diff --git a/apps/chat2/chat2.nim b/apps/chat2/chat2.nim
index 612422171..c03f3f0c8 100644
--- a/apps/chat2/chat2.nim
+++ b/apps/chat2/chat2.nim
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 when not(compileOption("threads")):
   {.fatal: "Please, compile this program with the --threads:on option!".}
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import std/[tables, strformat, strutils, times, json, options, random]
 import confutils, chronicles, chronos, stew/shims/net as stewNet,
diff --git a/apps/chat2bridge/chat2bridge.nim b/apps/chat2bridge/chat2bridge.nim
index c2206cf05..d0e6e0f71 100644
--- a/apps/chat2bridge/chat2bridge.nim
+++ b/apps/chat2bridge/chat2bridge.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables, times, strutils, hashes, sequtils],
diff --git a/apps/wakubridge/wakubridge.nim b/apps/wakubridge/wakubridge.nim
index abac1b608..37681aee2 100644
--- a/apps/wakubridge/wakubridge.nim
+++ b/apps/wakubridge/wakubridge.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables, hashes, sequtils],
diff --git a/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2.nim b/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2.nim
index b9389144c..ad15452ee 100644
--- a/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2.nim
+++ b/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, tables, strutils, sequtils, os],
diff --git a/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rest.nim b/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rest.nim
index ebd4993e1..70a6bcdbd 100644
--- a/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rest.nim
+++ b/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rest.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   stew/shims/net,
diff --git a/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rpc.nim b/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rpc.nim
index 036a0f0d8..04173ff8e 100644
--- a/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rpc.nim
+++ b/apps/wakunode2/wakunode2_setup_rpc.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/tables,
diff --git a/waku/common/utils/matterbridge_client.nim b/waku/common/utils/matterbridge_client.nim
index 63d641cf3..9771dc01d 100644
--- a/waku/common/utils/matterbridge_client.nim
+++ b/waku/common/utils/matterbridge_client.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[httpclient, json, uri, options],
diff --git a/waku/common/utils/nat.nim b/waku/common/utils/nat.nim
index 16ecb1f21..470eca255 100644
--- a/waku/common/utils/nat.nim
+++ b/waku/common/utils/nat.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[strutils, options],
diff --git a/waku/v1/node/wakunode1.nim b/waku/v1/node/wakunode1.nim
index 146075d6a..da7b42efd 100644
--- a/waku/v1/node/wakunode1.nim
+++ b/waku/v1/node/wakunode1.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   confutils, chronos, json_rpc/rpcserver, 
diff --git a/waku/v1/protocol/waku_bridge.nim b/waku/v1/protocol/waku_bridge.nim
index bde679a37..84cc17490 100644
--- a/waku/v1/protocol/waku_bridge.nim
+++ b/waku/v1/protocol/waku_bridge.nim
@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@
 #            MIT license (LICENSE-MIT)
 #
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   eth/p2p,
diff --git a/waku/v1/protocol/waku_mail.nim b/waku/v1/protocol/waku_mail.nim
index 40358db60..e8023f22f 100644
--- a/waku/v1/protocol/waku_mail.nim
+++ b/waku/v1/protocol/waku_mail.nim
@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@
 #            MIT license (LICENSE-MIT)
 #
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   chronos,
diff --git a/waku/v1/protocol/waku_protocol.nim b/waku/v1/protocol/waku_protocol.nim
index b0cd79d3d..d015099be 100644
--- a/waku/v1/protocol/waku_protocol.nim
+++ b/waku/v1/protocol/waku_protocol.nim
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@
 ## However, they only make real sense after ``connectToNetwork`` was started. As
 ## else there will be no peers to send and receive messages from.
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   options, tables, times, chronos, chronicles, metrics,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/discv5/waku_discv5.nim b/waku/v2/node/discv5/waku_discv5.nim
index 34126c9bf..9abc4f749 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/discv5/waku_discv5.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/discv5/waku_discv5.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[strutils, options],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/dnsdisc/waku_dnsdisc.nim b/waku/v2/node/dnsdisc/waku_dnsdisc.nim
index b19eb031f..85e52904b 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/dnsdisc/waku_dnsdisc.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/dnsdisc/waku_dnsdisc.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 ## A set of utilities to integrate EIP-1459 DNS-based discovery
 ## for Waku v2 nodes.
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/admin_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/admin_api.nim
index f54b58104..4a9333cc2 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/admin_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/admin_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/sequtils,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/debug_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/debug_api.nim
index ce642b92d..f03693683 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/debug_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/debug_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   chronicles,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/filter_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/filter_api.nim
index e0e0b47b1..2b5caa8e7 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/filter_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/filter_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables, sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_types.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_types.nim
index 296e84619..8ae5248c5 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_types.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_types.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options,tables],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_utils.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_utils.nim
index 7002619ec..3105fe2cc 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_utils.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_utils.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, json],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/private_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/private_api.nim
index bc021c78e..579c186f0 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/private_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/private_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables,sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/relay_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/relay_api.nim
index 1c3a113bc..703c2627b 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/relay_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/relay_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables,sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/store_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/store_api.nim
index 53e009348..9cf0c9c84 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/store_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/jsonrpc/store_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/options,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/message_cache.nim b/waku/v2/node/message_cache.nim
index 848be7423..f3d361a69 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/message_cache.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/message_cache.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables, sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_store/waku_peer_storage.nim b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_store/waku_peer_storage.nim
index 7426074ae..4515150cf 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_store/waku_peer_storage.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_store/waku_peer_storage.nim
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
   {.push raises: [Defect].}
 else:
   {.push raises: [].}
-  
+
 
