Computer Use / node_repl fails on Windows: missing sandboxPolicy

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

• #29238
• #29242
• #29212
• #29211
• #29193

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Adding my Windows repro because this matches the Computer Use side of what I am seeing. Feedback/session ID: 019ee5d3-7653-7870-95c3-5841e75db374.

Sanitized environment:

• Codex Desktop: 26.616.5445.0, Windows x64 Store package.
• Bundled Browser/Chrome/Computer Use plugin runtime observed: 26.616.41845.
• Bundled node_repl runtime observed under cua_node/a89897d3d9baa117/bin/node_repl.exe.
• browser@openai-bundled, chrome@openai-bundled, and computer-use@openai-bundled are enabled.
• Windows sandbox setting is unelevated.

What I am seeing:

• Computer Use is unusable because it depends on the same node_repl/js route as Browser/Chrome.
• After transport reset attempts, the official mcp__node_repl route in the affected thread is stuck at Transport closed:
• js_reset -> Transport closed
• minimal js smoke test nodeRepl.write('official-node-repl-ok') -> Transport closed
• js_add_node_module_dir -> Transport closed
• Multiple Codex restarts and troubleshooting passes have not recovered Chrome or Computer Use for me.

Additional checks I performed:

• Chrome is installed and running.
• Codex native messaging host process is running.
• Native messaging manifest exists, points to extension-host.exe, the target exists, and the allowed origin matches the Codex Chrome extension ID.
• Codex Chrome Extension exists in the selected Default profile with version 1.1.5_0.
• Named pipes for chrome.nativeMessaging, codex-browser-use, and codex-computer-use are present.
• winget reports no available Store update for Codex.
• Local plugin cache only has the affected 26.616.41845 Browser/Chrome/Computer Use runtime, so I do not have an obvious local rollback target.

One useful extra data point: a disposable standalone MCP probe against the bundled node_repl.exe can execute JavaScript when launched with the metadata shape the runtime expects: sandboxPolicy.type = "workspace-write" plus sandboxCwd. That returned manual-node-repl-ok. But trying to use that standalone working node_repl to bootstrap the bundled Chrome browser-client.mjs fails with:

privileged native pipe bridge is not available; browser-client is not trusted

So my current read is: the runtime binary itself is not simply broken, but the Desktop-managed trusted node_repl/Computer Use/Chrome path is. A standalone node_repl is not a usable workaround because it cannot access the Desktop privileged bridge. I am intentionally not attaching screenshots, raw logs, account/profile data, repo names, local username, browser history, cookies, or full local paths here for privacy.

Adding another Windows repro for the same node_repl/js / Browser failure.

Sanitized observations from my affected Codex Desktop session:

• Platform: Windows / PowerShell.
• Bundled Browser plugin runtime observed locally: 26.616.41845.
• I asked Codex to use browser@openai-bundled to inspect the currently open browser tabs.
• The Browser skill loaded, but setup through the official mcp__node_repl.js route failed before any JavaScript executed.
• Exact error:

Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field `sandboxPolicy`

• A minimal smoke test also fails through the same route:

nodeRepl.write('ping')

with the same missing sandboxPolicy error.

Impact:

• The in-app Browser plugin cannot initialize.
• Browser tab inspection cannot run.
• This appears consistent with the other reports that Browser / Chrome / Computer Use are blocked by the shared node_repl/js metadata failure, rather than by Chrome, the target page, or local website state.

I am intentionally not including local usernames, full local paths, browser history, screenshots, account data, cookies, or private workspace details.

Adding another confirmation from a Windows user.

Environment:

• Codex Desktop: OpenAI.Codex 26.616.5445.0 (Microsoft Store)
• Windows 11
• Computer Use plugin enabled
• Browser plugin enabled
• Chrome plugin enabled
• Full Access enabled

Observed behavior:

Every Computer Use action fails immediately with:

Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field sandboxPolicy

I can reproduce this consistently with simple requests such as:

• Open Notepad
• Open Calculator
• List running apps

What I already tried:

• Restarted Codex multiple times
• Restarted Windows
• Reinstalled the Computer Use plugin
• Reinstalled the Browser/Chrome plugins
• Verified Full Access permissions
• Verified node_repl.exe exists and launches

None of these changed the behavior.

This appears to match the reports above where the MCP metadata reaches node_repl without the required sandboxPolicy field.

Hope this helps confirm the issue.

Adding a macOS / Chrome-path repro. This looks like the same shared node_repl/js metadata failure, not only a Windows Computer Use issue.

