remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

Failed to create WebGL shader

Error message

Failed to create WebGL shader

What it means

Thrown by dot-grid's compileShader helper when gl.createShader() returns null. A null shader means the WebGL2 context could not allocate a new shader object — almost always a sign of a lost, destroyed, or resource-exhausted context rather than a code defect, because the bundled GLSL has not yet been uploaded at this point.

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/dot-grid.ts:158

	program: WebGLProgram;
	vao: WebGLVertexArrayObject;
	vbo: WebGLBuffer;
	texture: WebGLTexture;
	uSource: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
	uResolution: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
	uDotSize: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
	uGridSize: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
	uInvert: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
};

const compileShader = (
	gl: WebGL2RenderingContext,
	type: number,
	source: string,
): WebGLShader => {
	const shader = gl.createShader(type);
	if (!shader) {
		throw new Error('Failed to create WebGL shader');
	}

	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(`Dot grid shader compile failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}`);
	}

	return shader;
};

const linkProgram = (
	gl: WebGL2RenderingContext,
	vs: WebGLShader,
	fs: WebGLShader,
): WebGLProgram => {

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

1. Verify WebGL2 is supported on the target before mounting: const gl = canvas.getContext('webgl2'); if (!gl) fallback();
2. For headless rendering (Lambda/CI), run Chrome with --use-gl=angle --use-angle=swiftshader (or the equivalent WebGL software renderer for your Chromium build).
3. Close other tabs / free GPU memory and reload; if the context was lost it may recover.
4. Update GPU drivers and the browser to the latest stable version.
5. Report a Remotion issue if the error reproduces on a freshly booted, WebGL2-capable desktop browser.

const supportsWebGL2 = () => {
  try {
    const c = document.createElement('canvas');
    return !!c.getContext('webgl2');
  } catch {
    return false;
  }
};

if (!supportsWebGL2()) {
  // omit the dotGrid() effect or render a static fallback layer
}

let state;
try {
  state = dotGrid().setup(canvas);
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && /WebGL/.test(err.message)) {
    // log, fall back to a non-WebGL layer, or surface a user-facing message
    console.error('dot-grid unavailable on this device:', err.message);
  } else {
    throw err;
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: The WebGL2 context was lost (tab backgrounded, GPU reset, too many contexts), the GPU driver crashed, the browser is running in a headless environment without GPU acceleration, or the device hit its per-context shader limit. The throw happens inside dotGrid()'s setup() the first time the effect is mounted.

Common situations: Running Remotion Lambda or headless Chromium without SwiftShader/software GL flags; long-running Studio sessions that leaked contexts; CI without --enable-webgl or --use-gl=swiftshader; VMs with no GPU; laptops in battery-saver mode that suspended the GPU.

Related errors

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

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5d8a16e4ceeaf31f. Report an issue: GitHub.