 import
   std/sets, 
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/waku_peer_store.nim b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/waku_peer_store.nim
index 8cbe0591a..807423fba 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/waku_peer_store.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/waku_peer_store.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables, sequtils, sets],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/base64.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/base64.nim
index ba40ca933..102dfa862 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/base64.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/base64.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import stew/[results, byteutils, base64]
 
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/client.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/client.nim
index 230e7fc39..7693e8878 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/client.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/client.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import presto/client
 
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/api_types.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/api_types.nim
index 1c56de304..ac277e93f 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/api_types.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/api_types.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   chronicles,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/debug_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/debug_api.nim
index d0a0be0c8..fa2c7e279 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/debug_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/debug/debug_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   chronicles,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/api_types.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/api_types.nim
index 74e7962b9..a60a03cf8 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/api_types.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/api_types.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[sets, strformat],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/relay_api.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/relay_api.nim
index 9193ee756..312a33a5d 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/relay_api.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/relay_api.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[sets, sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/topic_cache.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/topic_cache.nim
index f640c4485..32e846c9d 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/topic_cache.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/relay/topic_cache.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   stew/results,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/serdes.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/serdes.nim
index a8be61ce1..f87c157c0 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/serdes.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/serdes.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import 
   std/typetraits,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/server.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/server.nim
index a0d617579..96764b132 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/server.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/server.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   stew/results,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/rest/utils.nim b/waku/v2/node/rest/utils.nim
index baaee7bbd..12bc44a27 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/rest/utils.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/rest/utils.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import std/typetraits
 import 
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy.nim
index 009a75dae..2a3a9fa78 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   stew/results
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_capacity.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_capacity.nim
index 5acd54548..d682a5b1c 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_capacity.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_capacity.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import 
   stew/results,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_time.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_time.nim
index 361d1405c..f5504f1e8 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_time.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/message_retention_policy_time.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import 
   std/times,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/index.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/index.nim
index e47ccbc0d..ff02c2794 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/index.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/index.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   stew/byteutils,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/queue_store.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/queue_store.nim
index 7dc99ac2f..6feb21f41 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/queue_store.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/queue_store/queue_store.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, times],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store.nim
index e9889a7c9..7cfc1cd03 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import ./sqlite_store/sqlite_store
 