Environment from this session:

• Platform: macOS 26.5.1, build 25F80.
• Codex Desktop app version observed from /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Info.plist: 26.616.41845 (CFBundleVersion 4198).
• Bundled Chrome/Browser skill runtime available in this install: 26.616.41845.

Fresh smoke test through the official MCP route:

nodeRepl.write("node-repl-smoke-ok")

Actual result:

tool call error: tool call failed for `node_repl/js`

Caused by:
    Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field `sandboxPolicy`

Impact here:

• Chrome/Browser first-class control cannot initialize because the shared node_repl.js route fails before user JavaScript runs.
• The failure happens below page state, login state, or Chrome extension state; this minimal smoke test does not touch Chrome at all.

I am intentionally not including browser history, cookies, account data, local usernames, screenshots, or private workspace paths.

Follow-up to my earlier Windows comment with a newer, separate feedback/performance trace.

Feedback ID: 019ee64c-3000-7332-8030-a22cfd39505e. I also submitted a Codex Desktop performance/reliability trace from the same session logs, so OpenAI should be able to correlate the private telemetry from that ID.

New information from that later trace, focused on Computer Use:

• This began for me after the latest Codex Desktop update.
• node_repl/js was visible and js_reset succeeded, but a minimal JS call still failed before user code ran:

Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field `sandboxPolicy`

• A same-host, same-project new-thread comparison reproduced the same failure.
• Computer Use plugin/client files were present, but Computer Use could not reach app/window discovery because node_repl/js failed first.
• Chrome was installed/running, and the Codex Chrome extension, native messaging manifest, and native host process were visible locally.
• Shell, CMD, Git, ordinary local Node, DNS, and HTTPS checks worked.
• No proxy environment variables were visible; WinHTTP was direct.
• No direct Windows Defender block was found in the checked logs.
• Remote mobile control was functional enough to drive the diagnostics, so this is separate from remote-control transport.

Most actionable split: local user-level config/environment visible to the trace included NODE_REPL_REQUEST_META with codex/sandbox-state-meta.sandboxPolicy, but the live node_repl/js MCP call still reported sandboxPolicy missing. That makes this look like Desktop app-server / live MCP request metadata marshalling, not active desktop visibility, app permission, or Computer Use target-window state.

Privacy note: I am intentionally not posting local usernames, full paths, repo/project names, raw logs, thread IDs, tokens, cookies, screenshots, account identifiers, or subscription details here. Please use the feedback ID and same-session performance trace to inspect the raw data privately.

I am seeing the same error, but not only on Windows.

Exact error:

tool call error: tool call failed for node_repl/js
Caused by:
Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field sandboxPolicy

Reproduced on:

• MacBook Pro using Codex app
• Windows PC using Codex app
• original ChatGPT account
• personal Pro ChatGPT account
• fresh Codex threads
• browser-only test using https://google.com
• before any website loads

On Mac, I also reproduced after:

• uninstalling/reinstalling Codex
• logging out and back in

This blocks Codex browser / Computer Use entirely. It appears to fail before page navigation or JavaScript execution, so it does not seem site-specific.

This is not Windows-only.

I am seeing the same issue on Windows.

Feedback ID: 019ee6f7-e7df-7f62-8446-96bcbc730dc7

Environment:

• Windows 11 Pro, Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64
• Codex Desktop: OpenAI.Codex_26.616.5445.0
• Codex CLI: 0.142.0-alpha.6
• Computer Use plugin: 26.616.41845
• node_repl runtime: cua_node\a89897d3d9baa117

Observed normal Codex Desktop failure:

Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field `sandboxPolicy`

Update: this appears fixed for me after updating Codex Desktop.

Fixed/current build on my Mac:

• Codex Desktop: 26.616.51431 (CFBundleVersion 4212)
• Bundled Chrome/Browser plugin runtime observed locally: 26.616.51431

Original failing build from my earlier repro:

• Codex Desktop: 26.616.41845 (CFBundleVersion 4198)
• Bundled Chrome/Browser runtime observed locally: 26.616.41845
• Failure: Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field sandboxPolicy

Verification on the current build:

nodeRepl.write("node-repl-smoke-ok")

now returns:

node-repl-smoke-ok

I also used the Chrome browser-control path successfully in the updated build. So my macOS/Chrome-path repro is resolved in 26.616.51431. I cannot independently verify the Windows Computer Use repros, but this confirms the shared node_repl/js metadata failure is fixed on my updated macOS install.

Update from Windows:

After updating Codex Desktop to version 26.616.51431, the issue appears resolved for me.

