Windows 11: codex:// Protocol Handler Broken, OAuth/Plugin Authentication Fails
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
Codex version: 26.527.3686.0
What subscription do you have?
free plan
What platform is your computer?
Windows 11
What issue are you seeing?
Any OAuth or plugin connection attempt fails because the codex:// protocol handler appears to be broken.
Running:
codex://test
also fails.
The following error is displayed:
Unable to find Electron app at:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.3686.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\codex:\test
Cannot find module:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.3686.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\codex:\test
This prevents OAuth callback URLs from opening correctly and makes plugin/service authentication unusable.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Install Codex from the official installer:
https://chatgpt.com/codex/
Launch Codex on Windows 11.
Attempt to connect any OAuth-based service or plugin.
Alternatively, run:
codex://test
Observe that Codex attempts to treat the URI as a file path/module rather than handling it as a registered URL protocol.
Troubleshooting Performed
Uninstalled Codex completely.
Rebooted Windows.
Reinstalled from the official installer.
Tested before connecting any plugins.
Verified the issue persists after a clean installation.
Registry Verification
Running:
reg query HKCR\codex /s
returns:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\codex
URL Protocol REG_SZ
(Default) REG_SZ URL:codex
No shell\open\command handler appears to be registered.
What is the expected behavior?
The codex:// URL protocol should be fully registered during installation.
When a codex:// URI is opened (for example, during OAuth authentication), Windows should launch Codex and pass the URI to the application as a protocol argument rather than attempting to resolve it as a filesystem path or Electron module.
OAuth authentication and plugin/service connections should complete successfully.
Additional information
Installed from the official Codex download page.
Microsoft Store package version.
Issue reproduced immediately after a clean reinstall.
The missing protocol registration appears to be the root cause, as the registry entry contains only the protocol declaration and lacks the expected shell\open\command registration.
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