Codex Desktop App fails with "app-server websocket closed (1006)" while CLI works normally on Windows

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

Codex Desktop App 26.x (latest available installer at the time of reporting) Codex CLI: OpenAI Codex v0.135.0-alpha.1

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

Windows 11 x64 Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.8457 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Codex Desktop App cannot start and always displays:

Codex app-server websocket closed (code=1006)

The Desktop App becomes unusable.

However, authentication succeeds and Codex CLI works normally.

Browser login flow completes successfully:

Signed in to Codex
You may now close this page

CLI login status:

Logged in using ChatGPT

Doctor output reports:

Background Server
app-server not running (ephemeral mode)

and

websocket
Responses WebSocket timed out
handshake timed out

and

reachability
ChatGPT base URL
https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/
request timed out

The issue only affects the Desktop App.

CLI remains functional.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Install Codex Desktop on Windows 11.
Launch Codex Desktop.
Sign in with ChatGPT account.
Browser authentication completes successfully.
Return to Codex Desktop.

Result:

Codex app-server websocket closed (code=1006)

Desktop App cannot be used.

Additional observations:

codex login status reports successful authentication.
Codex CLI launches successfully.
Desktop App consistently fails.

CLI startup:

_ OpenAI Codex (v0.135.0-alpha.1)

model: gpt-5.5
directory: ~

What is the expected behavior?

After successful ChatGPT authentication, Codex Desktop should:

Start the local app-server.
Establish a working websocket connection.
Open the Desktop interface normally.

No websocket error should occur.

Additional information

A very extensive troubleshooting process was performed.

Authentication

Verified working:

Logged in using ChatGPT

Browser login flow completes successfully.

Reinstallation

Tested:

Latest version
Older versions

Same issue occurs.

Configuration cleanup

Performed:

Removed custom CODEX_HOME
Removed legacy startup entries
Removed old app-server scripts
Recreated clean configuration directory

Current doctor output shows:

CODEX_HOME = C:\Users\<user>\.codex
Networking

Tested:

Home network
Mobile hotspot

Issue reproduced on both.

Legacy configuration discovered

A previous custom startup entry existed:

CodexHttpStreamingAppServer
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -WindowStyle Hidden -File D:\Codex\start-codex-http-streaming.ps1

The startup entry was completely removed.

Issue still persists.

Current state

Working:

ChatGPT login
Codex authentication
Codex CLI

Not working:

Codex Desktop App
app-server startup
websocket connection
Relevant doctor output
Background Server
app-server not running (ephemeral mode)

websocket
Responses WebSocket timed out
handshake timed out

reachability
ChatGPT base URL
https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/
request timed out

Question:

Is there a known Windows issue where:

Desktop App fails with websocket code 1006
app-server never starts successfully
ChatGPT authentication succeeds
Codex CLI works normally
Reinstalling and resetting configuration does not resolve the problem