Chrome control cannot initialize because sandboxPolicy metadata is missing

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

Version 26.616.41845

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Apple M3 MacBook Air, OS 26.2 (25C56), Darwin 25.2.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

Title: Chrome control cannot initialize because sandboxPolicy metadata is missing

Session/thread ID:
019ee67c-5857-7f03-80eb-6a8ca11555f7

Environment:

• Codex Desktop: 26.616.41845, build 4198
• Bundled Codex CLI: 0.142.0-alpha.6
• Chrome plugin: 26.616.41845
• Google Chrome: 149.0.7827.115
• macOS: 26.2, build 25C56

Problem:
Codex cannot initialize Chrome control. The browser bootstrap fails immediately at the mcp__node_repl__js tool boundary, before it can communicate with the Chrome extension.

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

Steps to reproduce:

1. Open Codex Desktop.
2. Enable the Chrome plugin.
3. Install and enable the Codex extension in Google Chrome.
4. Start a Codex thread.
5. Enter: test chrome
6. Codex attempts to initialize browser control through mcp__node_repl__js.
7. The request fails immediately with the missing sandboxPolicy error.

Expected result:
Codex should connect to the Chrome extension and access the available Chrome tabs.

Actual result:
The browser execution request is rejected because sandboxPolicy is missing from codex/sandbox-state-meta.

Troubleshooting already completed:

• Quit and restarted Codex.
• Checked Codex for updates.
• Uninstalled the Chrome plugin and reactivated it.
• Disabled the Codex Chrome extension.
• Reinstalled and re-enabled the Chrome extension.
• Retried Chrome initialization.
• Confirmed the Chrome plugin’s scripts/browser-client.mjs file is installed.
• The same error persists.

Additional diagnostic detail:
The local Codex session metadata contains a sandbox policy, but the node_repl/js MCP request reports that the expected sandboxPolicy field is absent. This suggests the failure is in Codex Desktop’s MCP request metadata propagation or serialization, rather than Chrome or the Chrome extension.

Please investigate the Codex Desktop-to-node_repl metadata path for Chrome browser-control requests.

Feedback ID: 019ee67c-5857-7f03-80eb-6a8ca11555f7

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: 019ee67c-5857-7f03-80eb-6a8ca11555f7

What is the expected behavior?

_No response_

Additional information

_No response_