Codex Desktop Windows: node_repl/js fails before Chrome setup with sandboxCwd must use the file URI scheme

What version of the Codex App are you using?

26.623.4041.0

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows 11 Home, version 10.0.26200, x64.

What issue are you seeing?

Chrome / Browser automation in Codex Desktop on Windows is unusable because the underlying node_repl/js tool fails before any browser-client setup or Chrome extension communication can run.

Minimal smoke test:

nodeRepl.write('ok')

Actual result:

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

Caused by:
    Mcp error: -32602: js: codex/sandbox-state-meta: sandboxCwd must use the file URI scheme

Because this happens on the minimal JS smoke call, Chrome automation fails before reaching the Chrome extension / native host layer.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Open Codex Desktop on Windows.
2. Start a fresh local Windows workspace/thread, not WSL.
3. Try to use Chrome browser control, or run a minimal node_repl/js smoke test such as nodeRepl.write('ok').
4. The JS tool fails immediately with codex/sandbox-state-meta: sandboxCwd must use the file URI scheme.

What is the expected behavior?

node_repl/js should execute the minimal smoke test successfully, and Chrome / Browser automation should be able to proceed to browser-client setup.

Diagnostic notes

I checked the local setup and found:

• Google Chrome is installed and running.
• The Codex Chrome plugin files are present.
• The Chrome native host / extension-host process appears to be present.
• Codex logs show BrowserUseThreadConfig selecting the node runtime and node_repl.exe; Node version is detected as v24.14.0 in later attempts.
• Failure occurs before browser-client.mjs setup can run.
• This appears isolated to the Codex Desktop / MCP / node_repl sandbox metadata path, not to the Chrome extension, Chrome profile, cookies, or a website.

Similar issues

This looks related to the same class of Windows Codex Desktop / node_repl / sandbox metadata issues as:

• #29482 (codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field sandboxPolicy; sandboxCwd is not a local file URI)
• #25349 (node_repl fails before Chrome bridge can run)
• #24727 (node_repl launcher/config issues block Chrome/browser automation)

This report is for a local Windows workspace case where the observed error is specifically:

codex/sandbox-state-meta: sandboxCwd must use the file URI scheme

Workarounds attempted

• Restarted Codex Desktop.
• Started fresh sessions.
• Verified Chrome itself is running.
• Verified the failure also occurs on a minimal node_repl/js smoke test, independent of Chrome.

No sensitive logs, auth files, cookies, or full local paths are included in this report.