MacOS: Very large slowdown between 2026.516.143833 and 2026.906.222525

Nobody has claimed this yet.

### Is there an existing issue for this?

- [x] I have searched the existing issues

### Is your issue described in the documentation?

- [x] I have read the documentation

### Is your issue present in the latest beta/pre-release?

This issue is present in the latest pre-release

### Describe the Bug

This issue was noticed in v2026.906.222525, and I upgraded to the latest, v2026.912.143204, to confirm it is still there. (It is.)

Using Sunshine on MacOS 26, Moonlight on Linux. The only changes between my older, working configuration and the current one are:

* Upgrading to the latest version of Sunshine; and
* Deleting Sunshine credentials and starting fresh because I lost my password.

In version v2026.516.143833, Sunshine/Moonlight were quite usable as a desktop environment on my LAN. Some latency with the pointer, but otherwise perfectly acceptable.

Upon upgrade to .906, frame rates probably dropped by half or more. It's no longer very usable. I am also getting the "Reduce your bitrate" message on-screen constantly, whereas before it popped up only occasionally.

I don't have a log from .516, but I have attached a full log from .912. It's full of "Error: Encoder did not produce IDR frame when requested!" four times per second during use.

[sunshine-log-2026-09-12.txt](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/32147695/sunshine-log-2026-09-12.txt)

Please let me know if more information would be helpful.

### Expected Behavior

I expected similar performance.

### Additional Context

I don't know if it's related (but since it is a video quirk): the context menu on the menubar icon is now doubled/shadowed, like this:

This didn't happen in .516. Only the image in the rear is responsive.

### Host Operating System

macOS

### Operating System Version

MacOS Sequoia 15.7.5 (24G624)

### Architecture

arm64/aarch64

### Package

macOS - dmg

### GPU Type

Apple Silicon

### GPU Model

M1

### GPU Driver/Mesa Version

Whatever MacOS has

### Capture Method

AVCaptureScreen (macOS)

