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Codex Issues / #27792

Windows Codex app Chrome plugin fails with CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5

Resolved 💬 6 comments Opened Jun 12, 2026 by old4693000-byte Closed Jul 10, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

Windows Codex app Chrome plugin fails with CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5

Summary

On Windows, @chrome cannot list or access current Chrome tabs. The Codex Chrome Extension appears installed and enabled, and the Native Messaging Host manifest/registry checks pass, but the Chrome plugin runtime fails before browser automation starts.

Environment

  • OS: Windows
  • Surface: Codex desktop app
  • Plugin: Chrome plugin / Codex Chrome Extension
  • Chrome detected: Google Chrome 149.0.7827.104
  • Chrome executable: C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
  • Codex Chrome Extension ID: hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg
  • Codex Chrome Extension version: 1.1.5_0
  • Selected Chrome profile: Default

User-visible problem

Prompt:

@chrome 撟急???冽?撟曉^@???```

Expected:

Codex should connect to the user's Chrome profile and count/list open tabs.

Actual:

Codex cannot connect to Chrome. The Node/browser runtime exits unexpectedly.

## Error

```text
node_repl kernel exited unexpectedly
node_repl diagnostics:
{
  "kernel_status": "running",
  "kernel_stderr_tail": "windows sandbox failed: runner error: CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5",
  "reason": "stdout_eof"
}

Diagnostics already checked

Installed browsers:

{
  "platform": "win32",
  "installed_browsers": [
    {
      "name": "Google Chrome",
      "command": "chrome",
      "path": "C:\\Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome.exe",
      "version": "149.0.7827.104"
    }
  ]
}

Chrome extension check:

{
  "extensionId": "hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg",
  "userDataDirectory": "C:\\Users\\Jiang\\AppData\\Local\\Google\\Chrome\\User Data",
  "selectedProfileDirectory": "Default",
  "installed": true,
  "enabled": true,
  "profiles": [
    {
      "profileDirectory": "Default",
      "installed": true,
      "registered": true,
      "enabled": true,
      "disabled": false,
      "disableReasons": [],
      "versions": ["1.1.5_0"],
      "selected": true
    }
  ],
  "exitCode": 0
}

Native Messaging Host check:

{
  "manifestPath": "C:\\Users\\Jiang\\AppData\\Local\\OpenAI\\extension\\com.openai.codexextension.json",
  "registryKey": "HKCU\\Software\\Google\\Chrome\\NativeMessagingHosts\\com.openai.codexextension",
  "registryManifestPath": "C:\\Users\\Jiang\\AppData\\Local\\OpenAI\\extension\\com.openai.codexextension.json",
  "expectedHostName": "com.openai.codexextension",
  "actualHostName": "com.openai.codexextension",
  "expectedExtensionId": "hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg",
  "expectedOrigin": "chrome-extension://hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg/",
  "allowedOrigins": ["chrome-extension://hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg/"],
  "exists": true,
  "nameMatches": true,
  "hasExpectedOrigin": true,
  "registryMatchesManifestPath": true,
  "correct": true,
  "problem": null
}

Additional local signal:

Running `codex --version` from the Codex workspace PowerShell failed with:
'codex.exe' cannot be run: Access denied.

This may be related to the same Windows process/sandbox permission failure.

Already tried

  • Confirmed the Codex Chrome Extension is enabled
  • Restarted Chrome
  • Restarted/reinstalled Codex
  • Reinstalled/checked the Chrome plugin
  • Verified the Native Messaging Host manifest and registry entry pass diagnostics

Request

Please investigate why the Codex app's Chrome plugin runtime fails on Windows with:

windows sandbox failed: runner error: CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5

even when the Chrome extension and native messaging host checks pass.

View original on GitHub ↗

6 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 1 month ago

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

  • #27655
  • #27313
  • #26266
  • #26896
  • #26186

Powered by Codex Action

old4693000-byte · 1 month ago

Small correction: the user-visible prompt in the issue body was mojibake.

The original prompt was:

@chrome 幫我看現在有幾個分頁

Equivalent English:

