remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

Failed to create WebGL buffer

Error message

Failed to create WebGL buffer

What it means

Thrown inside `lightLeak`'s setup when `gl.createBuffer()` returns `null`. The vertex buffer holding the fullscreen-quad data could not be allocated — context loss or GPU buffer memory/object-slot exhaustion.

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/light-leak.ts:267

		const fs = compileShader(gl, gl.FRAGMENT_SHADER, LIGHT_LEAK_FS);
		const program = linkProgram(gl, vs, fs);
		gl.deleteShader(vs);
		gl.deleteShader(fs);

		const vao = gl.createVertexArray();
		if (!vao) {
			throw new Error('Failed to create WebGL vertex array');
		}

		gl.bindVertexArray(vao);

		const data = new Float32Array([
			-1, -1, 0, 0, 1, -1, 1, 0, -1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
		]);

		const vbo = gl.createBuffer();
		if (!vbo) {
			throw new Error('Failed to create WebGL buffer');
		}

		gl.bindBuffer(gl.ARRAY_BUFFER, vbo);
		gl.bufferData(gl.ARRAY_BUFFER, data, gl.STATIC_DRAW);

		const aPos = gl.getAttribLocation(program, 'aPos');
		const aUv = gl.getAttribLocation(program, 'aUv');
		gl.enableVertexAttribArray(aPos);
		gl.vertexAttribPointer(aPos, 2, gl.FLOAT, false, 16, 0);
		gl.enableVertexAttribArray(aUv);
		gl.vertexAttribPointer(aUv, 2, gl.FLOAT, false, 16, 8);

		gl.bindVertexArray(null);

		const texture = gl.createTexture();
		if (!texture) {
			throw new Error('Failed to create WebGL texture');
		}

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

1. Reduce concurrency and dispose unused GL buffers.
2. Handle context loss and recreate the effect.
3. Restart the GPU/Chrome process to reclaim leaked buffer objects.
4. Render with adequate video memory.

try {
  lightLeak({...})(...);
} catch (err) {
  if (/Failed to create WebGL buffer/.test(String(err))) {
    console.warn('lightLeak() VBO unavailable', err);
  } else {
    throw err;
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Context lost before buffer creation; many concurrent buffer allocations; VRAM exhaustion.

Common situations: Long-running or concurrent renders leaking GL buffers; constrained CI/Lambda; suspended tabs.

Related errors

• Failed to create levels vertex buffer
• Failed to create WebGL shader
• Failed to create WebGL program
• Failed to create WebGL vertex array
• Failed to create WebGL texture

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2c3925813f4a4261. Report an issue: GitHub.