# wgsl_features

> The WebGPU shading language (WGSL) features the browser supports, from navigator.gpu.wgslLanguageFeatures, as a digest. Reported, not in either id.

Source: https://whiskerjs.com/signals/wgsl-features/ (last updated 2026-10-27)

**wgsl_features at a glance (from the library code, signalsVersion 14)**

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Component name | `wgsl_features` |
| In the visitorId | no (reported, kept out of both ids) |
| structuredId group | none |
| Hashing | always a digest, except the plain value none when nothing is found |
| Excluded under | no browser class |
| Inner timeout | 1000 ms |
| Added in | [signalsVersion 11](https://whiskerjs.com/whats-new/) |
| Collector revision | [1](https://whiskerjs.com/docs/api/#component) (reported as `revision` with every result) |

> **In plain words:**
>
> WebGPU programs are written in a shading language called WGSL. As browsers add language features, they list them in `navigator.gpu.wgslLanguageFeatures`. WhiskerJS reads that list (presence only) and turns it into one short code.

## What it reads

`navigator.gpu.wgslLanguageFeatures`, a set of feature names such as `readonly_and_readwrite_storage_textures` or `packed_4x8_integer_dot_product`. No adapter, no device, no shader compilation.

## How the technique works

The names are sorted, joined with commas and hashed. An empty set reports the plain value `none`. Without `navigator.gpu` or without the set the component is `unavailable` / `no_api`.

## Why it helps

The list grows with browser releases and differs between engines, so it dates the browser’s WebGPU implementation independently of the user agent. On your server it is a lie detector: a browser that claims an old version but lists a newer feature is unusual. In the hosted CI runs of PR #29, Chromium 153 and Chrome 155 gave different digests.

## Stability

It changes with browser updates that add WGSL features and is the same between sessions in one version. Reported outside both ids. Added in library PR #29 (2026-10-27) at signalsVersion 11: it is outside both ids, so adding it changed no id and needed no version bump.

## Browser support and what blocks it

- Chromium-based browsers expose it with `navigator.gpu`, even without a GPU: `ok` in Chromium 153 and Chrome 155 in CI, the same in every collection.
- `unavailable` / `no_api` without `navigator.gpu`: headless Firefox and WebKit on Linux in CI. Firefox and Safari versions with WebGPU enabled report it too.
- No browser class excludes it.

## Privacy

It describes the browser’s shader compiler, not the device or the user. No prompt, no request, and it leaves the library only as a digest.

## How WhiskerJS handles noise and failures

| Status | ruleId | When |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `ok` |   | a digest, or `none` for an empty set |
| `unavailable` | `no_api` | no `navigator.gpu` or no `wgslLanguageFeatures` |
| `unavailable` | `no_digest` | no Web Crypto |
| `blocked` | `threw`, `security_error` | a read threw |
| `excluded` | `caller_excluded` | you excluded it |
| `timed_out` | `timeout`, `aborted` | budget or abort |

## Example value

```json
"wgsl_features": { "status": "ok", "value": "9a0d6c3e51b74f28c6e1a9d40b3f7e25", "hashed": true, "durationMs": 0.1, "revision": 1 }
```

## Questions and answers

### Does wgsl_features need a GPU?

No. The list describes the browser's WGSL compiler and is read straight from navigator.gpu, without an adapter or a device. Chromium reports it even on a machine with no GPU.

### Why is it not in the visitorId?

Browsers add language features in new releases, so the value changes with updates. It is reported for your server as a version and engine hint.

## Related pages

- [webgpu](https://whiskerjs.com/signals/webgpu/): The WebGPU adapter, in the id.
- [webgpu_limits](https://whiskerjs.com/signals/webgpu-limits/): Every adapter limit.
- [ua_versions](https://whiskerjs.com/signals/ua-versions/): Exact browser versions, also outside the ids.