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Codex Issues / #36352

ChatGPT desktop incorrectly denies Codex access on a personal Plus account while Codex CLI works - Version 26.727.40816

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Jul 31, 2026 by ernestodiescholle Closed Aug 6, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

For more than three weeks, I have been unable to use Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app on my MacBook. When I open the Codex section, the app displays the following message:
“You do not have access to Codex yet. Contact your admin to request access.”

This is a personal ChatGPT Plus account and a personal workspace. There is no workspace administrator who could grant access.
Codex CLI works on the same MacBook, but Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app remains completely inaccessible.

Environment:

  • Device: MacBook Pro with Apple M3 Pro
  • Operating system: macOS
  • Account type: Personal ChatGPT Plus account
  • Workspace: Personal workspace
  • ChatGPT desktop version: 26.727.40816
  • Release date shown in the app: July 30, 2026
  • Authentication: ChatGPT account

I have already completed all of the following:

  • Confirmed that I am using my personal ChatGPT account.
  • Confirmed that the personal workspace is selected.
  • Signed out and signed back in.
  • Fully quit and restarted the desktop app.
  • Restarted macOS.
  • Completely uninstalled the ChatGPT and Codex desktop applications.
  • Removed the local Codex directory and authentication state.
  • Removed ChatGPT/Codex Application Support data.
  • Removed related caches, preferences, logs, saved application state, and Keychain entries.
  • Downloaded the latest ChatGPT desktop app from the official OpenAI website.
  • Performed a completely fresh installation and authentication.
  • Confirmed that Codex CLI works on the same computer.

After the complete removal and fresh installation, the exact same access error still appears.

View original on GitHub ↗

3 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 27 days ago

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

  • #35113

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ernestodiescholle · 24 days ago

Additional finding and temporary workaround

I found a temporary workaround that also narrows the problem down to the new desktop client rather than the account entitlement.

Using the same personal ChatGPT Plus account on the same Mac:

  • New unified ChatGPT desktop app: Codex incorrectly displays “You do not have access to Codex yet. Contact your admin to request access.”
  • Legacy standalone Codex desktop app, version 26.623.141536: Codex works normally and can create and continue chats.
  • Codex CLI: also works normally with ChatGPT authentication.

The legacy app was installed through Homebrew using brew install --cask codex-app. Homebrew marks this cask as deprecated/discontinued and recommends the new ChatGPT app, so this is only a temporary workaround—not a permanent fix.

This confirms that the Plus account itself has working Codex access. The access denial appears specific to the new unified ChatGPT desktop app or its entitlement/workspace check.

ernestodiescholle · 22 days ago

Resolved

I was able to resolve the issue.
The cause was an account identity conflict involving two separate OpenAI accounts connected indirectly to the same Apple ID:

  • An older free account created with “Continue with Apple”
  • A newer ChatGPT Plus account created using an iCloud email address associated with the same Apple ID

After changing the email address of my Plus account to an independent address and signing in again, the ChatGPT desktop app correctly recognized my Plus subscription and Codex became available.
The issue was therefore caused by ambiguous account/sign-in-method mapping rather than a missing Codex entitlement.
I am closing this issue as resolved.