The execution layer is unavailable before commands reach the workspace

What version of Codex CLI is running?

0.144.0

What subscription do you have?

PLUS & PRO

Which model were you using?

sol max

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?

Ghostty

Codex doctor report

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "generatedAt": "1783628499s since unix epoch",
  "overallStatus": "ok",
  "codexVersion": "0.144.0",
  "checks": {
    "app_server.status": {
      "id": "app_server.status",
      "category": "app-server",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "background server is not running",
      "details": {
        "control socket": "/Users/bedas/.codex/app-server-control/app-server-control.sock",
        "daemon state dir": "/Users/bedas/.codex/app-server-daemon",
        "mode": "ephemeral",
        "pid file": "/Users/bedas/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server.pid (missing)",
        "settings": "/Users/bedas/.codex/app-server-daemon/settings.json (missing)",
        "status": "not running",
        "update-loop pid file": "/Users/bedas/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server-updater.pid (missing)"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "auth.credentials": {
      "id": "auth.credentials",
      "category": "auth",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "auth is configured",
      "details": {
        "auth file": "/Users/bedas/.codex/auth.json",
        "auth storage mode": "Keyring",
        "stored API key": "false",
        "stored ChatGPT tokens": "true",
        "stored agent identity": "false",
        "stored auth mode": "chatgpt"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 3
    },
    "config.load": {
      "id": "config.load",
      "category": "config",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "config loaded",
      "details": {
        "CODEX_HOME": "/Users/bedas/.codex",
        "config.toml": "/Users/bedas/.codex/config.toml",
        "config.toml parse": "ok",
        "cwd": "/Users/bedas/Developer/experiments/lab",
        "enabled feature flags": "shell_tool, unified_exec, shell_snapshot, code_mode_host, terminal_resize_reflow, sqlite, hooks, enable_request_compression, apps, tool_search_always_defer_mcp_tools, tool_suggest, plugins, in_app_browser, browser_use, browser_use_full_cdp_access, browser_use_external, computer_use, remote_plugin, plugin_sharing, image_generation, resize_all_images, skill_mcp_dependency_install, mentions_v2, steer, guardian_approval, goals, collaboration_modes, tool_call_mcp_elicitation, auth_elicitation, personality, tui_app_server, prevent_idle_sleep, remote_compaction_v2, workspace_dependencies",
        "feature flag overrides": "multi_agent=false, fast_mode=false, prevent_idle_sleep=true",
        "feature flags enabled": "34",
        "log dir": "/Users/bedas/.codex/log",
        "mcp servers": "3",
        "model": "gpt-5.6-sol",
        "model provider": "openai",
        "sqlite home": "/Users/bedas/.codex"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "git.environment": {
      "id": "git.environment",
      "category": "git",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)",
      "details": {
        ".git entry": "directory",
        "PATH git #1": "/usr/bin/git",
        "PATH git entries": "1",
        "git branch": "main",
        "git build options": "git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155); cpu: arm64; no commit associated with this build; sizeof-long: 8; sizeof-size_t: 8; shell-path: /bin/sh; feature: fsmonitor--daemon; libcurl: 8.7.1; zlib: 1.2.12; SHA-1: SHA1_DC; SHA-256: SHA256_BLK",
        "git exec path": "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/libexec/git-core",
        "git version": "git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)",
        "repo detected": "true",
        "repo root": "/Users/bedas/Developer/experiments/lab",
        "selected git": "/usr/bin/git"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 14
    },
    "installation": {
      "id": "installation",
      "category": "install",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "installation looks consistent",
      "details": {
        "PATH codex #1": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "current executable": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "install context": "brew",
        "managed by bun": "false",
        "managed by npm": "false",
        "managed by pnpm": "false",
        "managed package root": "not set"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 4
    },
    "mcp.config": {
      "id": "mcp.config",
      "category": "mcp",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "MCP configuration is locally consistent",
      "details": {
        "configured servers": "3",
        "disabled servers": "0",
        "stdio servers": "1",
        "streamable_http servers": "2"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 4381
    },
    "network.env": {
      "id": "network.env",
      "category": "network",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "network-related environment looks readable",
      "details": {
        "proxy env vars": "none"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "network.provider_reachability": {
      "id": "network.provider_reachability",
      "category": "reachability",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "active provider endpoints are reachable over HTTP",
      "details": {
        "ChatGPT base URL": "https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/ reachable (HTTP 403)",
        "reachability mode": "ChatGPT auth"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 543
    },
    "network.websocket_reachability": {
      "id": "network.websocket_reachability",
      "category": "websocket",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "Responses WebSocket handshake succeeded",
      "details": {
        "DNS": "2 IPv4, 2 IPv6, first IPv6",
        "auth mode": "chatgpt",
        "connect timeout": "15000 ms",
        "endpoint": "wss://chatgpt.com/backend-api/<redacted>",
        "handshake result": "HTTP 101 Switching Protocols",
        "model provider": "openai",
        "models etag present": "true",
        "provider name": "OpenAI",
        "proxy env vars": "none",
        "reasoning header": "false",
        "server model present": "false",
        "supports websockets": "true",
        "wire API": "responses"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 1023
    },
    "runtime.provenance": {
      "id": "runtime.provenance",