@chrome count current Chrome tabs

The main failure is still the same: the Node/Chrome plugin runtime exits with CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5 even though the Chrome extension and Native Messaging Host checks pass.

buckaroo54 · 1 month ago

I’m seeing what appears to be the same issue on Windows Codex Desktop.

Chrome plugin and Computer Use are installed/enabled, and the Chrome extension reports as connected, but both Chrome control and Computer Use fail before startup with this error:

node_repl kernel exited unexpectedly
windows sandbox failed: runner error: CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5

This happens when trying to initialize the Chrome extension runtime and also when trying to initialize Computer Use. Normal shell/file operations in Codex work, and OneDrive write escalation now works, so this seems specific to the Node/browser/Computer Use helper startup path rather than general local command execution.

Environment:

  • Windows: Windows 11 Home, Version 25H2, OS Build 26200.8457, Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.304.0
  • Codex Desktop: 26.609.30741
  • Chrome extension: installed and connected
  • Plugins: Chrome and Computer Use installed/enabled
old4693000-byte · 1 month ago

Update / 補充更新：

English:
After reinstalling, the Chrome plugin did work once: Codex was able to
connect to the Chrome extension and list the currently open Chrome tabs.
However, the issue is still reproducible afterward and appears intermittent
rather than fully fixed.

Current behavior observed again on 2026-06-13:
node_repl kernel exited unexpectedly node_repl diagnostics:
{"kernel_status":"running","kernel_stderr_tail":"windows sandbox failed:
runner error: CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5","reason":"stdout_eof"}

So the updated status is: Chrome control can sometimes initialize
successfully, but later attempts in the same Windows/Codex environment can
still fail before startup with CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5. This does
not seem fully resolved yet.

中文：
重新安裝後，Chrome plugin 曾經成功運作過一次：Codex 可以連上 Chrome extension，並且列出目前開啟的 Chrome
分頁。不過後續再次測試時，同一個問題仍然可以重現，所以目前看起來不是完全修好，而是間歇性成功 / 間歇性失敗。

2026-06-13 再次觀察到的錯誤：
node_repl kernel exited unexpectedly node_repl diagnostics:
{"kernel_status":"running","kernel_stderr_tail":"windows sandbox failed:
runner error: CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5","reason":"stdout_eof"}

因此目前狀態應該更新為：Chrome control 有時可以成功初始化，但之後在同一個 Windows/Codex
環境中仍可能在啟動前失敗，錯誤仍是 CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5。所以這個問題目前看起來尚未完全解決。

On Fri, 12 Jun 2026 05:54:57 -0700, buckaroo54 @.***
wrote:

buckaroo54 left a comment (openai/codex#27792)
<https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/27792#issuecomment-4691434984>

I’m seeing what appears to be the same issue on Windows Codex Desktop.

Chrome plugin and Computer Use are installed/enabled, and the Chrome
extension reports as connected, but both Chrome control and Computer Use
fail before startup with this error:

node_repl kernel exited unexpectedly

windows sandbox failed: runner error: CreateProcessAsUserW failed: 5

This happens when trying to initialize the Chrome extension runtime and
also when trying to initialize Computer Use. Normal shell/file operations
in Codex work, and OneDrive write escalation now works, so this seems
specific to the Node/browser/Computer Use helper startup path rather than
general local command execution.

Environment:

-

Windows: Windows 11 Home, Version 25H2, OS Build 26200.8457, Windows
Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.304.0
-

Codex Desktop: 26.609.30741
-

Chrome extension: installed and connected
-

Plugins: Chrome and Computer Use installed/enabled

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Kitsuneko0v0 · 1 month ago

遇到了同样的问题
一番尝试后，发现在config.toml中把sandbox=elevated改成sandbox=unelevated后，codex成功连接上了chrome上的codex插件，功能恢复正常。
但是作为非程序员，我并不清楚这个操作是否安全

old4693000-byte · 10 days ago

Update: this is working for me now.

What changed:

  • Chrome plugin was updated and the required browser-client.mjs file is present again.
  • I changed the Windows sandbox setting in config.toml from sandbox = "elevated" to sandbox = "unelevated".
  • After restarting Codex, @chrome can connect to Chrome and list open tabs successfully.

I’m closing this from my side as resolved. Thanks.