Windows desktop: bottom panel flashes briefly then immediately disappears

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

• #25225

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I reviewed #25225. This is related because both involve the integrated terminal on Windows, but I do not think it is the same behavior.

In my case, the bottom panel / integrated terminal does appear, but only momentarily. It immediately disappears again without me closing it, so the panel cannot stay open at all. I am not specifically reporting a Windows-native terminal that never opens, nor a WSL terminal that opens but errors when closed.

This looks like a bottom-panel visibility/lifecycle issue rather than a terminal backend startup/cleanup error.

Obsevered idential behavior. ctrl `, menu View>>Open Terminal, CTRL J each open the bottom panel, but it immediately closes.

Restarted Codex
Restarted Windows
Repaired/reset app

do not correct the issue

For me it just doesnt open at all after codex reinstall :)

I encountered the same problem as you. Have you solved it?😥😭

I encountered the same problem as you. Have you solved it?😥😭

Yes, in latest update in general settings you need to enable or re-enable 'show bottom panel icon' (or smth like this, and it will start to work again

> I encountered the same problem as you. Have you solved it?😥😭我遇到了和你一样的问题。你解决了吗？😥😭 Yes, in latest update in general settings you need to enable or re-enable 'show bottom panel icon' (or smth like this, and it will start to work again是的，在最新的更新中，您需要在常规设置中启用或重新启用“显示底部面板图标”（或类似选项），它就会再次生效。

So sad,it was no use,but still thank u

Yes, still no solution to the problem...

zhu1148 @.***> escreveu (sexta, 5/06/2026 à(s) 09:29):

zhu1148 left a comment (openai/codex#25256) <https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25256#issuecomment-4629615328> I encountered the same problem as you. Have you solved it?😥😭我遇到了和你一样的问题。你解决了吗？😥😭 Yes, in latest update in general settings you need to enable or re-enable 'show bottom panel icon' (or smth like this, and it will start to work again是的，在最新的更新中，您需要在常规设置中启用或重新启用“显示底部面板图标”（或类似选项），它就会再次生效。 So sad,it was no use,but still thank u — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25256?email_source=notifications&email_token=CE6IQ7NTKUWTGOTFVVWHHXD46KAF5A5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINRSHE3DCNJTGI4KM4TFMFZW63VGMF2XI2DPOKSWK5TFNZ2KYZTPN52GK4S7MNWGSY3L#issuecomment-4629615328>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/CE6IQ7M4LQWQAHDPVHYKBYD46KAF5AVCNFSM6AAAAACZTS2C7OVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHM2DMMRZGYYTKMZSHA> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/CE6IQ7KDAS4B5RRDJO6WIJT46KAF5A5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINRSHE3DCNJTGI4KM4TFMFZW63VGMF2XI2DPOKSWK5TFNZ2KUZTPN52GK4S7NFXXG> and Android <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/CE6IQ7POWAODZZ7W2Y5H7E346KAF5A5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINRSHE3DCNJTGI4KM4TFMFZW63VGMF2XI2DPOKSWK5TFNZ2K4ZTPN52GK4S7MFXGI4TPNFSA>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: @.***>

I’m seeing the same behavior on a newer version.

Environment:

• Codex displayed version: 26.602.40724
• Windows package version: OpenAI.Codex_26.602.4764.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• Windows 11 Pro 25H2, OS Build 26200.8457
• Device: Dell G15 5511

In my case, both the Bottom Panel and the Integrated Terminal are affected.

The Bottom Panel briefly appears and then immediately disappears. The Integrated Terminal behaves the same way: it briefly opens, then closes or returns to the default side panel view. So neither the Bottom Panel nor the Integrated Terminal is usable.

I tried switching the terminal location between Bottom and Right Side, and also tried both PowerShell and Command Prompt. I also restarted the Codex app and restarted the computer, but the issue still reproduces consistently.

I checked for related system issues as well:

• No Codex/OpenAI application crash or hang events were found.
• No matching Windows Error Reporting .wer files were found.
• No Microsoft Defender threat or quarantine records were found for Codex/OpenAI/node.
• Codex.exe, codex.exe, and node_repl.exe were still running.

From the user-facing behavior, this looks like the same issue described here. The main difference is that on my system Windows does not record it as MoAppHang or an application hang.

我也遇到了这种问题，请问你们解决了吗

I am having the same problem, has spent some time to diagnose it with Codex, but failed to resolve it. Below are our findings (generated by Codex):

I am seeing the same user-visible symptom: the integrated terminal/bottom panel appears briefly and then immediately disappears. In my case, there is a reliable A/B trigger: it only happens when the Agent environment is set to WSL.

