fyne-io/fyne · critical

eglCreateWindowSurface failed\n

Error message

eglCreateWindowSurface failed\n

What it means

With a context created, x11.c calls eglCreateWindowSurface on the just-created X window using the same config. Failure means EGL refused to bind a window surface to that window/drawable: typically a config-vs-window visual mismatch, an EGL that expects a different platform, or an invalid drawable. The process prints 'eglCreateWindowSurface failed' and exits(1).

Source

Thrown at internal/driver/mobile/app/x11.c:85

	XSizeHints sizehints;
	sizehints.width  = w;
	sizehints.height = h;
	sizehints.flags = USSize;
	XSetNormalHints(x_dpy, win, &sizehints);
	XSetStandardProperties(x_dpy, win, "App", "App", None, (char **)NULL, 0, &sizehints);

	static const EGLint ctx_attribs[] = {
		EGL_CONTEXT_CLIENT_VERSION, 2,
		EGL_NONE
	};
	*ctx = eglCreateContext(e_dpy, config, EGL_NO_CONTEXT, ctx_attribs);
	if (!*ctx) {
		fprintf(stderr, "eglCreateContext failed\n");
		exit(1);
	}
	*surf = eglCreateWindowSurface(e_dpy, config, win, NULL);
	if (!*surf) {
		fprintf(stderr, "eglCreateWindowSurface failed\n");
		exit(1);
	}
	return win;
}

Display *x_dpy;
EGLDisplay e_dpy;
EGLContext e_ctx;
EGLSurface e_surf;
Window win;

void
createWindow(void) {
	x_dpy = XOpenDisplay(NULL);
	if (!x_dpy) {
		fprintf(stderr, "XOpenDisplay failed\n");
		exit(1);
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 8860ee95c3)

Solutions

1. Update Mesa / GPU driver to a current release
2. Force the X11 platform explicitly: EGL_PLATFORM=x11 ./yourapp
3. Run on a native X session (or Xvfb with GLX) rather than a remote display
4. Try software rendering to rule out the vendor path: LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 ./yourapp
5. Ensure nothing destroys the window between creation and surface binding (check for early WM_DELETE or crash in startup hooks)

Example fix

# before: platform auto-detection fails under Xwayland / vendor EGL
./yourapp  # eglCreateWindowSurface failed

# after: pin the X11 EGL platform explicitly
EGL_PLATFORM=x11 ./yourapp

func surfacePreflight() error {
	if err := glesPreflight(); err != nil {
		return err
	}
	if os.Getenv("WAYLAND_DISPLAY") != "" && os.Getenv("EGL_PLATFORM") == "" {
		return fmt.Errorf("Xwayland session detected; set EGL_PLATFORM=x11 before running")
	}
	return nil
}

When it happens

Trigger: eglCreateWindowSurface returning EGL_NO_SURFACE: window depth/visual incompatible with the chosen config under some drivers, EGL auto-platform detection picking the wrong platform (Xwayland quirks), or the window being destroyed before surface creation.

Common situations: Running under Xwayland with vendor EGL; outdated Mesa; apps or window managers closing the window during startup; remote X without GLX where a surface cannot be bound.

Related errors

• eglMakeCurrent failed\n
• eglGetConfigAttrib failed\n
• eglGetDisplay failed\n
• eglChooseConfig failed\n
• XGetVisualInfo failed\n

AI-assisted analysis of fyne-io/fyne@8860ee95c3 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0d56e71b31845748. Report an issue: GitHub.