diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a4868b1e6..a7782a1ff 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html) for `libnopegl`.
 - `GraphicConfig.depth_write_mask` is renamed to `GraphicConfig.depth_write`
 - `Circle.count`, `Buffer*.count`, `StreamedBuffer*.count` are now unsigned
 - `Program.nb_frag_output` is now unsigned
+- Line numbers in shader compilation errors are now reported accurately
+  according to the user input, so shaders are not printed on stderr anymore
 
 ### Removed
 - `Text.aspect_ratio`, it now matches the viewport aspect ratio
diff --git a/libnopegl/src/ngpu/opengl/program_gl.c b/libnopegl/src/ngpu/opengl/program_gl.c
index 8e86c91ff..fab226c27 100644
--- a/libnopegl/src/ngpu/opengl/program_gl.c
+++ b/libnopegl/src/ngpu/opengl/program_gl.c
@@ -28,9 +28,7 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "ngpu/type.h"
 #include "program_gl.h"
-#include "utils/bstr.h"
 #include "utils/memory.h"
-#include "utils/string.h"
 
 static int program_check_status(const struct glcontext *gl, GLuint id, GLenum status)
 {
@@ -120,12 +118,7 @@ int ngpu_program_gl_init(struct ngpu_program *s, const struct ngpu_program_param
         gl->funcs.CompileShader(shader);
         ret = program_check_status(gl, shader, GL_COMPILE_STATUS);
         if (ret < 0) {
-            char *s_with_numbers = ngli_numbered_lines(shaders[i].src);
-            if (s_with_numbers) {
-                LOG(ERROR, "failed to compile shader \"%s\":\n%s",
-                    params->label ? params->label : "", s_with_numbers);
-                ngli_free(s_with_numbers);
-            }
+            LOG(ERROR, "failed to compile shader \"%s\"", params->label ? params->label : "");
             goto fail;
         }
         gl->funcs.AttachShader(s_priv->id, shader);
@@ -134,22 +127,7 @@ int ngpu_program_gl_init(struct ngpu_program *s, const struct ngpu_program_param
     gl->funcs.LinkProgram(s_priv->id);
     ret = program_check_status(gl, s_priv->id, GL_LINK_STATUS);
     if (ret < 0) {
-        struct bstr *bstr = ngli_bstr_create();
-        if (bstr) {
-            ngli_bstr_printf(bstr, "failed to link shaders \"%s\":",
-                             params->label ? params->label : "");
-            for (size_t i = 0; i < NGLI_ARRAY_NB(shaders); i++) {
-                if (!shaders[i].src)
-                    continue;
-                char *s_with_numbers = ngli_numbered_lines(shaders[i].src);
-                if (s_with_numbers) {
-                    ngli_bstr_printf(bstr, "\n\n%s shader:\n%s", shaders[i].name, s_with_numbers);
-                    ngli_free(s_with_numbers);
-                }
-            }
-            LOG(ERROR, "%s", ngli_bstr_strptr(bstr));
-            ngli_bstr_freep(&bstr);
-        }
+        LOG(ERROR, "failed to link shaders \"%s\"", params->label ? params->label : "");
         goto fail;
     }
 
diff --git a/libnopegl/src/ngpu/pgcraft.c b/libnopegl/src/ngpu/pgcraft.c
index adca18a42..c929154ee 100644
--- a/libnopegl/src/ngpu/pgcraft.c
+++ b/libnopegl/src/ngpu/pgcraft.c
@@ -1076,6 +1076,7 @@ static int craft_vert(struct ngpu_pgcraft *s, const struct ngpu_pgcraft_params *
         (ret = inject_ublock(s, b, NGPU_PROGRAM_STAGE_VERT)) < 0)
         return ret;
 
+    ngli_bstr_print(b, "#line 1\n");
     ngli_bstr_print(b, params->vert_base);
     return samplers_preproc(s, params, b);
 }
@@ -1128,6 +1129,7 @@ static int craft_frag(struct ngpu_pgcraft *s, const struct ngpu_pgcraft_params *
 
     ngli_bstr_print(b, "\n");
 
+    ngli_bstr_print(b, "#line 1\n");
     ngli_bstr_print(b, params->frag_base);
     return samplers_preproc(s, params, b);
 }
@@ -1148,6 +1150,7 @@ static int craft_comp(struct ngpu_pgcraft *s, const struct ngpu_pgcraft_params *
         (ret = inject_ublock(s, b, NGPU_PROGRAM_STAGE_COMP)) < 0)
         return ret;
 
+    ngli_bstr_print(b, "#line 1\n");
     ngli_bstr_print(b, params->comp_base);
     return samplers_preproc(s, params, b);
 }
diff --git a/libnopegl/src/ngpu/vulkan/program_vk.c b/libnopegl/src/ngpu/vulkan/program_vk.c
index 71f1e0c47..c5c792578 100644
--- a/libnopegl/src/ngpu/vulkan/program_vk.c
+++ b/libnopegl/src/ngpu/vulkan/program_vk.c
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "program_vk.h"
 #include "utils/memory.h"
-#include "utils/string.h"
 #include "utils/utils.h"
 #include "vkutils.h"
 
