What causes "Could not compile shader. See error messages: " in stride3d/stride?

Read the appended compilerResult.ToText() in the message for the actual compiler errors.

stride3d/stride · error · InvalidOperationException

Could not compile shader. See error messages:

Error message

Could not compile shader. See error messages:

What it means

EffectSystem.CheckResult throws InvalidOperationException when the shader compiler result contains errors, aggregating the compiler log text into the message. It indicates a Stride shader (.sdsl/.sdfx) failed to compile.

Solutions

Read the appended compilerResult.ToText() in the message for the actual compiler errors.
Fix the shader source (syntax, missing mixins, invalid keys) listed in the log.
Ensure effect shaders are present and registered in the build (check .sdsl files compile in the editor).
Re-run with a matching graphics API profile the shader targets.

Example fix

// shader before
shader MyShader : ShaderBase
{
  compute computeMain()
  {
    undefinedFunction(); // error reported here
  }
}
// after: replace with a valid mixin call or define the function

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// Pre-validate: ensure the effect name resolves to an existing .sdsl/.sdfx shader in the project
bool ShaderExists(string name) => System.IO.File.Exists(System.IO.Path.Combine(shaderSourcePath, name + ".sdsl")) || System.IO.File.Exists(System.IO.Path.Combine(shaderSourcePath, name + ".sdfx"));

Try / catch

try { var effect = effectSystem.LoadEffect("MyEffect"); }
catch (InvalidOperationException ex) when (ex.Message.StartsWith("Could not compile shader"))
{
    // ex.Message contains the full compiler log after the prefix
    log.Error(ex.Message.Substring("Could not compile shader. See error messages: ".Length));
}

Prevention

Keep Stride editor/build shader compilation in CI to catch shader errors before runtime.
Read the full message: the compiler log is appended after the prefix.
Check graphics-API-specific shader features when porting between DX/Vulkan.
Ensure custom mixins and shader classes are properly registered.

When it happens

Trigger: Loading an effect whose shader source has syntax/semantic errors, uses missing mixins/compositions, or fails platform-specific compilation; called from LoadEffect/CreateEffect.

Common situations: Typo in a shader composition name, missing shader class, invalid keyword usage, or a shader that fails on a specific graphics API after working on another.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of stride3d/stride@96fad776d2 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ea7731612f883f49. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sources/engine/Stride.Rendering/Rendering/EffectSystem.cs:178

                // is already waiting on the result
                var result = bytecode.Task.ContinueWith(
                    x => CreateEffect(effectName, x.Result, compilerResult),
                    scheduler: TaskScheduler.Default);
                return result;
            }
            else
            {
                return CreateEffect(effectName, bytecode.WaitForResult(), compilerResult);
            }
        }

        // TODO: THIS IS JUST A WORKAROUND, REMOVE THIS

        private static void CheckResult(LoggerResult compilerResult)
        {
            if (compilerResult.HasErrors)
            {
                throw new InvalidOperationException("Could not compile shader. See error messages: " + compilerResult.ToText());
            }
        }

        private Effect CreateEffect(string effectName, EffectBytecodeCompilerResult effectBytecodeCompilerResult, CompilerResults compilerResult)
        {
            Effect effect;
            lock (cachedEffects)
            {
                if (!isInitialized)
                    throw new ObjectDisposedException(nameof(EffectSystem), "EffectSystem has been disposed. This Effect compilation has been cancelled.");

                if (effectBytecodeCompilerResult.CompilationLog.HasErrors)
                {
                    // Unregister result
                    // TODO: Should we keep it so that failure never change?
                    if (earlyCompilerCache.TryGetValue(effectName, out List<CompilerResults> effectCompilerResults))
                    {
                        effectCompilerResults.Remove(compilerResult);

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