remotion-dev/remotion · critical · Error

Failed to create WebGL buffer

Error message

Failed to create WebGL buffer

What it means

Thrown during Gridlines setup when gl.createBuffer() returns null. The buffer holds the fullscreen-quad vertex data. A null return means the context cannot allocate another buffer object — context loss or resource exhaustion.

Solutions

1. Handle context loss and rebuild state on restore.
2. Ensure cleanup() deletes buffers (the Gridlines cleanup deletes vbo).
3. Limit concurrent WebGL2 effects/compositions.
4. Restart browser/GPU; update drivers if persistent.

Example fix

// before: setup per render, no teardown
const state = gridlines.setup(canvas); // buffers leak

// after: setup once, cleanup on unmount
useEffect(() => {
  const state = gridlines.setup(canvas);
  return () => gridlines.cleanup(state);
}, []);

if (gl.isContextLost()) {
  throw new Error('WebGL2 context lost; cannot create buffer');
}

null

try {
  gridlines.setup(canvas);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message === 'Failed to create WebGL buffer') {
    // context loss / buffer budget exhausted
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Called once per setup right after binding the VAO (gridlines.ts:448). Lost WebGL2 context or leaked buffers exhausting the driver's object budget.

Common situations: Leaked buffer objects from repeated setup without cleanup; many concurrent WebGL effects; GPU reset; constrained software renderer.

Related errors

• Failed to create WebGL buffer
• Failed to create WebGL buffer
• Failed to create WebGL buffer
• Failed to create WebGL buffer
• Failed to create WebGL buffer

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7eb0f3db11250115. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/gridlines.ts:450

		const fs = compileShader(gl, gl.FRAGMENT_SHADER, GRIDLINES_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)