@@ -65,12 +64,7 @@ int ngpu_program_vk_init(struct ngpu_program *s, const struct ngpu_program_param
         size_t size = 0;
         int ret = ngli_glslang_compile(shaders[i].stage, shaders[i].src, s->gpu_ctx->config.debug, &data, &size);
         if (ret < 0) {
-            char *s_with_numbers = ngli_numbered_lines(shaders[i].src);
-            if (s_with_numbers) {
-                LOG(ERROR, "failed to compile shader \"%s\":\n%s",
-                    params->label ? params->label : "", s_with_numbers);
-                ngli_free(s_with_numbers);
-            }
+            LOG(ERROR, "failed to compile shader \"%s\"", params->label ? params->label : "");
             return ret;
         }
 
@@ -82,12 +76,7 @@ int ngpu_program_vk_init(struct ngpu_program *s, const struct ngpu_program_param
         VkResult res = vkCreateShaderModule(vk->device, &shader_module_create_info, NULL, &s_priv->shaders[i]);
         ngli_freep(&data);
         if (res != VK_SUCCESS) {
-            char *s_with_numbers = ngli_numbered_lines(shaders[i].src);
-            if (s_with_numbers) {
-                LOG(ERROR, "failed to compile shader \"%s\":\n%s",
-                    params->label ? params->label : "", s_with_numbers);
-                ngli_free(s_with_numbers);
-            }
+            LOG(ERROR, "failed to compile shader \"%s\"", params->label ? params->label : "");
             return ngli_vk_res2ret(res);
         }
     }
diff --git a/libnopegl/src/test_utils.c b/libnopegl/src/test_utils.c
index 78e527e11..76804d181 100644
--- a/libnopegl/src/test_utils.c
+++ b/libnopegl/src/test_utils.c
@@ -20,18 +20,8 @@
  */
 
 #include "utils/crc32.h"
-#include "utils/memory.h"
-#include "utils/string.h"
 #include "utils/utils.h"
 
-static void test_numbered_line(uint32_t crc, const char *s)
-{
-    char *p = ngli_numbered_lines(s);
-    ngli_assert(p);
-    ngli_assert(ngli_crc32(p) == crc);
-    ngli_freep(&p);
-}
-
 int main(void)
 {
     ngli_assert(ngli_crc32("") == 0);
@@ -42,13 +32,5 @@ int main(void)
         buf[i] = (char)(0xff - i);
     ngli_assert(ngli_crc32(buf) == 0x5473AA4D);
 
-#define X "x\n"
-#define S "foo\nbar\nhello\nworld\nbla\nxxx\nyyy\n"
-    test_numbered_line(0x2d7f40af, S S S S S S S S);
-    test_numbered_line(0xbcea3585, "\n");
-    test_numbered_line(0xc58462d3, "foo\nbar");
-    test_numbered_line(0x00000000, "");
-    test_numbered_line(0x25b15360, X X X X X X X X X);
-    test_numbered_line(0x759455a5, X X X X X X X X X X);
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/libnopegl/src/utils/string.c b/libnopegl/src/utils/string.c
index 2d2a652fc..981ed51d3 100644
--- a/libnopegl/src/utils/string.c
+++ b/libnopegl/src/utils/string.c
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
-#include "bstr.h"
 #include "memory.h"
 #include "string.h"
 
@@ -64,52 +63,3 @@ char *ngli_asprintf(const char *fmt, ...)
 
     return p;
 }
-static int count_lines(const char *s)
-{
-    int count = 0;
-    while (*s) {
-        const size_t len = strcspn(s, "\n");
-        count++;
-        if (!s[len])
-            break;
-        s += len + 1;
-    }
-    return count;
-}
-
-static int count_digits(int x)
-{
-    int n = 1;
-    while (x /= 10)
-        n++;
-    return n;
-}
-
-char *ngli_numbered_lines(const char *s)
-{
-    struct bstr *b = ngli_bstr_create();
-    if (!b)
-        return NULL;
-
-    const int nb_lines = count_lines(s);
-    const int nb_digits = count_digits(nb_lines);
-    int line = 1;
-    while (*s) {
-        const size_t len = strcspn(s, "\n");
-        ngli_bstr_printf(b, "%*d %.*s\n", nb_digits, line++, (int)len, s);
-        if (!s[len])
-            break;
-        s += len + 1;
-    }
-
-    char *ret = ngli_bstr_strdup(b);
-    ngli_bstr_freep(&b);
-    if (!ret)
-        return NULL;
-
-    size_t len = strlen(ret);
-    while (len && ret[len - 1] == '\n')
-        ret[--len] = 0;
-
-    return ret;
-}
diff --git a/libnopegl/src/utils/string.h b/libnopegl/src/utils/string.h
index d18b6cdd3..aeb238898 100644
--- a/libnopegl/src/utils/string.h
+++ b/libnopegl/src/utils/string.h
@@ -32,6 +32,5 @@
 
 char *ngli_strdup(const char *s);
 char *ngli_asprintf(const char *fmt, ...) ngli_printf_format(1, 2);
-char *ngli_numbered_lines(const char *s);
 
 #endif /* STRING_H */