Intent to Prototype: Scroll Timing API

[Noam Helfman]

Contact emails

no...@microsoft.com , gerc...@microsoft.com

Explainer

https://github.com/MicrosoftEdge/MSEdgeExplainers/blob/main/PerformanceScrollTiming/explainer.md

Specification

Spec to be developed in WICG once the API shape stabilizes.

Summary

The Scroll Timing API exposes detailed, per-scroll performance timing information to web developers. It enables precise measurement of scroll responsiveness, latency, and frame production during user-initiated scrolling, filling a long-standing observability gap in web performance diagnostics.

Blink component

Blink>PerformanceAPI

Web Feature ID

Missing feature

Motivation

Scrolling is one of the most common and latency-sensitive user interactions on the web, yet developers currently lack standardized APIs to measure scroll performance beyond coarse heuristics. Existing signals (e.g. long tasks, event timing, RAF timing) are insufficient to attribute scroll jank, delayed visual updates, or compositor-related delays.
This API enables developers to identify, diagnose, and regress-test scroll performance issues, and aligns with ongoing efforts to improve input responsiveness and UX metrics across browsers.

Full details, including examples and non-goals, are described in the explainer.

Initial public proposal

Unspecified

Goals for experimentation

None

Requires code in //chrome?

False

Tracking bug

https://issues.chromium.org/issues/504094429

Estimated milestones

No milestones specified

Link to entry on the Chrome Platform Status

https://chromestatus.com/feature/5076359002062848