Failed to create agent because it is not close enough to the NavMesh

Read the Console line first

Note where the object is when it spawns. In the Scene view, the blue NavMesh overlay has to be under that point.

Common causes

1. There is no baked NavMesh, or it was baked for another agent type

   Bake a NavMeshSurface for the agent type the NavMeshAgent uses.

2. The spawn point is off the mesh

   The agent is instantiated in the air, inside a wall, or at a point the bake left out, such as a spot narrower than the agent radius.

3. The NavMesh is baked at runtime and not ready

   Procedural levels that bake a NavMeshSurface after spawning agents enable them before the mesh exists.

The fix

// Keep the agent disabled on the prefab, place it, then enable it
var enemy = Instantiate(enemyPrefab);
if (NavMesh.SamplePosition(spawnPoint, out var hit, 3f, NavMesh.AllAreas))
{
    enemy.transform.position = hit.position;
    enemy.GetComponent<NavMeshAgent>().enabled = true;
}

Stop it coming back

Bake before spawning, snap spawn points with NavMesh.SamplePosition, and enable agents only once they are on the mesh.

Questions

Why does spawning at the right position still fail?

If you Instantiate the prefab at the origin and move it afterwards, the agent is created at the origin, which may be off the mesh. Pass the position to Instantiate, Instantiate(prefab, spawnPoint.position, spawnPoint.rotation), so the agent starts where it belongs.

How do I snap a spawn point onto the NavMesh?

Call NavMesh.SamplePosition(point, out NavMeshHit hit, 2f, NavMesh.AllAreas) and spawn at hit.position when it returns true.

I bake the NavMesh at runtime. How do I avoid this?

Call surface.BuildNavMesh() on your NavMeshSurface before spawning agents, or keep agents disabled until the bake finishes and then enable them.

Scripts that avoid it

• NavMesh Click-to-MoveClick-to-move character controller using NavMeshAgent. Click anywhere to navigate, with destination marker and path line.
• Waypoint Patrol AI ProAdvanced patrol AI with NavMesh pathfinding, player detection with awareness meter, alert states, group coordination, and patrol schedules.

Related errors

• NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
• MissingReferenceException: The object has been destroyed but you are still trying to access it
• UnassignedReferenceException: The variable has not been assigned
• MissingComponentException: There is no component attached to the game object
• IndexOutOfRangeException: Index was outside the bounds of the array

Got a different error? Paste it into the error lookup.