Codex App does not honor `[sandbox_workspace_write] network_access = true` from `config.toml` (works in CLI)

Resolved 💬 6 comments Opened Mar 3, 2026 by sokolgood Closed Mar 18, 2026

What variant of Codex are you using?

Codex App - Version 26.228.1430 (760)

What feature would you like to see?

Problem

Official docs state that for Codex App / CLI / IDE, network in workspace-write can be enabled via:

config.toml

[sandbox_workspace_write]
network_access = true

Source: https://developers.openai.com/codex/security

In practice, Codex CLI behaves as expected, but Codex App does not reliably match this behavior.

Codex CLI behavior (expected)

With:

[sandbox_workspace_write]
network_access = true

CLI can run networked commands in workspace-write mode, including DNS-dependent requests to internal/corporate hosts.

Codex App behavior (observed)

In App sandboxed runs, behavior is different:

  • scutil --dns may return No DNS configuration available
  • CODEX_SANDBOX_NETWORK_DISABLED is often 1
  • DNS-dependent commands to internal/corporate hosts fail

To make the same tasks work in App, users currently need escalated/full-access execution.

Why this matters

This blocks efficient day-to-day engineering workflows in corporate environments:

  • running benchmarks/tests that depend on internal services
  • validating integrations against internal APIs
  • using Codex App as a practical replacement for CLI without over-privileging execution

Why current workaround is insufficient

Current workaround is to run with escalated permissions / full-access (or approve broad prefixes like make).
This works, but it is not least-privilege:

  • grants broader execution power than needed,
  • is policy-unfriendly for enterprise environments,
  • does not provide predictable network behavior for all tools/commands.

Proposal

Please add one of the following:

  1. CLI parity in App:

Honor [sandbox_workspace_write] network_access = true in Codex App exactly as in CLI.

  1. Explicit App UI controls:
  • Filesystem sandbox: workspace-write
  • Network: enabled (same practical behavior users get in CLI with network_access=true)
  1. Clear docs:

Document network behavior differences between CLI/App and sandbox/escalated/full-access modes, and clarify config scope in App.

Expected outcome

Users can keep strict filesystem sandboxing while still enabling required network access, without requiring Full Access.

Related

  • #10702: App does not respect network_access=true as expected (CLI/App parity gap).
  • #10856: CLI can run curl, while App fails with DNS resolution errors.
  • #10616 (closed): External CLIs in App fail with DNS lookup errors, while CLI works.
  • #10610 (closed): localhost / internal endpoint is not reachable from sandbox; discussed as sandbox/network enhancement direction.

Additional information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

6 Comments

JHenzi · 4 months ago

Present on Mac desktop. Codex even wrote an app to write to the Click UP API but won't run it. This is going to make me cancel.

mikemike396 · 4 months ago

With the latest build I was able to change the sandbox settings to workspace write and check the "allow network access". After restarting codex my automations can access the network!

<img width="1759" height="630" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a3cbc08d-bf67-47f1-b545-480a6ab39e3f" />

JHenzi · 4 months ago

Mac desktop, latest version, lacks that feature/option.

sokolgood · 4 months ago

Updated to Codex App - Version 26.313.41514 (1043)

The issue appears to be resolved. Codex now provides configuration directly in the UI, and it correctly respects values from config.yaml.

<img width="1287" height="903" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/57e009dc-8ae9-45f2-90ee-d1510436d6e7" />

Thanks for the improvement!

Closing the issue.

JHenzi · 4 months ago

You'd think this would be closed when users have it. I am running the latest client, I don't have that option.

JHenzi · 3 months ago
Updated to Codex App - Version 26.313.41514 (1043) The issue appears to be resolved. Codex now provides configuration directly in the UI, and it correctly respects values from config.yaml. <img alt="Image" width="1287" height="903" src="https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/126395124/565719968-57e009dc-8ae9-45f2-90ee-d1510436d6e7.png?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJnaXRodWIuY29tIiwiYXVkIjoicmF3LmdpdGh1YnVzZXJjb250ZW50LmNvbSIsImtleSI6ImtleTUiLCJleHAiOjE3NzQ1NDE2MTAsIm5iZiI6MTc3NDU0MTMxMCwicGF0aCI6Ii8xMjYzOTUxMjQvNTY1NzE5OTY4LTU3ZTAwOWRjLThhZTktNDVmMi05MGVlLWQxNTEwNDM2ZDZlNy5wbmc_WC1BbXotQWxnb3JpdGhtPUFXUzQtSE1BQy1TSEEyNTYmWC1BbXotQ3JlZGVudGlhbD1BS0lBVkNPRFlMU0E1M1BRSzRaQSUyRjIwMjYwMzI2JTJGdXMtZWFzdC0xJTJGczMlMkZhd3M0X3JlcXVlc3QmWC1BbXotRGF0ZT0yMDI2MDMyNlQxNjA4MzBaJlgtQW16LUV4cGlyZXM9MzAwJlgtQW16LVNpZ25hdHVyZT1kZDU0NjZkMGM2YzdhOGNhYTEyMjRjN2JmNDkzYTJmMWE2NzMyMmNiOGMyYTQ1N2YyMGU3NTliZmM0MjQ0NDdjJlgtQW16LVNpZ25lZEhlYWRlcnM9aG9zdCJ9.y5kRc3jCjaKchFfaIIYgNaTVq5OQVajVjjFW97RW9E4"> Thanks for the improvement! Closing the issue.

This doesn't exist, why is this closed?