fix(producer): restore calibration timeout ceiling + add pipeline observability (#1233)

* fix(producer): restore 30s calibration timeout ceiling to prevent render hang

The v0.6.74 change (Math.min → Math.max in createCaptureCalibrationConfig)
raised the calibration protocol timeout from 30s to the default 300s. When
a CDP call stalls during session init — page.goto, pollHfReady, or any
page.evaluate — the 300s timeout makes the render appear to hang
indefinitely at "Initializing calibration session...".

Restore Math.min so calibration stays capped at 30s: if Chrome is stuck,
fail fast and let the fallback path recover. Also add phase-level timing
logs to initializeSession so the next report pinpoints which step stalls.

Closes #1231

* fix(producer): add render pipeline observability for faster triage

Log the resolved environment at pipeline start (platform, arch, node
version, all timeout values, GPU mode), the calibration config showing
the actual timeout being used vs the parent, Chrome version and capture
mode at browser launch, and a structured failure summary on error with
stage timings and console errors. These four log categories give agents
and users enough context to file actionable issues without needing to
reproduce the problem.

* fix(engine): add missing pollVideosReady phase log in screenshot path

The BeginFrame path logged this phase but the screenshot path didn't,
creating an instrumentation gap when diagnosing hangs on macOS where
screenshot mode is always used.

packages/engine/src/services/browserManager.ts

@@ -370,6 +370,11 @@ async function launchBrowser(
     protocolTimeout,
   });
 
+  const browserVersion = await browser.version().catch(() => "unknown");
+  console.log(
+    `[BrowserManager] Browser launched (${browserVersion}, ${captureMode}, headlessShell=${!!headlessShell}, platform=${process.platform})`,
+  );
+
   if (captureMode === "beginframe") {
     const supported = await probeBeginFrameSupport(browser).catch(() => true);
     if (!supported) {

packages/engine/src/services/frameCapture.ts

@@ -748,17 +748,26 @@ export async function initializeSession(session: CaptureSession): Promise<void>
   const url = `${serverUrl}/index.html`;
   const pageNavigationTimeout =
     session.config?.pageNavigationTimeout ?? DEFAULT_CONFIG.pageNavigationTimeout;
+  const initStart = Date.now();
+  const logInitPhase = (phase: string) => {
+    console.log(`[initSession:${session.captureMode}] ${phase} (${Date.now() - initStart}ms)`);
+  };
+
   if (session.captureMode === "screenshot") {
     // Screenshot mode: standard navigation, rAF works normally
     await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: "domcontentloaded", timeout: pageNavigationTimeout });
+    logInitPhase("page.goto complete");
 
     const pageReadyTimeout =
       session.config?.playerReadyTimeout ?? DEFAULT_CONFIG.playerReadyTimeout;
     await pollHfReady(page, pageReadyTimeout);
+    logInitPhase("pollHfReady complete");
 
     await pollSubCompositionTimelines(page, pageReadyTimeout);
+    logInitPhase("pollSubCompositionTimelines complete");
 
     await applyVideoMetadataHints(page, session.options.videoMetadataHints);
+    logInitPhase("applyVideoMetadataHints complete");
 
     // Wait for all video elements to have decoded their CURRENT frame, not
     // just metadata. readyState >= 2 (HAVE_CURRENT_DATA) means a frame is
@@ -777,6 +786,7 @@ export async function initializeSession(session: CaptureSession): Promise<void>
       session.options.skipReadinessVideoIds ?? [],
       pageReadyTimeout,
     );
+    logInitPhase("pollVideosReady complete");
     if (!videosReady) {
       const failedVideos = await page.evaluate((skipIdList: readonly string[]) => {
         const skip = new Set(skipIdList);
@@ -811,9 +821,12 @@ export async function initializeSession(session: CaptureSession): Promise<void>
       );
     }
     await decodeAllImages(page);
+    logInitPhase("images ready + decoded");
 
     await page.evaluate(`document.fonts?.ready`);
+    logInitPhase("fonts ready");
     await waitForOptionalTailwindReady(page, pageReadyTimeout);
+    logInitPhase("tailwind ready");
 
     // For PNG captures, force the page background fully transparent so the
     // captured screenshots carry a real alpha channel. Must run AFTER
@@ -879,22 +892,27 @@ export async function initializeSession(session: CaptureSession): Promise<void>
     );
   })();
   warmupLoopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  logInitPhase("warmup loop started");
 
   await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: "domcontentloaded", timeout: pageNavigationTimeout });
+  logInitPhase("page.goto complete");
 
   // Poll for window.__hf readiness using manual evaluate loop (waitForFunction
   // uses rAF polling internally, which won't fire in beginFrame mode).
   const pageReadyTimeout = session.config?.playerReadyTimeout ?? DEFAULT_CONFIG.playerReadyTimeout;
   try {
     await pollHfReady(page, pageReadyTimeout);
+    logInitPhase("pollHfReady complete");
   } catch (err) {
     warmupState.running = false;
     throw err;
   }
 
   await pollSubCompositionTimelines(page, pageReadyTimeout);
+  logInitPhase("pollSubCompositionTimelines complete");
 
   await applyVideoMetadataHints(page, session.options.videoMetadataHints);
+  logInitPhase("applyVideoMetadataHints complete");
 
   // Same readyState contract as the screenshot path above (>= 2 / HAVE_CURRENT_DATA).
   const bfVideosReady = await pollVideosReady(
@@ -916,6 +934,7 @@ export async function initializeSession(session: CaptureSession): Promise<void>
         `Continuing render — affected videos will appear as blank/black frames.`,
     );
   }
+  logInitPhase("pollVideosReady complete");
 
