The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →First identify where Chromatic is timing out: a single story during snapshot capture, Storybook starting or building, build verification, or the connection to the Storybook server. These are different failures. Reduce story work for capture delays; reproduce production builds and check the corresponding timeout for build delays; check server and internet stability for connection failures.
Identify which stage is timing out
Read the Chromatic build log and match the error to the failing stage before changing configuration. A story that times out during capture while it works locally calls for different investigation than a whole build that reports “Build verification timed out.”
- One story is slow during capture: investigate the story’s rendering, interaction sequence, assets, and addons.
- Storybook is slow to start or build: reproduce the production-mode Storybook build and check the timeout for that process.
- The build reports verification timed out: inspect the build and verification path, including Storybook’s production output and whether the server remains available.
- Failures are intermittent or mention a lost connection: check whether the server stops during the build or internet access drops.
Chromatic’s resource-loading documentation describes story capture timing and resource-load behavior; its build verification timeout FAQ addresses the whole-build error.
Fix a timeout during one story’s capture
Chromatic documents up to 15 seconds to render a story, with an additional 15 seconds to run interaction tests when present. These are documented capture windows, not a general wall-clock limit for an entire build. For resource-load failures, Chromatic retries and can then capture with a warning.
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Reduce work that does not affect the snapshot
Inspect the slow story and its play function for work that delays rendering or interaction completion. Long play-function sequences—especially programmatic delays—and large component rerenders can hold up capture. Remove unnecessary work or shorten the interaction sequence where doing so preserves the intended state being tested.
Large data files and static assets can also add work. Keep only the data and assets the story needs, and avoid loading oversized resources when a smaller or more targeted fixture will produce the same relevant snapshot.
Make resources predictable
Images and other files served from external hosts depend on network availability and response time. Serve them locally where practical to reduce that variability. If an external resource is essential, check that it loads reliably in the Chromatic environment rather than assuming that a successful local load guarantees it will be available during capture.
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Disable irrelevant addons for Chromatic runs
Unnecessary addons and assets can add work to Storybook. If an addon is not needed for Chromatic capture, conditionally disable it during Chromatic runs. Keep the change scoped so it does not remove functionality needed for local development or alter the rendered story in ways that invalidate the snapshot.
Fix Storybook startup, build, or verification delays
Reproduce Chromatic’s production build locally
Chromatic’s CLI builds Storybook in production mode. Run the equivalent production build locally, open its output, and inspect the affected stories and console output. A development server that starts successfully does not rule out a production-build problem.
Use Chromatic’s CLI diagnostics to gather more detail. If Storybook’s build is timing out inside Chromatic, one option is to build Storybook as a separate CI step and pass the resulting directory with --storybook-build-dir.
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Increase only the timeout for the stage that is slow
Chromatic’s configuration reference documents separate environment variables for waiting on Storybook’s development server and waiting for its production build:
| Setting | What it waits for | Documented default |
|---|---|---|
CHROMATIC_TIMEOUT |
storybook dev to start |
300000 ms (5 minutes) |
STORYBOOK_BUILD_TIMEOUT |
storybook build to finish |
600000 ms (10 minutes) |
These defaults are documented in Chromatic’s configuration reference. Increase the variable that corresponds to the slow stage if the work is simply taking longer than its current limit. A longer wait does not repair a hung story, a broken production build, or an unavailable resource.
For a build verification timeout, Chromatic’s FAQ also suggests compressing a large Storybook with --zip or increasing the relevant timeout. Consider whether compression or a longer wait addresses the actual bottleneck; neither fixes an underlying build error.
Check for connectivity and local-to-CI differences
For intermittent whole-build failures, check the connection
Chromatic says a build can time out if it loses its connection to the server—for example, if the server stops mid-build or internet access drops. Check that the server process remains alive for the full build and that the CI environment has a stable connection, then retry. Chromatic’s Quickstart gives connection-loss and retry guidance.
For interaction differences, compare the environments
If interaction behavior differs between local runs and CI, check that Node and relevant test or user-event package versions match between the environments. Reproduce the issue using the production Storybook build rather than relying only on development mode. Chromatic’s interaction-test debugging guidance recommends these checks.
Troubleshooting checklist
- Only one story times out: inspect its play function, delays, rerenders, data, assets, and addon work.
- The same external image or resource fails inconsistently: serve it locally where practical, or verify its availability from the capture environment.
- Storybook works in development but not in Chromatic: run and inspect the production build locally.
- Chromatic waits for Storybook startup: check
CHROMATIC_TIMEOUT; its documented default is 300000 ms. - Storybook’s production build takes too long: check
STORYBOOK_BUILD_TIMEOUT; its documented default is 600000 ms. Consider building separately and supplying--storybook-build-dir. - A large Storybook fails verification: inspect the verification path and consider Chromatic’s documented
--zipsuggestion. - Whole-build failures come and go: verify the server stays running and the CI connection remains available before retrying.
- Interactions differ in CI: compare Node and relevant test/user-event package versions, then reproduce in production mode.
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ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a replacement for Chromatic’s Storybook snapshot and interaction-test workflow. If you need a standalone website screenshot without setting up a browser capture script, make one request to its API. Create an API key first, then run this cURL example; see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options and response details.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpBefore capture, ScreenshotNeo can accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
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Frequently asked questions
Does a longer timeout fix a story that hangs?
No. It gives a slow process more time, but a hung story or broken build needs its underlying cause fixed.
Does a successful local development Storybook rule out a production-build problem?
No. Chromatic builds Storybook in production mode, so reproduce and inspect that build as well.
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