Environment

• Codex Desktop package: OpenAI.Codex_26.730.8199.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• Platform: Windows x64
• WSL: WSL2 with Ubuntu as the default distribution
• Codex CLI inside WSL: standalone installation, codex-cli 0.146.0
• Default WSL distribution is Ubuntu, not docker-desktop

wsl -l -v

  NAME              STATE           VERSION
* Ubuntu            Running         2
  docker-desktop    Stopped         2

Reproduction

1. Set Agent environment to WSL.
2. Restart Codex Desktop.
3. Open any task/workspace.
4. Press Ctrl+J, use the terminal button, or select View → Open Terminal.
5. The bottom panel appears briefly and immediately disappears.

This happens with both available integrated terminal shell selections:

| Agent environment | Terminal shell | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Windows native | PowerShell | Works |
| Windows native | WSL | Works |
| WSL | PowerShell | Panel flashes and disappears |
| WSL | WSL | Panel flashes and disappears |

This matrix is reproducible after restarting the app.

WSL itself works normally

Launching WSL directly from PowerShell works:

wsl -d Ubuntu -- zsh -lic 'echo terminal-ok; command -v codex'

Output:

terminal-ok
/home/<user>/.local/bin/codex

Opening an interactive WSL session also works and exits normally:

wsl.exe

$ echo terminal-ok
terminal-ok
$ exit

"WSL exit code = $LASTEXITCODE"

WSL exit code = 0

Therefore, the Ubuntu distribution, login shell, and standalone Codex CLI appear to be healthy outside Codex Desktop.

Windows sandbox setup is complete

There was initially a separate Windows setup problem because the Codex MSIX package was registered to my standard user but not to the separate administrator account used for UAC elevation.

After installing/registering Codex for the administrator account as well, Finish Windows setup completed successfully. The Desktop log confirms:

windowsSandbox/setupCompleted
mode=elevated
success=true
error=null

However, completing Windows setup did not change the terminal behavior. The terminal still flashes and disappears whenever the Agent environment is WSL.

This suggests that the Windows sandbox setup failure and the integrated-terminal failure were separate issues.

Relevant Desktop log observations

When Codex starts in WSL Agent mode, the WSL app-server itself appears to start successfully:

stdio_transport_spawned
spawnCommand=wsl.exe
executablePath=C:\Users\<user>\.codex\bin\wsl\<hash>\codex

initialize_handshake_result
outcome=success

Codex CLI initialized

However, every WSL-mode startup also records this warning:

bundled_executable_relocation_failed
failedExecutableName=bwrap
errorCode=ENOENT
operation=stat_source
sourcePath=C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.730.8199.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\resources\codex-resources\bwrap
destinationPath=C:\Users\<user>\.codex\bin\wsl\codex-resources\bwrap

The installed MSIX package does not contain the referenced app\resources\codex-resources directory, and the destination directory is not created.

For completeness, Ubuntu already has bubblewrap installed:

/usr/bin/bwrap
bubblewrap 0.9.0

I do not know whether the missing bundled bwrap resource is the direct cause of the terminal panel closing, but it may be useful diagnostic evidence. The WSL app-server can initialize despite this warning.

In an earlier reproduction, the short-lived WSL child process associated with opening the terminal exited with code 127, while manually launching the same WSL distribution worked normally.

Security checks already performed

• No relevant Microsoft Defender ASR block events were recorded during terminal reproduction.
• wsl.exe works normally outside Codex.
• The issue persists after completing elevated Windows sandbox setup.
• Changing the integrated terminal shell between PowerShell and WSL does not help while the Agent environment remains WSL.
• Switching only the Agent environment back to Windows native immediately restores both terminal shell options.

Expected behavior

When the Agent environment is WSL, opening the integrated terminal should keep the bottom panel visible and start the selected shell.

At minimum, selecting PowerShell should not fail merely because the agent host is WSL.

Possible relationship to other issues

This may overlap with the Windows/WSL host and path-boundary problems reported in:

• #14461
• #18506
• #21147
• #28086
• #28103

The distinctive part of this reproduction is that both PowerShell and WSL terminal profiles work under Windows Native Agent mode, and both fail under WSL Agent mode on the same installation.

I can provide a redacted Desktop log covering a clean restart and terminal-open attempt if that would help.

I can reproduce a closely related terminal/bottom-panel failure on a newer Windows Desktop build, with WSL integration enabled.

Environment:

• Codex Desktop package: OpenAI.Codex_26.730.8199.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• Codex CLI in WSL: codex-cli 0.146.0
• Windows app configured to run the Codex agent in WSL
• Shared CODEX_HOME under %USERPROFILE%\.codex, with a Windows-to-WSL wrapper as CODEX_CLI_PATH
• Project root is under WSL Linux filesystem, e.g. /home/<linux-user>/<project>

User-visible behavior:

1. Open a WSL-backed project/thread in Codex Desktop.
2. Toggle the integrated terminal / bottom panel.
3. The panel opens briefly and immediately closes, or Codex behaves as if no terminal exists.

