remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

Failed to create WebGL program

Error message

Failed to create WebGL program

What it means

Zigzag links its compiled shaders into a program via gl.createProgram; a null return means the GL context would not allocate the program object, so the effect throws before linking. Both shaders already compiled, so this is a context/resource allocation failure (lost context, program-object limit, software renderer), independent of parameters.

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/zigzag.ts:370

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

	return program;
};

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

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

1. Verify WebGL2 context health (non-null getContext('webgl2'), isContextLost() false) before rendering.
2. Use Remotion's bundled Chrome for headless rendering; avoid disabling the software GPU.
3. Reduce simultaneously-active WebGL effects to free program-object slots.
4. Recreate the composition on webglcontextlost so setup re-runs cleanly.
5. Update GPU drivers or move to a host with a fully conformant WebGL2 implementation.

const gl = document.createElement('canvas').getContext('webgl2');
const webglOk = gl != null && gl.createProgram() != null && !gl.isContextLost();

const canCreateProgram = (): boolean => {
  const gl = document.createElement('canvas').getContext('webgl2');
  return gl != null && !gl.isContextLost() && gl.createProgram() != null;
};

try {
  return <VideoEffects effects={[zigzag({colors: ['#ff0000', '#00ff00']})]} />;
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && err.message === 'Failed to create WebGL program') {
    return <Video />;
  }
  throw err;
}

When it happens

Trigger: linkProgram in zigzag.ts: gl.createProgram() returns null after the vertex and fragment shaders compiled successfully.

Common situations: Context lost between compile and program create; too many programs alive across many concurrent effects; headless renderer with incomplete WebGL2 program allocation; GPU memory pressure.

Related errors

• Failed to create WebGL shader
• Failed to create WebGL shader
• Failed to create program
• Failed to create WebGL texture
• Failed to create WebGL shader

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c6d9d602409dbc2c. Report an issue: GitHub.