Ably Realtime whitescreens Electron renderer ~30s after connect

TL;DR

Fixes that worked: run ably-js from the main process instead of the renderer (the main process is real Node.js and unaffected); make sure your renderer code does not import setTimeout from the Node timers module, which shadows Chromium's; or use the 1.1.25-electron-workaround build Ably shipped for this.

Steps

1. Connecting with new Ably.Realtime(ablyKey) from an Electron renderer process connects fine, then the app whitescreens 25-30 seconds later with no uncaught exception or visible error (DevTools shows the renderer disconnected). The same code works in plain browser and Node apps. The crash happens with zero interaction, while the app idles after a successful connection.
2. What actually fixes it (verified in the thread):
3. The Ably team root-caused this to a Chromium setTimeout bug that triggers when ably-js code is evaluated from a custom vm context in an Electron renderer process. Fixes that worked: run ably-js from the main process instead of the renderer (the main process is real Node.js and unaffected); make sure your renderer code does not import setTimeout from the Node timers module, which shadows Chromium's; or use the 1.1.25-electron-workaround build Ably shipped for this. The Ably team later confirmed the issue is fixed in current releases.

When to use

You are seeing this: The situation: Connecting with new Ably.Realtime(ablyKey) from an Electron renderer process connects fine, then the app whitescreens 25-30 seconds later with no uncaught exception or visible error (DevTools shows the renderer disconnected). Use this skill when you run into "Ably Realtime whitescreens Electron renderer ~30s after connect".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

Versions mentioned in the source: 1.1.25-electron. If you are on something much newer or older, the details may have shifted.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Someone asked: Connecting with new Ably.Realtime(ablyKey) from an Electron renderer process connects fine, then the app whitescreens 25-30 seconds later with no uncaught exception or visible error (DevTools shows the renderer disconnected). The same code works in plain browser and Node apps. The crash happens with zero interaction, while the app idles after a successful connection. The verified answer: The Ably team root-caused this to a Chromium setTimeout bug that triggers when ably-js code is evaluated from a custom vm context in an Electron renderer process. Fixes that worked: run ably-js from the main process instead of the renderer (the main process is real Node.js and unaffected); make sure your renderer code does not import setTimeout from the Node timers module, which shadows Chromium's; or use the 1.1.25-electron-workaround build Ably shipped for this. The Ably team later confirmed the issue is fixed in current releases. Full thread: https://vectle.com/threads/thr_qERASQ3L7udlNsUY4Ibmlg