remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

Halftone program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}

Error message

Halftone program link failed: ${log ?? '(no log)'}

What it means

Thrown by linkProgram() in the halftone effect when gl.getProgramParameter(program, gl.LINK_STATUS) is false after gl.linkProgram(). The driver program-info log is appended (or '(no log)'). The vertex and fragment shaders each compiled, but linking them together failed. Since both shaders are fixed library code, a link failure points at a driver/WebGL2 bug rather than user input.

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/halftone.ts:387

};

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

	return program;
};

// Halftone effect (WebGL2). Converts luminance into a grid of dots, squares,
// or lines. Each fragment determines its nearest grid cell and whether it falls
// inside a dot, so edge dots are never culled. `dotSpacing` sets the grid pitch
// (defaults to `dotSize`). `sampling` controls texture interpolation when
// reading luminance at grid centres. `invert` inverts the pattern so
// bright/transparent areas produce larger dots and dark areas produce fewer.
// `colorMode` controls whether dots use a solid `dotColor` or the sampled source
// color at each grid cell.
export const halftone = createEffect<HalftoneParams, HalftoneState>({
	type: 'dev.remotion.effects.halftone',
	label: 'halftone()',
	documentationLink: 'https://www.remotion.dev/docs/effects/halftone',
	backend: 'webgl2',

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

1. Read the program info log embedded in the message — it states the exact link failure.
2. Render on a machine with a known-good WebGL2 stack (hardware acceleration or Remotion's bundled headless shell).
3. Update the GPU driver.
4. If transient, restart the render once to get a fresh GL context.

try {
  // ...use halftone()
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message.startsWith('Halftone program link failed')) {
    // driver info log is in e.message; switch to a known-good WebGL2 stack
    console.error(e.message);
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Linking the halftone program on a driver that mis-handles varying interpolation, uniform layout, or attribute binding between the two fixed shaders; software GL with incomplete linkers; context-degraded state after a GPU fault.

Common situations: Headless rendering with swiftshader or old mesa; remote Linux render boxes; post-crash context; transient driver faults.

Related errors

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

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e5e6385a3f2c8ffe. Report an issue: GitHub.