Windows app: package repeatedly enters NeedsRemediation state - crash 0xc06d007f when using sidebar browser (Chrome)

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

OpenAI.Codex 26.715.4045.0 (MSIX package version, x64). The same failure pattern also occurred on 26.707.9981.0 four days earlier.

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64 (Windows 11 Pro, 25H2, Build 26200)

What issue are you seeing?

The Windows desktop app repeatedly corrupts its own MSIX package state. Windows then reports the package as "Modified, NeedsRemediation" and the app refuses to launch (Windows shows a dialog redirecting to the Microsoft Store).

Incident 1 — 2026-07-16 (v26.707.9981.0): The app crashed 20+ times within the day. One observed trigger: opening the right-sidebar browser and selecting Chrome. Windows Application Error events (multiple, all identical):

Faulting application: ChatGPT.exe, version 0.0.0.0
Faulting module: unknown, version 0.0.0.0
Exception code: 0xc06d007f  (delay-load procedure not found)
Fault offset: 0x00007fffee0f1b6a
Faulting path: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.707.9981.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\ChatGPT.exe

After the crash spree, the package entered "Modified, NeedsRemediation" and would not open at all.

Incident 2 — 2026-07-20 (v26.715.4045.0, fresh install): After a clean reinstall via the official web installer (get.microsoft.com/installer/download/9PLM9XGG6VKS), the app worked (verified running, package Status = Ok). Hours later, after opening the sidebar browser and typing perplexity.ai, the app terminated. Package state was again "Modified, NeedsRemediation" (no Application Error event logged this time). Launching then fails silently; Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex shows the broken state.

Each time, AppX deployment logs show Windows attempting remediation:

Trying to repair ACLs for C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.715.4045.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
ACLs repaired successfully ... Register next time should succeed.

…but the state never recovers on its own; only a full uninstall + reinstall helps.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Install the Windows app (package family OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0).
2. Use the app normally. Note: the app auto-updates very frequently on this machine — AppxPackaging log shows 8 different package versions staged between 2026-07-13 and 2026-07-18 (8168 → 8479 → 9564 → 9981 → 12708 → 2236 → 2305 → 3651 → 4045), several of them staged 2–3 times the same day, which looks like failed/interrupted update retries.
3. Open the sidebar browser → select Chrome (or type a URL, e.g. perplexity.ai).
4. The app terminates; afterwards the package is in "Modified, NeedsRemediation" state and the app will not launch.

What is the expected behavior?

The app should not crash when using the sidebar browser, and its package state should survive background auto-updates without manual reinstall.

Additional information

• Environment: Chrome 150.0.7871.125 (system-wide), WebView2 Runtime 150.0.4078.83, Windows Defender only (no third-party AV/cleaner tools), no NTFS/disk errors in System log, Store stack packages (WindowsStore, DesktopAppInstaller, StorePurchaseApp) all report Status = Ok.
• Hypothesis: an interrupted or failed auto-update staging leaves mixed-version binaries (consistent with exception 0xc06d007f = delay-load proc missing) and broken package ACLs/state. The sidebar browser action may merely trigger loading of the affected component.
• Possibly relevant: the Microsoft Store app on this machine also fails to open, which may be degrading Store-mediated MSIX update delivery.
• Workaround: full uninstall + reinstall restores the app until the next cycle. Happy to provide full event-log exports if useful.