zen-browser / zen-browser/desktop

"ZenCP Isolated Web Content" process pegs all cores after media playback on MacOS

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#9,727 39 comments 27 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Bug component: performance platform: macOS
Dominant language
C++
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Description

Preliminary Checks
  • I have read and understood the important section above.
  • I have searched existing issues and avoided creating duplicates.
  • I am not filing an enhancement request.
  • I have checked that this issue cannot be reproduced on Mozilla Firefox.
  • I have checked that this issue can be reproduced once I removed all my Mods and Custom CSS.
What happened?

Multiple times per week. There's a Zen process that pegs the CPU and doesn't resolve until I restart the application. It has to do with video playback, even if all of the video-related tabs have been closed. I haven't been able to reproduce it, but I do know that it has to do with when I'm using YouTube or X and videos play. I just woke up to my laptop (M3 Max) pretending to be a helicopter.

Image
Expected behavior

The expected behavior is for there to be no processes related to Zen that peg the CPU and require restarting the application.

Actual behavior

"ZenCP Isolated Web Content" process pegs all cores.

Steps to reproduce

Use Zen in YouTube and X.

Screenshots and videos
Image
Version

1.14.9b (Firefox 141.0) (aarch64)

What platform are you seeing the problem on?

macOS - aarch64

What component is this issue related to?

Performance

Relevant log output if applicable
No logs. Will catch them next time this happens.

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the issue on macOS aarch64 using YouTube and X, then capture the relevant logs when the "ZenCP Isolated Web Content" process pegs the CPU. The issue is done when the cause of the post-playback CPU spike is identified and the process no longer requires an application restart.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
macos
Domain
desktop, performance
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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