remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

Failed to create WebGL shader

Error message

Failed to create WebGL shader

What it means

Thrown by wave-runtime's compileShader when gl.createShader() returns null. A null shader object means WebGL refused the allocation on context loss or GL object-limit exhaustion. The wave warp cannot compile its internal shaders without it.

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/wave/wave-runtime.ts:29

	textureSource: WebGLTexture;
	uniforms: {
		uSource: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
		uResolution: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
		uAmplitude: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
		uWavelength: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
		uPhase: WebGLUniformLocation | null;
		uDirection: 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(`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. Reload to reset the WebGL2 context.
2. Reduce the number of WebGL effects applied at once.
3. Verify hardware-accelerated WebGL2 and update drivers.
4. Dispose offscreen effects so shader objects are freed.

Example fix

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

// 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 shader alloc failed, skipping effect', err);
}

When it happens

Trigger: wave setup calls createProgram, which calls compileShader for the internal VERTEX_SHADER/FRAGMENT_SHADER; gl.createShader(type) returns null because the context is lost or too many shader objects are live.

Common situations: Context loss under many concurrent wave/other WebGL effects; GPU/driver object caps; headless Chrome on a constrained runner.

Related errors

• Failed to create WebGL shader
• Failed to create WebGL shader
• Failed to create WebGL shader
• Shader compile failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}
• Failed to create WebGL program

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7d241dbafa48978b. Report an issue: GitHub.