Quick summary

Imagen doesn't have permission to open your Lightroom Classic catalog.

How to fix this

1. Check external drives. If your catalog is on an external drive, make sure it's connected and powered on. On Mac, it appears in the Finder sidebar under Locations. On Windows, its drive letter appears in File Explorer under This PC.
2. Avoid cloud-synced folders. If your catalog is in Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive or Google Drive, move it to a local folder, such as Documents or Pictures. Cloud syncing can block Imagen from reading and saving files.
3. Give Imagen access to the folder.
   • Mac: Go to Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Files and Folders, find ImagenAI, and turn on the folders. Then go to Full Disk Access, and turn on ImagenAI.
   • Windows: Right-click the folder, select Properties, and make sure Read-only isn't selected.
4. Windows: If Controlled folder access is on, Windows blocks apps from changing files in protected folders like Pictures, Documents and Desktop. Go to Windows Security › Virus & threat protection › Manage ransomware protection, select Allow an app through Controlled folder access, and add Imagen.
5. Make sure your antivirus isn't blocking Imagen. If it is, add Imagen as an allowed app.
6. (Windows) Run Imagen as an administrator.
7. Restart Imagen, and create the project again.