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/queries.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/queries.nim
index 0d84230c8..e33c5af0f 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/queries.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/queries.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/sqlite_store.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/sqlite_store.nim
index 3824770e9..b11305a59 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/sqlite_store.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/sqlite_store/sqlite_store.nim
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # The code in this file is an adaptation of the Sqlite KV Store found in nim-eth.
 # https://github.com/status-im/nim-eth/blob/master/eth/db/kvstore_sqlite3.nim
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import 
   std/[options, tables],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/waku_store_queue.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/waku_store_queue.nim
index 8697dae73..5dd34dd27 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/message/waku_store_queue.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/message/waku_store_queue.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   ./queue_store/index,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/storage/migration/migration_utils.nim b/waku/v2/node/storage/migration/migration_utils.nim
index 7e1338f80..a5d89b199 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/storage/migration/migration_utils.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/storage/migration/migration_utils.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import 
   std/[os, algorithm, tables, strutils], 
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/waku_metrics.nim b/waku/v2/node/waku_metrics.nim
index 4cc4008e6..4944004a4 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/waku_metrics.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/waku_metrics.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   stew/shims/net,
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/waku_node.nim b/waku/v2/node/waku_node.nim
index dfd9db223..9cb12f5d2 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/waku_node.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/waku_node.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[hashes, options, tables, strutils, sequtils, os],
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/waku_payload.nim b/waku/v2/node/waku_payload.nim
index e8fe2e886..dacae3fbd 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/waku_payload.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/waku_payload.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/options,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter.nim
index 81685e09b..d59a63aa6 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   ./waku_filter/rpc,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/client.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/client.nim
index 3848befda..943e17530 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/client.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/client.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import 
   std/[options, tables, sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/protocol_metrics.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/protocol_metrics.nim
index f9dd7ad15..de266e16b 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/protocol_metrics.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/protocol_metrics.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import metrics
 
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/rpc_codec.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/rpc_codec.nim
index d1e610d7d..2bbda4a27 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/rpc_codec.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_filter/rpc_codec.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   libp2p/protobuf/minprotobuf,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/client.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/client.nim
index c0e616d1c..ca5d25456 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/client.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/client.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/options,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol.nim
index 02a7301e4..acb77536a 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/options,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol_metrics.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol_metrics.nim
index b55486378..98cb5fa67 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol_metrics.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/protocol_metrics.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import metrics
 
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc.nim
index 5893b189b..0bb05746e 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   ../waku_message
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc_codec.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc_codec.nim
index 9647afcf9..dd57b5650 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc_codec.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_lightpush/rpc_codec.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 
 import
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_message.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_message.nim
index 88799c27a..1f1fef66b 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_message.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_message.nim
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
 ## For payload content and encryption, see waku/v2/node/waku_payload.nim
 
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   libp2p/protobuf/minprotobuf,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise.nim
index 598ddb95f..abe9d5077 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise.nim
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
 ## Implementation partially inspired by noise-libp2p:
 ## https://github.com/status-im/nim-libp2p/blob/master/libp2p/protocols/secure/noise.nim
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import std/[options, strutils]
 import stew/byteutils
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_handshake_processing.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_handshake_processing.nim
index 362c3fadc..1c38df279 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_handshake_processing.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_handshake_processing.nim
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@
 ## See spec for more details:
 ## https://github.com/vacp2p/rfc/tree/master/content/docs/rfcs/35
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import std/[options, strutils, tables]
 import chronos
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_types.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_types.nim
index b66e34b5b..855c4ff00 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_types.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_types.nim
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@
 ## Implementation partially inspired by noise-libp2p:
 ## https://github.com/status-im/nim-libp2p/blob/master/libp2p/protocols/secure/noise.nim
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import std/[options, tables]
 import chronos
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_utils.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_utils.nim
index 67bf81675..443460a8a 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_utils.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_noise/noise_utils.nim
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
 ## See spec for more details:
 ## https://github.com/vacp2p/rfc/tree/master/content/docs/rfcs/35
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import std/[algorithm, base64, oids, options, strutils, tables, sequtils]
 import chronos
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange.nim
index e8b61e25b..d11ff7ca4 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   ./waku_peer_exchange/rpc,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange/rpc_codec.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange/rpc_codec.nim
index 9301204da..3432353f3 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange/rpc_codec.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_peer_exchange/rpc_codec.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   libp2p/protobuf/minprotobuf,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/rln.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/rln.nim
index fcc516652..5e0073ae0 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/rln.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/rln.nim
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # this module contains the Nim wrappers for the rln library https://github.com/kilic/rln/blob/3bbec368a4adc68cd5f9bfae80b17e1bbb4ef373/src/ffi.rs
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   os,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_metrics.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_metrics.nim
index 9e05a43b8..4c1b60fd8 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_metrics.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_metrics.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   chronicles,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_types.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_types.nim
index 7da4c6a0e..cba2126ab 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_types.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_types.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, tables, deques],
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim
index 46d2fe854..f3e9da141 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_rln_relay/waku_rln_relay_utils.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[sequtils, tables, times, os, deques],
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/client.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/client.nim
index b680b36d1..312818843 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/client.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/client.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, sequtils, times],
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/message_store.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/message_store.nim
index d1ee0b22e..a0f0dd9e1 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/message_store.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/message_store.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 ## This module defines a message store interface. Implementations of
 ## MessageStore are used by the `WakuStore` protocol to store and 
 ## retrieve historical messages
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, times],
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/pagination.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/pagination.nim
index 05c1442d9..9d2caf826 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/pagination.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/pagination.nim
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 ## Contains types and utilities for pagination.
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   stew/byteutils,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol.nim
index 459253ce0..a9e3c84e5 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 ## Waku Store protocol for historical messaging support.
 ## See spec for more details:
 ## https://github.com/vacp2p/specs/blob/master/specs/waku/v2/waku-store.md
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[tables, times, sequtils, options, algorithm],
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol_metrics.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol_metrics.nim
index c38318028..da574dca6 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol_metrics.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/protocol_metrics.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import metrics
 
