diff --git a/Developer-Guide.md b/Developer-Guide.md
index 5d8536a5..6d58f6da 100644
--- a/Developer-Guide.md
+++ b/Developer-Guide.md
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
+# Kata Containers Developer Guide
+
 * [Warning](#warning)
 * [Assumptions](#assumptions)
 * [Initial setup](#initial-setup)
 * [Requirements to build individual components](#requirements-to-build-individual-components)
+* [Individual component compatibility](#individual-component-compatibility)
 * [Build and install the Kata Containers runtime](#build-and-install-the-kata-containers-runtime)
     * [Check hardware requirements](#check-hardware-requirements)
     * [Configure to use initrd or rootfs image](#configure-to-use-initrd-or-rootfs-image)
@@ -75,6 +78,22 @@ You need to install the following to build Kata Containers components:
 - `make`.
 - `gcc` (required for building the shim and runtime).
 
+# Individual component compatibility
+
+Using versions of individual components newer than the last official released
+version might result in
+[compatibility issues](Releases.md#component-version-compatibility).
+
+If you have only updated a subset of the Kata components and notice strange
+behavior, we recommend you update the remaining components to ensure you are
+using the latest versions of all of them. Also, remember to
+[create a new image containing the latest agent version](#create-and-install-rootfs-and-initrd-image).
+
+If you still have compatibility issues after following the previous
+instructions, refer to the
+[troubleshooting section](#troubleshoot-kata-containers) and
+[get in contact with us](https://github.com/kata-containers/community/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#contact).
+
 # Build and install the Kata Containers runtime
 
 ```
diff --git a/Releases.md b/Releases.md
index a7b0a212..7e9f8258 100644
--- a/Releases.md
+++ b/Releases.md
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 * [Introduction](#introduction)
 * [Versioning](#versioning)
-* [Tagging repositories](#tagging-repositories)
 * [Components](#components)
+    * [Component version compatibility](#component-version-compatibility)
+* [Tagging repositories](#tagging-repositories)
 * [Release checklist](#release-checklist)
 * [Release process](#release-process)
 
@@ -34,6 +35,27 @@ Semantic versioning is used since the version number is able to convey clear inf
 
   A major release will also likely require a change of the container manager version used, for example Docker\*. Please refer to the release notes for further details.
 
+## Components
+
+A new release results in all Kata components being given a new
+[version](#versioning), even if there are no changes to that component since
+the last version. The version for a release is **identical** for all
+components.
+
+This strategy allows diagnostic tools such as `kata-runtime kata-env` to record full version details of all components to help with problem determination.
+
+Note that although hypervisor and guest kernel both have versions, these are not updated for new releases as they are not core components developed by the Kata community.
+
+### Component version compatibility
+
+Semantic versioning allows users to determine how a new version of a
+particular component relates to the previous version of that component.
+However, it is not possible to compare two *different* Kata component
+versions, even though all component versions are changed together.
+
+To ensure compatibility it is necessary to always use components of the same
+version.
+
 ## Tagging repositories
 
 To create a signed and annotated tag for a repository, first ensure that `git(1)` is configured to use your `gpg(1)` key:
@@ -55,14 +77,6 @@ The annotation text must conform to the usual [patch format rules](https://githu
 - The subsystem must be "`release: $tag`".
 - The body of the message must contain details of changes in the release in `git-shortlog(1)` format.
 
-## Components
-
-A new release will result in all Kata components being given a new [version](#versioning), even if no changes were made to that component since the last version. The version for a release is **identical** for all  components.
-
-This strategy allows diagnostic tools such as `kata-runtime kata-env` to record full version details of all components to help with problem determination.
-
-Note that although hypervisor and guest kernel both have versions, these are not updated for new releases as they are not core components developed by the Kata community.
-
 ## Release checklist
 
 The detailed steps to follow to create a new release are specified in the [Release Checklist](Release-Checklist.md).
diff --git a/Upgrading.md b/Upgrading.md
index 7379ff92..e3bd02e4 100644
--- a/Upgrading.md
+++ b/Upgrading.md
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@ As shown in the
 [installation instructions](https://github.com/kata-containers/documentation/blob/master/install),
 Kata Containers provide binaries for popular distributions in their native
 packaging formats. This allows Kata Containers to be upgraded using the
-standard package management tools for your distribution.
+standard package management tools for your distribution and also guarantees
+[component version compatibility](Releases.md#component-version-compatibility).
 
 # Appendices