diff --git a/.changeset/twenty-trains-bathe.md b/.changeset/twenty-trains-bathe.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..547ed15a58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/twenty-trains-bathe.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@latticexyz/world": patch
+---
+
+Fixed an issue with worldgen when using a different `rootDir` from the current working directory, where worldgen would read system source files from the wrong place.
diff --git a/packages/world/ts/node/render-solidity/worldgen.ts b/packages/world/ts/node/render-solidity/worldgen.ts
index 3305b8b27b..097558e681 100644
--- a/packages/world/ts/node/render-solidity/worldgen.ts
+++ b/packages/world/ts/node/render-solidity/worldgen.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export async function worldgen({
 
   await Promise.all(
     systems.map(async (system) => {
-      const data = await fs.readFile(system.sourcePath, "utf8");
+      const data = await fs.readFile(path.join(rootDir, system.sourcePath), "utf8");
       // get external functions from a contract
       const { functions, errors, symbolImports } = contractToInterface(data, system.label);
       const imports = symbolImports.map(