   // Image readiness — parity with pollVideosReady. Defense against remote
   // <img> URLs that bypass the htmlCompiler localize step.
@@ -938,10 +957,12 @@ export async function initializeSession(session: CaptureSession): Promise<void>
     );
   }
   await decodeAllImages(page);
+  logInitPhase("images ready + decoded");
 
-  // Font check (no rAF dependency — uses fonts.ready API directly)
   await page.evaluate(`document.fonts?.ready`);
+  logInitPhase("fonts ready");
   await waitForOptionalTailwindReady(page, pageReadyTimeout);
+  logInitPhase("tailwind ready");
 
   // Stop warmup. Unlocked mode exits on this flag; locked mode keeps ticking
   // until LOCKED_WARMUP_TICKS, so we await its promise to ensure the count is

packages/producer/src/services/render/captureCost.ts

@@ -53,11 +53,10 @@ export const CAPTURE_CALIBRATION_TARGET_MS = 600;
 export const MAX_MEASURED_CAPTURE_COST_MULTIPLIER = 8;
 
 /**
- * CDP protocol timeout used while running calibration. Bounded below
+ * CDP protocol timeout used while running calibration. This is a ceiling,
- * the normal `cfg.protocolTimeout` so a wedged BeginFrame calibration
+ * not a floor — a wedged BeginFrame must time out fast so the sequencer
- * times out fast and falls back to screenshot mode (see the
+ * can fall back to screenshot mode via
- * `shouldFallbackToScreenshotAfterCalibrationError` path in the
+ * `shouldFallbackToScreenshotAfterCalibrationError`.
- * sequencer).
  */
 export const CAPTURE_CALIBRATION_PROTOCOL_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000;
 
@@ -173,7 +172,7 @@ export function resolveRenderWorkerCount(
 export function createCaptureCalibrationConfig(cfg: EngineConfig): EngineConfig {
   return {
     ...cfg,
-    protocolTimeout: Math.max(cfg.protocolTimeout, CAPTURE_CALIBRATION_PROTOCOL_TIMEOUT_MS),
+    protocolTimeout: Math.min(cfg.protocolTimeout, CAPTURE_CALIBRATION_PROTOCOL_TIMEOUT_MS),
   };
 }
 
@@ -374,6 +373,12 @@ export async function runCaptureCalibration(input: {
   };
 
   const calibrationCfg = createCaptureCalibrationConfig({ ...cfg, forceScreenshot });
+  log.info("[Render] Calibration config", {
+    protocolTimeout: calibrationCfg.protocolTimeout,
+    parentProtocolTimeout: cfg.protocolTimeout,
+    forceScreenshot,
+    totalFrames,
+  });
   let calibration:
     | { estimate: CaptureCostEstimate; samples: CaptureCalibrationSample[] }
     | undefined;

packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.test.ts

@@ -785,21 +785,22 @@ describe("selectCaptureCalibrationFrames", () => {
 });
 
 describe("capture calibration safeguards", () => {
-  it("respects user protocol timeout when higher than calibration default", () => {
+  it("caps protocol timeout at calibration ceiling for fast fallback", () => {
     const cfg = createConfig();
     const calibrationCfg = createCaptureCalibrationConfig(cfg);
 
-    // User's 300s timeout is higher than the 30s calibration default — use the user's value
+    // Default 300s is above the 30s calibration ceiling — cap at 30s
-    expect(calibrationCfg.protocolTimeout).toBe(300000);
+    // so a wedged BeginFrame times out fast and falls back to screenshot
+    expect(calibrationCfg.protocolTimeout).toBe(30000);
     expect(cfg.protocolTimeout).toBe(300000);
   });
 
-  it("uses calibration floor when user timeout is lower", () => {
+  it("preserves user timeout when already below calibration ceiling", () => {
     const cfg = createConfig();
     cfg.protocolTimeout = 5000;
 
-    // 5s is below the 30s calibration floor — use the floor
+    // 5s is below the 30s ceiling — keep the user's value
-    expect(createCaptureCalibrationConfig(cfg).protocolTimeout).toBe(30000);
+    expect(createCaptureCalibrationConfig(cfg).protocolTimeout).toBe(5000);
   });
 
   it("falls back to screenshot mode after beginFrame calibration failures", () => {

packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts

@@ -1497,6 +1497,22 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
 
     job.startedAt = new Date();
     assertNotAborted();
+
+    log.info("[Render] Pipeline started", {
+      platform: process.platform,
+      arch: process.arch,
+      nodeVersion: process.version,
+      fps: job.config.fps,
+      format: outputFormat,
+      quality: job.config.quality,
+      browserGpuMode: cfg.browserGpuMode,
+      forceScreenshot: cfg.forceScreenshot,
+      protocolTimeout: cfg.protocolTimeout,
+      browserTimeout: cfg.browserTimeout,
+      pageNavigationTimeout: cfg.pageNavigationTimeout,
+      playerReadyTimeout: cfg.playerReadyTimeout,
+    });
+
     if (!existsSync(workDir)) mkdirSync(workDir, { recursive: true });
 
     if (job.config.debug) {
@@ -2158,6 +2174,19 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
       hdrDiagnostics,
     });
 
+    log.info("[Render] Failure summary", {
+      failedStage: job.currentStage,
+      error: errorMessage,
+      elapsedMs: Date.now() - pipelineStart,
+      stageTimings: perfStages,
+      isTimeout: isTimeoutError,
+      workers: job.config.workers ?? "auto",
+      protocolTimeout: cfg.protocolTimeout,
+      browserConsoleErrors: lastBrowserConsole
+        .filter((l) => l.includes("ERROR") || l.includes("PAGEERROR"))
+        .slice(-5),
+    });
+
     await cleanupRenderResources({
       fileServer,
       probeSession,