remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

Dot grid program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}

Error message

Dot grid program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}

What it means

Thrown by dot-grid's linkProgram helper after gl.getProgramParameter reports LINK_STATUS failure. The message includes the driver's program info log. Linking fails when vertex and fragment shaders disagree on varying declarations, exceed uniform limits, or hit a driver bug. Because both shaders are bundled together, a link failure usually means a non-conformant driver or resource limit (too many uniforms/varyings for the device).

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/dot-grid.ts:188

};

const linkProgram = (
	gl: WebGL2RenderingContext,
	vs: WebGLShader,
	fs: WebGLShader,
): WebGLProgram => {
	const program = gl.createProgram();
	if (!program) {
		throw new Error('Failed to create WebGL program');
	}

	gl.attachShader(program, vs);
	gl.attachShader(program, fs);
	gl.linkProgram(program);
	if (!gl.getProgramParameter(program, gl.LINK_STATUS)) {
		const log = gl.getProgramInfoLog(program);
		gl.deleteProgram(program);
		throw new Error(`Dot grid program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}`);
	}

	return program;
};

export const dotGrid = createEffect<DotGridParams, DotGridState>({
	type: 'dev.remotion.effects.dotGrid',
	label: 'dotGrid()',
	documentationLink: 'https://www.remotion.dev/docs/effects/dot-grid',
	backend: 'webgl2',
	calculateKey: (params) => {
		const r = resolve(params);
		return `dot-grid-${r.dotSize}-${r.gridSize}-${r.invert ? 1 : 0}`;
	},
	setup: (target) => {
		const gl = target.getContext('webgl2', {
			premultipliedAlpha: true,
			alpha: true,

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

1. Read the embedded info log to see the linker's complaint.
2. Update GPU drivers and browser; try another device or browser.
3. For headless/CI, run under SwiftShader which links conformant programs.
4. If the log indicates a genuine defect in the bundled shaders, file a Remotion issue with the full log and device info.

try {
  state = dotGrid().setup(canvas);
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && /program link failed/i.test(err.message)) {
    console.error('Driver failed to link dot-grid program:', err.message);
    // fall back to a non-shader approach
  } else {
    throw err;
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: The dot-grid program fails to link on a device whose driver mishandles the uniform set, or whose MAX_VERTEX_UNIFORM_VECTORS / MAX_FRAGMENT_UNIFORM_VECTORS is exceeded (rare for this small shader). Also seen with broken driver versions that fail valid program links.

Common situations: Low-end mobile GPUs; outdated Intel/AMD driver branches; virtualized GL; remote desktop; some Linux Mesa versions on specific hardware.

Related errors

• Drop shadow program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}
• Dot grid shader compile failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}
• Program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}
• Burlap program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}
• Failed to create WebGL program

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0426c4ed89051e68. Report an issue: GitHub.