remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

Failed to create WebGL program

Error message

Failed to create WebGL program

What it means

Thrown by wave-runtime's linkProgram when gl.createProgram() returns null. A null program object means WebGL refused the allocation on context loss or object-limit exhaustion. Wave links its compiled shaders into this program, so it cannot continue without one.

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/wave/wave-runtime.ts:50

	gl.shaderSource(shader, source);
	gl.compileShader(shader);
	if (!gl.getShaderParameter(shader, gl.COMPILE_STATUS)) {
		const log = gl.getShaderInfoLog(shader);
		gl.deleteShader(shader);
		throw new Error(`Shader compile failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}`);
	}

	return shader;
};

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(`Program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}`);
	}

	return program;
};

const createProgram = (
	gl: WebGL2RenderingContext,
	vertexSource: string,
	fragmentSource: string,

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

1. Reload to reset the WebGL2 context.
2. Lower concurrent WebGL effect count.
3. Confirm hardware-accelerated WebGL2 and update drivers.
4. Free effects on offscreen/unmounted sequences.

Example fix

// before
const effect = wave({amplitude: 60, wavelength: 240});

// after
const effect = (() => {
  try { return wave({amplitude: 60, wavelength: 240}); } catch { return null; }
})();

let effect = null;
try {
  effect = wave({amplitude: 60, wavelength: 240});
} catch (err) {
  console.warn('wave program alloc failed, skipping effect', err);
}

When it happens

Trigger: wave setup calls createProgram -> linkProgram after both shaders compile; gl.createProgram() returns null because the context is lost or the program-object budget is reached.

Common situations: Context loss with many concurrent effects; driver/GPU object caps; headless Chrome under memory pressure.

Related errors

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

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/80a418c6a0e9ae0e. Report an issue: GitHub.