zed-industries/zed · error

Screen share failed

Error message

Screen share failed

What it means

In get_sources, the SCShareableContent completion handler receives mutually exclusive content/error pointers. If neither is present (both null), the code concludes the callback is in an impossible state and returns this bare error. The comment notes the two pointers are mutually exclusive, so this path should never occur in practice.

Source

Thrown at crates/gpui_macos/src/screen_capture.rs:277

                // SAFETY: Marked unsafe conservatively by objc2
                let result = unsafe { content.displays() }
                    .into_iter()
                    .map(|display| {
                        // SAFETY: Marked unsafe conservatively by objc2
                        let id = unsafe { display.displayID() };
                        let metadata = screen_id_to_label.get(&id).cloned();
                        let source = MacScreenCaptureSource {
                            sc_display: display,
                            meta: metadata,
                        };
                        Rc::new(source) as Rc<dyn ScreenCaptureSource>
                    })
                    .collect::<Vec<_>>();

                Ok(result)
            } else {
                // The two pointers are mutually exclusive, this should never happen
                Err(anyhow!("Screen share failed"))
            };

            _ = tx.send(result);
        },
    );

    unsafe {
        SCShareableContent::getShareableContentExcludingDesktopWindows_onScreenWindowsOnly_completionHandler(true, true, &handler);
    }

    rx
}

#[ctor(unsafe)]
unsafe fn build_classes() {
    let mut decl = ClassDecl::new("GPUIStreamDelegate", class!(NSObject)).unwrap();
    unsafe {
        decl.add_method(

View on GitHub (pinned to 9d272b0363)

Solutions

1. Retry get_sources; a one-off malformed callback usually succeeds on retry.
2. Grant Screen Recording permission and retry, since odd framework states often stem from permission gaps.
3. Update macOS — ScreenCaptureKit behavior bugs are fixed in point releases.
4. If reproducible, file a bug with Apple including the macOS version and repro steps.

match get_sources() {
    Err(e) if e.to_string() == "Screen share failed" => {
        // Should be unreachable; retry once and report if it persists
        match get_sources() {
            Ok(v) => Ok(v),
            Err(e2) => { report_screencapturekit_bug(e2); Err(e2) }
        }
    }
    other => other,
}

When it happens

Trigger: The ScreenCaptureKit completion callback fires with both the SCShareableContent pointer and the NSError pointer null — a defensive catch-all for a malformed/inconsistent ScreenCaptureKit response.

Common situations: Potential ScreenCaptureKit framework bugs or edge cases in unusual session states; theoretically unreachable in normal operation; encountered only if macOS violates its documented callback contract.

Understand the failure class

Background: "This is a bug, please report it": internal invariant violations, unreachable panics, and SNH errors explained — this error's family across 47 libraries.

Related errors

• Screen share failed: {}
• Failed to get active display list. Result: {result}
• RealtimeAudio priority should use spawn_realtime, not dispat
• Failed to register: {}
• Device lost: {err}

AI-assisted analysis of zed-industries/zed@9d272b0363 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/deed56555c0b266e. Report an issue: GitHub.