Desktop approval prompts repeatedly reappear despite approving reusable command prefixes

Summary

Codex Desktop repeatedly displayed approval prompts during one continuous local Unity/Android build workflow, even after the user approved the same operation and reusable command prefixes multiple times. The repeated prompts made an otherwise unattended task require more than 100 confirmations over several hours.

Environment

• Codex Desktop on Windows
• PowerShell workspace
• Managed workspace-write filesystem permissions
• Long-running Unity Android build/deploy workflow
• Commands commonly used sandbox_permissions: require_escalated

Reproduction

1. Start a task that requires repeated polling of one long-running process plus a small set of already-authorized commands.
2. Approve the escalation and save the offered reusable command prefix.
3. Continue polling or rerun an equivalent command whose variable values, log filename, PID, or justification changes.
4. Observe another approval prompt.
5. Repeat; prompts continue even after the user explicitly says to reuse all previous approvals and stop asking.

Expected

• A saved approval should cover semantically equivalent invocations within its declared prefix/scope.
• Read-only polling (Get-Process, Wait-Process, checking a known APK/log) should not repeatedly require new approvals when the executable and target workspace are unchanged.
• An agent should be able to run an approved build → wait → install → verify sequence unattended.

Actual

• Minor changes such as PID, log filename, or composed PowerShell command text caused new approval prompts.
• The user had to click approval repeatedly (reported as 100+ prompts).
• The UI interrupted a multi-hour build/deploy workflow and undermined the purpose of reusable approval prefixes.

Suggested improvements

• Normalize PowerShell commands and bind approvals to stable executable/operation/target scopes rather than the full generated command string.
• Treat read-only process polling and workspace file existence/log checks as low-risk after initial authorization.
• Allow a user-visible, task-scoped “approve this workflow until completion” option with clear limits.
• Show which exact command segment failed to match an existing approval rule, so agents and users can avoid prompt churn.

This report was submitted at the explicit request of the affected user.