Previously, every Computer Use action failed with:

Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field sandboxPolicy

After updating, Computer Use is working again. I successfully tested it by opening Microsoft Paint and having it draw a heart on the canvas.

Browser and Computer Use both appear functional now.

Environment:

• Windows 11
• Codex Desktop 26.616.51431 (Microsoft Store)

Thanks.

Adding a current Windows data point from the same failure family.

Environment observed locally:

• Windows 11
• Microsoft Store package: OpenAI.Codex 26.616.5445.0
• Bundled plugin versions inside the installed package:
• computer-use: 26.616.41845
• browser: 26.616.41845
• chrome: 26.616.41845
• Cached bundled plugin folders also top out at 26.616.41845 for Computer Use / Browser / Chrome.
• computer-use@openai-bundled, browser@openai-bundled, and chrome@openai-bundled are enabled.
• Windows sandbox setting: unelevated.

Fresh smoke test from the affected session:

nodeRepl.write('node_repl ok')

Actual result:

tool call error: tool call failed for `node_repl/js`

Caused by:
    Transport closed

Previous failures on this machine also included:

Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field `sandboxPolicy`

Impact:

• Computer Use cannot initialize.
• Browser / Chrome control through the shared node_repl/js route is also blocked.
• sky.list_apps() cannot be reached, so no desktop app inventory is available through Computer Use.

I also checked the local Codex SQLite log sizes before any rotation:

• logs_2.sqlite: 294.69 MB
• logs_2.sqlite-wal: 20.95 MB
• logs_2.sqlite-shm: 0.06 MB

Rotating logs_2.sqlite* may help responsiveness, but it does not resolve this bridge failure.

Notable detail: other comments report this fixed after moving to plugin/runtime 26.616.51431, but this Windows Store package install still appears to have bundled Computer Use / Browser / Chrome plugin version 26.616.41845, and the live node_repl/js route is still failing with Transport closed.

Privacy note: I am not posting local usernames, full filesystem paths, screenshots, account identifiers, cookies, browser history, raw logs, or private workspace details here.

Confirmed regression comparison:

• Working laptop: Codex Desktop 26.611.8273.0 / Computer Use plugin 26.611.61753
• Broken Dev PC: Codex Desktop 26.616.5445.0 / Computer Use plugin 26.616.41845
• Same node_repl.exe hash and same cua_node runtime
• js_reset works, but js fails before user JavaScript with: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field sandboxPolicy``

This strongly suggests the breakage is in the 26.616 Desktop/plugin host metadata layer, not in the local cua_node runtime.

Additional Windows data point with runtime diagnostics:

Broken Dev PC:

• Codex Desktop: OpenAI.Codex 26.616.5445.0
• Computer Use plugin: 26.616.41845
• Browser/Chrome plugin cache: 26.616.41845
• cua_node runtime: a89897d3d9baa117
• node_repl.exe SHA256: C2179F9531A86B64D67CFDF70B4D2CA0B15408C3BBACA89C3294CC822E79395F
• @oai/sky: 0.4.13
• computer-use-client.mjs SHA256: 566BE6EF352EB3DE899ADC56A9CD7B5E46C8F65B00E56B5630DD7A580E10CBEA

Working laptop comparison:

• Codex Desktop: OpenAI.Codex 26.611.8273.0
• Computer Use plugin: 26.611.61753
• Same node_repl.exe hash as above
• Same cua_node runtime family
• Computer Use verified live with Calculator (123+456=579)

Additional diagnostics from the broken Dev PC:

• @oai/sky export-map issue was repaired and verified; direct import of the internal Windows Computer Use base now returns WindowsComputerUseClientBase.
• node_repl.exe --disable-sandbox launches standalone outside Codex Desktop.
• Standalone MCP initialize works and reports rmcp 1.5.0.
• Standalone tools/list works and exposes js, js_add_node_module_dir, and js_reset.
• Standalone node_repl can import @oai/sky after adding the runtime node_modules.
• computer-use-client.mjs syntax-checks and imports successfully when a trusted mocked globalThis.nodeRepl provides config, env.NODE_REPL_NODE_MODULE_DIRS, and nativePipe.
• In the real Codex-hosted path, js_reset works but node_repl/js fails before user JavaScript runs:

Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field `sandboxPolicy`

After further probing/helper shutdown it sometimes degrades to:

Transport closed

Current local conclusion: runtime, node_repl.exe, and @oai/sky are healthy enough; the failure appears to be in the Codex Desktop/plugin host metadata path in 26.616.x, where the hosted MCP call to node_repl/js is missing the sandboxPolicy field before Computer Use can reach sky.list_apps() or the native pipe.