Relevant Desktop log observations from the same session:

No app terminal session is attached to this thread yet.

The logs also repeatedly show Windows-side Git/environment handling failing for Linux paths even though Git works normally inside WSL for the same project:

Failed to apply worktree shell environment config cwd=/home/<linux-user>/<project> errorMessage="Git is unavailable"
Failed to determine whether developer instructions should omit git guidance for a non-git workspace errorMessage="Git is unavailable"
worker_rpc_response_error errorMessage="Git is unavailable" method=turn-diff-capture-start workerId=git

Manual verification inside WSL succeeds:

cd /home/<linux-user>/<project>
pwd
git --version
git rev-parse --show-toplevel
git status --short --branch

So this does not look like WSL or Git being unavailable generally. It looks like the Desktop app's Windows-side terminal/worktree/git path handling is crossing the Windows/WSL boundary incorrectly, then the terminal session never attaches and the panel collapses.

One extra configuration detail that seemed relevant: this install had a per-project open target override like this:

[desktop.open-in-target-preferences.perPath]
"/home/<linux-user>/<project>" = "terminal"

Changing that override away from terminal reduced one obvious bad configuration state, but the underlying issue still appears to be that the integrated terminal silently fails instead of staying open or surfacing an actionable error.

Expected behavior:

• The integrated terminal should stay open for WSL-backed projects.
• If WSL/path/git handling fails, the UI should show an explicit error instead of flashing and closing the panel.
• Windows-side Git/worktree helpers should not treat a valid WSL project path as an unavailable Git workspace when the agent is configured to run in WSL.

I’m seeing what appears to be the same integrated-terminal / bottom-panel issue on the current Windows Codex Desktop app.

Environment

Codex Desktop: 26.803.5235.0 x64
Windows build: 26100.8875
WSL2
Default distro: Ubuntu-24.04
Project is stored on the native WSL filesystem under /home/...
Codex itself is configured to run in WSL
PowerShell 7.6.4 is also installed

Symptom

Clicking the integrated Terminal button causes the bottom panel to appear very briefly and then immediately disappear.

The same behavior occurs when the Codex Desktop integrated terminal shell is configured as:

WSL
PowerShell

So this does not appear to be specific to the selected shell.

WSL / shell checks

All of the following work normally outside the Codex integrated terminal:

wsl.exe --status
Default distribution: Ubuntu-24.04
Default version: 2
wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- /bin/echo WSL_BRIDGE_OK

succeeds.

wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- bash --noprofile --norc -c "echo BASH_CLEAN_OK; whoami; pwd"

succeeds.

wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- bash -lc "echo BASH_LOGIN_OK; whoami; pwd"

also succeeds.

Codex CLI works normally inside WSL as well.

Codex Desktop WSL backend

I also observed Codex Desktop successfully starting its WSL app-server:

wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 ... bash -lc "... codex ... app-server --analytics-default-enabled"

So the Windows → WSL → bash → Codex app-server path itself appears healthy.

Process observation

I monitored newly appearing Windows processes while reproducing the terminal flash/disappear behavior.

I did not observe a new persistent wsl.exe, pwsh.exe, powershell.exe, cmd.exe, conhost.exe, or similar shell process corresponding to the Terminal click.

I therefore suspect the failure may be happening before, or very early in, the integrated-terminal shell/PTY startup path.

Windows event log

Immediately after reproducing, I checked the Application event log for:

Application Error
Application Hang
Windows Error Reporting
Codex-related entries

No corresponding crash/hang event was found.

Codex Desktop logs

Codex package log directory:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Packages\
OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0\
LocalCache\Local\Codex\Logs

The newest logs associated with the current Codex process/session were zero-byte files, and clicking the Terminal did not appear to create or update a useful terminal-related log entry.

I also checked for package files modified immediately after clicking Terminal and did not observe an obvious terminal-state/log file being written.

Other troubleshooting already tried

Codex Desktop was reinstalled
Docker Desktop was removed
Docker now runs natively inside WSL
Default WSL distro is explicitly Ubuntu-24.04
Switching the Codex integrated-terminal shell from WSL to PowerShell does not change the behavior

Other Codex Desktop WSL functionality continues to work.

This makes the integrated Terminal / bottom-panel lifecycle itself look like the likely failure area, rather than WSL, bash, Docker, or the project environment.

Happy to run additional diagnostics or provide specific logs if there is a preferred tracing/debug procedure for the integrated terminal.

