zed-industries/zed · error

Failed to request a {preference:?} adapter compatible with t

Error message

Failed to request a {preference:?} adapter compatible with the canvas: {error}

What it means

Raised in `WgpuContext::new_web_with_backend` when `instance.request_adapter` returns None for the requested backend preference (Auto/WebGpu/WebGl) with the canvas as compatible surface. Happens when no GPU adapter matches: WebGPU unavailable/disabled, WebGL context lost or unsupported hardware.

Source

Thrown at crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_context.rs:189

            wgpu::util::new_instance_with_webgpu_detection(descriptor).await
        } else {
            wgpu::Instance::new(descriptor)
        };
        let surface = instance
            .create_surface(wgpu::SurfaceTarget::Canvas(canvas.clone()))
            .map_err(|error| {
                anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to create browser graphics surface: {error}")
            })?;

        let adapter = instance
            .request_adapter(&wgpu::RequestAdapterOptions {
                power_preference: wgpu::PowerPreference::HighPerformance,
                compatible_surface: Some(&surface),
                force_fallback_adapter: false,
            })
            .await
            .map_err(|error| {
                anyhow::anyhow!(
                    "Failed to request a {preference:?} adapter compatible with the canvas: {error}"
                )
            })?;
        let adapter_info = adapter.get_info();
        let backend = match adapter_info.backend {
            wgpu::Backend::BrowserWebGpu => WgpuBackend::BrowserWebGpu,
            wgpu::Backend::Gl => WgpuBackend::Gl,
            backend => {
                anyhow::bail!(
                    "Browser graphics initialization selected unexpected backend {backend:?}"
                )
            }
        };

        let device_lost = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
        let (device, queue, dual_source_blending, color_texture_format) =
            Self::create_device(&adapter).await?;
        device.set_device_lost_callback({

View on GitHub (pinned to f4178619ac)

Solutions

1. Retry with a different WebBackendPreference (Auto falls back through WebGPU then WebGL).
2. Ask the user to enable WebGPU or use a browser/version that supports it.
3. Lower power_preference or drop compatible_surface constraints if appropriate.
4. Surface a clear message that the browser/GPU cannot provide a renderer.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at crates/gpui_wgpu/src/wgpu_context.rs:189 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of zed-industries/zed@f4178619ac (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ea0e46ec1681273d. Report an issue: GitHub.