### Apps

```json

```

### Log output

```shell
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.698]: Info: Sunshine version: 2026.912.143204 commit: fbf12d019c16c6f8ff6fb4aaff8519d74e298fdf
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.699]: Info: Package Publisher: LizardByte
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.699]: Info: Publisher Website: https://app.lizardbyte.dev
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.699]: Info: Get support: https://app.lizardbyte.dev/support
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.718]: Info: Currently available display devices:
[
{
"device_id": "macos-cg-6cbd70d55c5254cf",
"display_name": "1",
"edid": null,
"friendly_name": "1",
"info": {
"hdr_state": null,
"origin_point": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0
},
"primary": true,
"refresh_rate": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 1,
"numerator": 60
}
},
"resolution": {
"height": 2100,
"width": 3360
},
"resolution_scale": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 100,
"numerator": 100
}
}
}
}
]
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad auto is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad generic is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad x360 is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad xone is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad xseries is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad ds4 is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad ds5 is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: Gamepad switch is disabled due to gamepads.virtualhid-not-available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Warning: No gamepad input is available
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Info: // Testing for available encoders, this may generate errors. You can safely ignore those errors. //
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.725]: Info: Trying encoder [videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.726]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.731]: Info: Creating encoder [h264_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.731]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.731]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.731]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:25:06.731]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.015]: Warning: [h264_videotoolbox @ 0x151606b30] PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality property is not supported on this device. Ignoring.
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.016]: Info: [h264_videotoolbox @ 0x151606b30] This device does not support the AllowOpenGop option. Value ignored.
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.252]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.252]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.252]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.252]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.252]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.262]: Warning: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x15170fef0] PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality property is not supported on this device. Ignoring.
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.263]: Info: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x15170fef0] This device does not support the AllowOpenGop option. Value ignored.
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.455]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.455]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.455]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.455]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.455]: Error: Couldn't open [av1_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.456]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.457]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.458]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.458]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.458]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 709)
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.458]: Info: Color depth: 10-bit
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.458]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.458]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.461]: Warning: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x15300c9d0] PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality property is not supported on this device. Ignoring.
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.462]: Info: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x15300c9d0] This device does not support the AllowOpenGop option. Value ignored.
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.665]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.666]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.667]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.669]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.669]: Info:
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.669]: Info: // Ignore any errors mentioned above, they are not relevant. //
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.669]: Info:
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.669]: Info: Found H.264 encoder: h264_videotoolbox [videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.669]: Info: Found HEVC encoder: hevc_videotoolbox [videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.669]: Info: Starting system tray
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.673]: Info: Configuration UI available at [https://localhost:47990]
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.753]: Info: System tray created
[2026-09-12 13:25:07.753]: Info: Starting main loop
[2026-09-12 13:25:08.346]: Info: Successfully registered DNS service.
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.429]: Info: Display device configuration is disabled. Reverting any active display device configuration.
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.430]: Info: // Testing for available encoders, this may generate errors. You can safely ignore those errors. //
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.430]: Info: Trying encoder [videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.431]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.432]: Info: Creating encoder [h264_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.432]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.432]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.432]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.432]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.440]: Warning: [h264_videotoolbox @ 0x132a05f20] PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality property is not supported on this device. Ignoring.
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.443]: Info: [h264_videotoolbox @ 0x132a05f20] This device does not support the AllowOpenGop option. Value ignored.
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.684]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.684]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.684]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.684]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.684]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.688]: Warning: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x14160bc20] PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality property is not supported on this device. Ignoring.
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.690]: Info: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x14160bc20] This device does not support the AllowOpenGop option. Value ignored.
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.872]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.872]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.872]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.872]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.872]: Error: Couldn't open [av1_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.873]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.874]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.875]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.875]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.875]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 709)
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.875]: Info: Color depth: 10-bit
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.875]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.875]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.879]: Warning: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x1530170b0] PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality property is not supported on this device. Ignoring.
[2026-09-12 13:27:09.881]: Info: [hevc_videotoolbox @ 0x1530170b0] This device does not support the AllowOpenGop option. Value ignored.
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.082]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.083]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.083]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.084]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.084]: Info:
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.084]: Info: // Ignore any errors mentioned above, they are not relevant. //
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.084]: Info:
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.084]: Info: Found H.264 encoder: h264_videotoolbox [videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.084]: Info: Found HEVC encoder: hevc_videotoolbox [videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.084]: Info: Executing [Desktop]
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.172]: Info: New streaming session started [active sessions: 1]
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.207]: Info: CLIENT CONNECTED
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.213]: Info: Configuring selected display (1) to stream
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.214]: Info: Creating encoder [h264_videotoolbox]
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.214]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 709)
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.214]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.214]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.214]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 20588000
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.217]: Warning: [h264_videotoolbox @ 0x151647990] PrioritizeEncodingSpeedOverQuality property is not supported on this device. Ignoring.
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.219]: Info: [h264_videotoolbox @ 0x151647990] This device does not support the AllowOpenGop option. Value ignored.
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.221]: Info: Minimum FPS target set to ~15fps (66.6667ms)
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.666]: Info: Using macOS system audio tap for capture.
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.667]: Info: Sample rate: 48000, Frame size: 240, Channels: 2
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.710]: Info: Opus initialized: 48 kHz, 2 channels, 512 kbps (total), LOWDELAY
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.911]: Error: Encoder did not produce IDR frame when requested!
[2026-09-12 13:27:10.976]: Error: Encoder did not produce IDR frame when requested!
[2026-09-12 13:27:11.096]: Error: Encoder did not produce IDR frame when requested!
[2026-09-12 13:27:11.264]: Error: Encoder did not produce IDR frame when requested!
[2026-09-12 13:27:11.429]: Error: Encoder did not produce IDR frame when requested!
. . .
[last message repeated 4x per second; no other messages]
```

### Online logs

_No response_

Start with the attached sunshine-log-2026-09-12.txt and the macOS AVCaptureScreen capture path, focusing on the repeated IDR-frame errors and VideoToolbox encoder setup. Compare behavior between v2026.516.143833 and v2026.912.143204 on Apple Silicon, then confirm the frame-rate and bitrate regression is resolved without the recurring encoder errors.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.