webgl readpixels is always returning 0,0,0,0

You don’t need preserveDrawingBuffer: true to call readPixels. What you need is to call readPixels before exiting the current event.

The spec says if you call any function that affects the canvas (gl.clear, gl.drawXXX) then the browser will clear the canvas after the next composite operation. When that composite operation happens is up to the browser. It could be after it processes several mouse events or keyboard events or click events. The order is undefined. What is defined is that it won’t do it until the current event exits so

render
read

const gl = document.querySelector("canvas").getContext("webgl");

render();
read();  // read in same event

function render() {
  gl.clearColor(.25, .5, .75, 1);
  gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
}

function read() {
  const pixel = new Uint8Array(4);
  gl.readPixels(0, 0, 1, 1, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, pixel);
  log(pixel);
}

function log(...args) {
  const elem = document.createElement("pre");
  elem.textContent = [...args].join(' ');
  document.body.appendChild(elem);
}

<canvas></canvas>

works where as

render
setTimeout(read, 1000);  // some other event

does not work

const gl = document.querySelector("canvas").getContext("webgl");

render();
setTimeout(read, 1000);  // read in other event

function render() {
  gl.clearColor(.25, .5, .75, 1);
  gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
}

function read() {
  const pixel = new Uint8Array(4);
  gl.readPixels(0, 0, 1, 1, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, pixel);
  log(pixel);
}

function log(...args) {
  const elem = document.createElement("pre");
  elem.textContent = [...args].join(' ');
  document.body.appendChild(elem);
}

<canvas></canvas>

Note that since it’s the composite operation (the browser actually drawing the canvas on the page with the rest of the HTML) that triggers the clear, if the canvas is not on the page then it’s not composited and won’t be cleared.

In other words the case that didn’t work above does work here

// create an offscreen canvas. Because it's offscreen it won't be composited
// and therefore will not be cleared.
const gl = document.createElement("canvas").getContext("webgl");

render();
setTimeout(read, 1000);  // read in other event

function render() {
  gl.clearColor(.25, .5, .75, 1);
  gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
}

function read() {
  const pixel = new Uint8Array(4);
  gl.readPixels(0, 0, 1, 1, gl.RGBA, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, pixel);
  log(pixel);
}

function log(...args) {
  const elem = document.createElement("pre");
  elem.textContent = [...args].join(' ');
  document.body.appendChild(elem);
}

Now, if you want to call readPixels in some other event, like when the user clicks an element, then you have at least 2 options

Set preserveDrawingBuffer: true

Render again in your event

screenshotElement.addEventListener('click', event => {
  render();  
  gl.readPixels(...);
});

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