Immediate “Unable to create task” error in Codex Web (browser, Firefox/macOS) — intermittent but blocking

Resolved 💬 1 comment Opened May 6, 2026 by dbsrcrdev Closed May 6, 2026

What issue are you seeing?

I have been experiencing a recurring issue in Codex Web (browser version) for several days.
When submitting any prompt, I immediately receive the error:
"Unable to create task"
The error appears instantly (0 seconds), before any processing or response generation

What steps can reproduce the bug?

  1. Open Codex in browser
  2. Start a new session / workspace
  3. Enter any prompt (even something simple like "hello world")
  4. Submit the prompt

What is the expected behavior?

The task should be created and processed normally.

Additional information

Actual Behavior

  • Immediate error: "Unable to create task"
  • No delay, no partial execution
  • Happens even with very simple prompts
  • Occurs also on fresh sessions
  • Sometimes even the first prompt of the day fails

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Frequency

  • Intermittent but frequent
  • Same prompt may fail repeatedly
  • The exact same prompt may work hours later without any change
  • No clear pattern (time of day does not reliably affect it)

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Additional Notes

  • Not related to prompt length or complexity
  • Not a network/connectivity issue
  • Happens across different sessions
  • Error is returned instantly, suggesting failure during task/job creation rather than model execution
  • Possibly related to backend queue saturation or scheduler issues

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Impact

High — blocks usage completely during affected periods

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Environment

  • Platform: Codex Web (browser)
  • Browser: Firefox
  • OS: macOS
  • Timezone: CET (Europe/Italy)

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