[Windows][Desktop] Bundled serialport.node DLL initialization failure correlates with severe startup lag

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

26.707.91948 (AppX package 26.707.12708.0; app-server 0.144.5)

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64 (Windows 11 Home, Chinese edition)

What issue are you seeing?

Summary

Codex Desktop on Windows experiences severe startup lag and may become temporarily unresponsive during launch.

The desktop log records an unhandled rejection while loading the bundled native module serialport.node:

Error: A dynamic link library (DLL) initialization routine failed.

The failing bundled dependency chain is:

@worklouder/device-kit-oai 0.1.10
  -> @worklouder/wl-device-kit 0.1.18
    -> serialport 12.0.0
      -> @serialport/bindings-cpp 12.0.1
        -> build\Release\serialport.node

Across 13 primary launch logs examined on July 16, 2026, the same error appeared in 12 logs.

This is a logged-error occurrence rate of 12/13, not a manually measured UI-freeze rate. I have not proven that serialport.node is the underlying root cause, but it is the immediate failing component shown in the logs and the failure correlates with the startup lag.

Most recent occurrence

Local: 2026-07-16 16:18:54.688 UTC+8
UTC: 2026-07-16T08:18:54.688Z

Environment

Codex Desktop: 26.707.91948
AppX package: 26.707.12708.0
App-server: 0.144.5
OS: Windows 11 Home, Build 26200, x64
CPU: Intel Core i5-13500H
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
GPU driver: 32.0.101.5542
Additional adapter: GameViewer Virtual Display Adapter 15.6.5.199
RAM: 31.73 GB

Expected behavior

Codex Desktop should launch normally and remain responsive. If an optional hardware integration cannot initialize, the failure should be handled gracefully.

Actual behavior

Codex Desktop experiences severe startup lag or temporary unresponsiveness, while the log reports a DLL initialization failure for the bundled serialport.node module.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Fully exit Codex Desktop, including any remaining background processes.
2. Launch Codex Desktop from the Windows Start menu.
3. Observe severe lag or temporary unresponsiveness during startup.
4. Open the latest Codex Desktop log.
5. Search for serialport.node or the following error:

A dynamic link library (DLL) initialization routine failed.

The error was present in 12 of 13 primary launch logs examined on July 16, 2026.

I have not disabled the GameViewer Virtual Display Adapter because doing so may interrupt an active remote-access session.

What is the expected behavior?

_No response_

Additional information

_No response_