I’m seeing what appears to be the same integrated-terminal / bottom-panel issue on the current Windows Codex Desktop app. Environment Codex Desktop: 26.803.5235.0 x64 Windows build: 26100.8875 WSL2 Default distro: Ubuntu-24.04 Project is stored on the native WSL filesystem under /home/... Codex itself is configured to run in WSL PowerShell 7.6.4 is also installed Symptom Clicking the integrated Terminal button causes the bottom panel to appear very briefly and then immediately disappear. The same behavior occurs when the Codex Desktop integrated terminal shell is configured as: WSL PowerShell So this does not appear to be specific to the selected shell. WSL / shell checks All of the following work normally outside the Codex integrated terminal: wsl.exe --status Default distribution: Ubuntu-24.04 Default version: 2 wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- /bin/echo WSL_BRIDGE_OK succeeds. wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- bash --noprofile --norc -c "echo BASH_CLEAN_OK; whoami; pwd" succeeds. wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- bash -lc "echo BASH_LOGIN_OK; whoami; pwd" also succeeds. Codex CLI works normally inside WSL as well. Codex Desktop WSL backend I also observed Codex Desktop successfully starting its WSL app-server: wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 ... bash -lc "... codex ... app-server --analytics-default-enabled" So the Windows → WSL → bash → Codex app-server path itself appears healthy. Process observation I monitored newly appearing Windows processes while reproducing the terminal flash/disappear behavior. I did not observe a new persistent wsl.exe, pwsh.exe, powershell.exe, cmd.exe, conhost.exe, or similar shell process corresponding to the Terminal click. I therefore suspect the failure may be happening before, or very early in, the integrated-terminal shell/PTY startup path. Windows event log Immediately after reproducing, I checked the Application event log for: Application Error Application Hang Windows Error Reporting Codex-related entries No corresponding crash/hang event was found. Codex Desktop logs Codex package log directory: C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\Packages OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0 LocalCache\Local\Codex\Logs The newest logs associated with the current Codex process/session were zero-byte files, and clicking the Terminal did not appear to create or update a useful terminal-related log entry. I also checked for package files modified immediately after clicking Terminal and did not observe an obvious terminal-state/log file being written. Other troubleshooting already tried Codex Desktop was reinstalled Docker Desktop was removed Docker now runs natively inside WSL Default WSL distro is explicitly Ubuntu-24.04 Switching the Codex integrated-terminal shell from WSL to PowerShell does not change the behavior Other Codex Desktop WSL functionality continues to work. This makes the integrated Terminal / bottom-panel lifecycle itself look like the likely failure area, rather than WSL, bash, Docker, or the project environment. Happy to run additional diagnostics or provide specific logs if there is a preferred tracing/debug procedure for the integrated terminal.

I completed the A/B test.

The project location is not the trigger.

WSL /home/... project + Agent environment = WSL → terminal flashes and disappears
Windows C:\CodexTerminalTest project + Agent environment = WSL → terminal flashes and disappears
Windows C:\CodexTerminalTest project + Agent environment = Windows native → terminal works normally

So on my system the reliable trigger is Agent environment = WSL, independent of whether the project is stored on the Windows or WSL filesystem.

This also reproduces with both PowerShell and WSL selected as the integrated terminal shell.

I am seeing the same issue on Windows Codex Desktop.

Codex App version:
26.810.7004.0

Platform:
Windows 11 + WSL2 Ubuntu-24.04

Behavior:
When I click the terminal icon or press Ctrl+`, the bottom panel appears briefly, the main view moves upward, then the panel immediately disappears. No usable terminal session is created.

I tested:

• Restarted Codex completely
• Ran wsl --update
• Ran wsl --shutdown
• Tried integratedTerminalShell = "wsl"
• Tried integratedTerminalShell = "powershell"
• Both WSL and PowerShell terminal modes show the same flash-then-close behavior

Additional observation:
Codex reports that no app terminal session is attached to the thread.
Windows Event Log did not show a recent Codex crash for this attempt.

This looks identical to the bottom panel lifecycle issue described here, but it still reproduces on 26.810.7004.0.

Still reproducible after updating Codex Desktop today.

I see the same flash-then-close behavior when opening the integrated terminal: the terminal/bottom panel appears briefly and immediately disappears, leaving no usable terminal session.

This is not isolated to one machine. I have reproduced the same behavior on a second, independent Windows host after configuring the Codex agent environment and integrated terminal to use WSL as well.

This adds another cross-host data point that the issue persists after an app update and is associated with the Windows + WSL configuration.

Still reproducible after updating Codex Desktop today. I see the same flash-then-close behavior when opening the integrated terminal: the terminal/bottom panel appears briefly and immediately disappears, leaving no usable terminal session. This is not isolated to one machine. I have reproduced the same behavior on a second, independent Windows host after configuring the Codex agent environment and integrated terminal to use WSL as well. This adds another cross-host data point that the issue persists after an app update and is associated with the Windows + WSL configuration.

chatGPT version is:

<img width="382" height="362" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a1332710-74c5-4d9b-9050-681430bb26d0" />

Same issue. Agent running in WSL. Tried different shells. Panel just opens briefly and immediately closes.