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc.nim
index 1dc0b8717..e35eb5ebb 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   ../../utils/time,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc_codec.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc_codec.nim
index 5b4452446..226e0e363 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc_codec.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_store/rpc_codec.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   nimcrypto/hash,
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap.nim
index 3a7ea8562..70f0414af 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap.nim
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@
 ## Things like settlement is for future work.
 ##
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 # TODO Generally clean up errors here, a lot of Exceptions, Defects and KeyErros
 #
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_contracts.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_contracts.nim
index 946736211..2dc324cb8 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_contracts.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_contracts.nim
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
 # Assumes swap-contracts-module node is running.
 #
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[osproc, strutils, json],
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_types.nim b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_types.nim
index 23f491fd6..aa993321d 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_types.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/waku_swap/waku_swap_types.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/tables,
diff --git a/waku/v2/utils/collector.nim b/waku/v2/utils/collector.nim
index 64e38d26f..29310eb62 100644
--- a/waku/v2/utils/collector.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/utils/collector.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   metrics
diff --git a/waku/v2/utils/keyfile.nim b/waku/v2/utils/keyfile.nim
index 2c0ca7c37..c6cd2a822 100644
--- a/waku/v2/utils/keyfile.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/utils/keyfile.nim
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
 # - allow storage of multiple keyfiles (encrypted with different passwords) in same file and iteration among successful decryptions
 # - enable/disable at compilation time the keyfile id and version fields
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[os, strutils, json, sequtils],
diff --git a/waku/v2/utils/peers.nim b/waku/v2/utils/peers.nim
index 2ae8b68bd..4c74a08e4 100644
--- a/waku/v2/utils/peers.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/utils/peers.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 # Collection of utilities related to Waku peers
 import
diff --git a/waku/v2/utils/protobuf.nim b/waku/v2/utils/protobuf.nim
index 0e5c86f22..c1e3fb049 100644
--- a/waku/v2/utils/protobuf.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/utils/protobuf.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   libp2p/protobuf/minprotobuf,
diff --git a/waku/v2/utils/requests.nim b/waku/v2/utils/requests.nim
index c64df71d0..40ee6773b 100644
--- a/waku/v2/utils/requests.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/utils/requests.nim
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # Request utils.
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import bearssl/rand, stew/byteutils
 
diff --git a/waku/v2/utils/time.nim b/waku/v2/utils/time.nim
index 704b6d1c7..693938fd5 100644
--- a/waku/v2/utils/time.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/utils/time.nim
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 ## Contains types and utilities for timestamps.
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import 
   std/times,
diff --git a/waku/whisper/whisper_protocol.nim b/waku/whisper/whisper_protocol.nim
index ccc907ae6..8e6c311de 100644
--- a/waku/whisper/whisper_protocol.nim
+++ b/waku/whisper/whisper_protocol.nim
@@ -29,7 +29,10 @@
 ## However, they only make real sense after ``connectToNetwork`` was started. As
 ## else there will be no peers to send and receive messages from.
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[options, tables, times],
diff --git a/waku/whisper/whisper_types.nim b/waku/whisper/whisper_types.nim
index 4805d1962..b73ecf85f 100644
--- a/waku/whisper/whisper_types.nim
+++ b/waku/whisper/whisper_types.nim
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@
 #   * Apache v2 license (license terms in the root directory or at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0).
 # at your option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed except according to those terms.
 
-{.push raises: [Defect].}
+when (NimMajor, NimMinor) < (1, 4):
+  {.push raises: [Defect].}
+else:
+  {.push raises: [].}
 
 import
   std/[algorithm, bitops, math, options, tables, times, hashes],