      "category": "runtime",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "running brew on macos-aarch64",
      "details": {
        "commit": "unknown",
        "current executable": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "install method": "brew",
        "platform": "macos-aarch64",
        "version": "0.144.0"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "runtime.search": {
      "id": "runtime.search",
      "category": "search",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "search is OK (system)",
      "details": {
        "search command": "rg",
        "search command readiness": "ripgrep 15.1.0",
        "search provider": "system"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 13
    },
    "sandbox.helpers": {
      "id": "sandbox.helpers",
      "category": "sandbox",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "sandbox configuration is readable",
      "details": {
        "approval policy": "OnRequest",
        "codex-linux-sandbox helper": "none",
        "execve wrapper helper": "/Users/bedas/.codex/tmp/arg0/codex-arg0Ywywab/codex-execve-wrapper",
        "filesystem sandbox": "restricted",
        "network sandbox": "restricted"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "state.paths": {
      "id": "state.paths",
      "category": "state",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "state paths and databases are inspectable",
      "details": {
        "CODEX_HOME": "/Users/bedas/.codex (dir)",
        "active rollout files": "1698 files, 1555481774 total bytes, 916067 average bytes",
        "archived rollout files": "0 files, 0 total bytes, 0 average bytes",
        "goals DB": "/Users/bedas/.codex/goals_1.sqlite (file)",
        "goals DB integrity": "ok",
        "log DB": "/Users/bedas/.codex/logs_2.sqlite (file)",
        "log DB integrity": "ok",
        "log dir": "/Users/bedas/.codex/log (dir)",
        "memories DB": "/Users/bedas/.codex/memories_1.sqlite (file)",
        "memories DB integrity": "ok",
        "sqlite home": "/Users/bedas/.codex (dir)",
        "state DB": "/Users/bedas/.codex/state_5.sqlite (file)",
        "state DB integrity": "ok"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 544
    },
    "state.rollout_db_parity": {
      "id": "state.rollout_db_parity",
      "category": "threads",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "rollout files and state DB thread inventory agree",
      "details": {
        "default model provider": "openai",
        "rollout DB active files": "1698",
        "rollout DB active rows": "1698",
        "rollout DB archive mismatches": "0",
        "rollout DB archived files": "0",
        "rollout DB archived rows": "0",
        "rollout DB duplicate DB paths": "0",
        "rollout DB duplicate rollout thread ids": "0",
        "rollout DB malformed file names": "0",
        "rollout DB missing active rows": "0",
        "rollout DB missing archived rows": "0",
        "rollout DB model providers": "openai=1698",
        "rollout DB rows": "1698",
        "rollout DB scan cap reached": "false",
        "rollout DB scan errors": "0",
        "rollout DB sources": "vscode=708, subagent:other=523, cli=272, subagent:review=104, exec=42, mcp=39, subagent:thread_spawn=10",
        "rollout DB stale rows": "0"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 6479
    },
    "system.environment": {
      "id": "system.environment",
      "category": "system",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "OS language en-US",
      "details": {
        "EDITOR": "set",
        "LANG": "en_US.UTF-8",
        "VISUAL": "set",
        "os": "Mac OS 26.5.1 [64-bit]",
        "os language": "en-US",
        "os type": "Mac OS",
        "os version": "26.5.1"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 2
    },
    "terminal.env": {
      "id": "terminal.env",
      "category": "terminal",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "terminal metadata was detected",
      "details": {
        "COLORTERM": "truecolor",
        "TERM": "xterm-ghostty",
        "TERMINFO": "/Applications/Ghostty.app/Contents/Resources/terminfo (dir)",
        "TERM_PROGRAM": "ghostty",
        "color output": "enabled",
        "effective locale": "en_US.UTF-8",
        "multiplexer": "tmux 3.7b",
        "stderr is terminal": "true",
        "stdin is terminal": "true",
        "stdout is terminal": "true",
        "terminal": "Ghostty",
        "terminal size": "119x28",
        "terminal version": "1.3.1",
        "tmux allow-passthrough": "off",
        "tmux client termname": "xterm-ghostty",
        "tmux client termtype": "ghostty 1.3.1",
        "tmux extended-keys": "always",
        "tmux focus-events": "on",
        "tmux set-clipboard": "on",
        "tmux xterm-keys": "on"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 37
    },
    "terminal.title": {
      "id": "terminal.title",
      "category": "title",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "terminal title configured",
      "details": {
        "terminal title activity": "true",
        "terminal title items": "activity, run-state, model, task-progress",
        "terminal title source": "configured"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "updates.status": {
      "id": "updates.status",
      "category": "updates",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "update configuration is locally consistent",
      "details": {
        "cached latest version": "0.143.0",
        "check for update on startup": "true",
        "last checked at": "2026-07-09T17:47:45.793260Z",
        "latest version": "0.144.0",
        "latest version status": "current version is not older",
        "update action": "brew upgrade --cask codex",
        "version cache": "/Users/bedas/.codex/version.json"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 97
    }
  }
}

What issue are you seeing?

Model responds with

The execution layer is unavailable before commands reach the workspace: every shell and patch call fails while
  spawning /opt/homebrew/bin/codex-code-mode-host because that executable is missing. No files have been created or
  changed; I’m making one final probe, but this is outside the repository and cannot be repaired from within the
  sandbox.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

run codex cli, prompt to do anything involving even slight actions like read something on disk or whatever
immediately see it fail with that error.
Example prompt:
list all files in CWD

What is the expected behavior?

A working cli, model not wasting tokens to tell me your cli is broken

Additional information

BREW installed.