+
 func TestClientRejectsUnknownSyncManifestVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	transport := &recordingClient{Responses: [][]byte{[]byte(`{
 		"formatVersion": 99,
diff --git a/internal/sync/api/manifest.go b/internal/sync/api/manifest.go
index 84fe6207e..417ec4442 100644
--- a/internal/sync/api/manifest.go
+++ b/internal/sync/api/manifest.go
@@ -113,11 +113,20 @@ func (client Client) PatchSyncManifest(
 	return manifest, nil
 }
 
+// Unwritten reports whether the manifest is the one that LaunchDarkly returns
+// for a project and a source that no sync wrote yet: no entries and no format
+// version. Sync treats it as an empty manifest of the supported format.
+func (manifest SyncManifest) Unwritten() bool {
+	return manifest.FormatVersion == 0 && len(manifest.Items) == 0
+}
+
+// validateSyncManifest accepts a manifest of the supported format, and an
+// unwritten manifest, which has no format to check.
 func validateSyncManifest(manifest SyncManifest) error {
-	if manifest.FormatVersion != SyncManifestFormatVersion {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unsupported formatVersion %d", manifest.FormatVersion)
+	if manifest.Unwritten() || manifest.FormatVersion == SyncManifestFormatVersion {
+		return nil
 	}
-	return nil
+	return fmt.Errorf("unsupported formatVersion %d", manifest.FormatVersion)
 }
 
 func manifestPath(projectKey string) []string {
diff --git a/internal/sync/manifest/store.go b/internal/sync/manifest/store.go
index 8b3dc7a92..43b7fe4e8 100644
--- a/internal/sync/manifest/store.go
+++ b/internal/sync/manifest/store.go
@@ -133,7 +133,9 @@ func (store Store) patch(
 }
 
 func (store Store) resourcesFromRemote(projectKey string, remote syncapi.SyncManifest) ([]Resource, error) {
-	if remote.FormatVersion != syncapi.SyncManifestFormatVersion {
+	// A project and a source that no sync wrote yet have an empty manifest
+	// without a format version.
+	if !remote.Unwritten() && remote.FormatVersion != syncapi.SyncManifestFormatVersion {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
 			"sync manifest for project %q has unsupported formatVersion %d",
 			projectKey,
diff --git a/internal/sync/manifest/store_test.go b/internal/sync/manifest/store_test.go
index c4513641e..bb952e8da 100644
--- a/internal/sync/manifest/store_test.go
+++ b/internal/sync/manifest/store_test.go
@@ -49,6 +49,39 @@ func (client *manifestClient) PatchSyncManifest(
 	return response, nil
 }
 
+// A project that no sync wrote yet has an empty manifest without a format
+// version in LaunchDarkly. It loads as no entries, and a manifest with
+// entries still needs the supported format.
+func TestStoreLoadsAnUnwrittenManifestAsEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	client := &manifestClient{manifests: map[string]syncapi.SyncManifest{
+		"fresh": {Source: "git:example/repo"},
+		"written": {
+			FormatVersion: syncapi.SyncManifestFormatVersion,
+			Source:        "git:example/repo",
+			Items: []syncapi.SyncManifestResource{{
+				ResourceKind: syncdomain.KindVariation, ResourceLookupKey: "config/a",
+				Fingerprint: fingerprint("a"), Version: 2,
+			}},
+		},
+	}}
+
+	loaded, err := NewStore(client, "git:example/repo").Load([]string{"fresh", "written"})
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Len(t, loaded.Resources, 1)
+	assert.Equal(t, "written", loaded.Resources[0].ProjectKey)
+
+	client.manifests["fresh"] = syncapi.SyncManifest{
+		Source: "git:example/repo",
+		Items: []syncapi.SyncManifestResource{{
+			ResourceKind: syncdomain.KindVariation, ResourceLookupKey: "config/b",
+			Fingerprint: fingerprint("b"), Version: 1,
+		}},
+	}
+	_, err = NewStore(client, "git:example/repo").Load([]string{"fresh"})
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "unsupported formatVersion 0")
+}
+
 func TestStoreLoadsProjectManifests(t *testing.T) {
 	client := &manifestClient{manifests: map[string]syncapi.SyncManifest{
 		"zeta": {