›_ Codex Issues
Codex Issues / #27231

Mac-to-Mac remote control fails in both directions, while iPhone works

Open 💬 3 comments Opened Jun 9, 2026 by afuchshofer-png
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

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

26.602.71036

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

Mac-to-Mac remote control in the Codex macOS app fails in both directions.

Two Macs are signed into the same account/workspace. Both devices appear online in Settings > Connections > Control other devices. Adding and removing the connection works, but connecting fails with:

  • "Verbindung konnte nicht aktualisiert werden"
  • "Verbindung fehlgeschlagen"

This happens in both directions:

  • Mac A -> Mac B fails
  • Mac B -> Mac A fails

Important detail:
Remote control from the ChatGPT iPhone app to both Macs works immediately. That suggests the account/workspace, relay, and host-side remote access are functioning, and the issue seems specific to Mac-to-Mac remote control in the Codex macOS app.

What I already tried:

  • rebooted both Macs
  • signed out and back in on both Macs
  • quit and reopened Codex on both Macs
  • deleted and re-added the connections
  • reset local Codex app data
  • verified both Macs can see each other online
  • verified .local resolution and ping between Macs
  • checked macOS firewall settings

Feedback ID:
no-active-thread-019eada2-293a-7c60-ae61-f340fea91a45

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: no-active-thread-019eada2-293a-7c60-ae61-f340fea91a45

  1. Open Codex on Mac A and Mac B.
  2. Sign into the same account/workspace on both Macs.
  3. On one Mac, go to Settings > Connections > Control other devices.
  4. Add the other Mac.
  5. Enable the connection.
  6. Repeat in the opposite direction if needed.
  7. Connection shows as failed and the app displays "Verbindung konnte nicht aktualisiert werden".

What is the expected behavior?

Each Mac should be able to remotely control the other Mac once the connection is added and both devices are online.

Additional information

iPhone -> Mac remote control works immediately for both Macs. The issue only affects Mac-to-Mac remote control in the Codex macOS app.

View original on GitHub ↗

3 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 2 months ago

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

  • #26193
  • #26978

Powered by Codex Action

BochaoKong · 1 month ago

I hit a related remote-control pairing issue, but in my case the root cause was likely Migration Assistant.

Setup:

  • I migrated data from an old MacBook Pro to a new MacBook Air using macOS Migration Assistant.
  • Both machines were signed into the same Codex account/workspace.
  • The Pro already had Codex remote control enabled.

Symptom:

  • I could not enable mobile remote control for the new MacBook Air while the Pro remote control was enabled.
  • It looked like Codex was treating the Air and Pro as the same remote host/device.
  • Refreshing/re-pairing would make one device affect the other.

Debugging:

  • The Air’s macOS hostname was correct and distinct.
  • But Codex local state on the Air still contained remote-control identity data inherited from the Pro.
  • In particular, clearing only the remote_control_enrollments row was not enough.
  • The important migrated value was ~/.codex/installation_id; Codex appeared to derive/reuse the remote host identity from that.

What fixed it:

  1. Quit Codex completely on the new Mac.
  2. Back up:
  • ~/.codex/.codex-global-state.json
  • ~/.codex/installation_id
  • ~/.codex/state_5.sqlite*
  1. Remove Codex remote-control keys from .codex-global-state.json.
  2. Delete rows from the SQLite table remote_control_enrollments.
  3. Replace ~/.codex/installation_id with a fresh UUID.
  4. Reopen Codex and pair remote control again.

After rotating ~/.codex/installation_id, the new MacBook Air got a fresh remote identity and remote control pairing worked.

So for users who set up a second Mac via Migration Assistant, this may be a duplicated local Codex installation identity issue rather than a network/account/workspace issue.

sohantanna · 1 month ago

@BochaoKong worked perfectly! Thank you so much!