codex exec exits 0 after partial built-in image generation; requested workspace artifacts are missing

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.147.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro via OAuth (stored auth mode: chatgpt)

Which model were you using?

gpt-5.6-sol

What platform is your computer?

macOS 26.6 (25G72), Apple Silicon arm64

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

Non-interactive codex exec, launched as a subprocess with no TTY.

Codex doctor report

Relevant redacted fields from codex doctor --json immediately after reproduction:

{
  "overallStatus": "warning",
  "codexVersion": "0.147.0",
  "auth.credentials": {
    "status": "ok",
    "stored API key": "false",
    "stored ChatGPT tokens": "true",
    "stored auth mode": "chatgpt"
  },
  "config.load": {
    "status": "ok",
    "model": "gpt-5.6-sol",
    "model provider": "openai",
    "image_generation": "enabled"
  },
  "network.provider_reachability": {
    "status": "ok",
    "summary": "active provider endpoints are reachable over HTTP"
  },
  "network.websocket_reachability": {
    "status": "ok",
    "handshake result": "HTTP 101 Switching Protocols"
  },
  "runtime.provenance": {
    "status": "ok",
    "platform": "macos-aarch64",
    "version": "0.147.0"
  }
}

What issue are you seeing?

A non-interactive codex exec task using ChatGPT/OAuth and the built-in image-generation tool was explicitly instructed to:

1. generate exactly six separate bitmap images;
2. save them to six exact workspace paths;
3. visually inspect all six;
4. confirm all six files exist before finishing.

The run generated only two images under $CODEX_HOME/generated_images/<run-id>/, copied none to the requested workspace paths, then exited with status 0.

Observed after exit:

workspace_targets_present 0 of 6
default_outputs_present 2
shell_exit_status 0

The final output included:

The references establish ... I’m starting the six independent generations now ...
The first cargo-bay result ... I’m holding it provisionally ...
ERROR codex_models_manager::manager: failed to refresh available models: timeout waiting for child process to exit

There was no explicit error saying that four image calls had not run, that the requested files were missing, or that verification had failed. An automation caller therefore receives a successful process exit for a materially incomplete image-generation task.

I found #23119 and #34397 for the same codex_models_manager timeout string. This report is distinct: the CLI did not hang and did not merely emit noisy stderr; it terminated successfully after partial image generation, with the required workspace artifacts absent.

No OAuth URLs, tokens, API keys, prompts containing private story text, or generated images are attached.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Authenticate Codex through ChatGPT OAuth (not OPENAI_API_KEY).
2. Enable the built-in image_generation feature.
3. In a writable empty directory, create image-task.md:

Generate exactly six separate bitmap illustrations with the built-in image generation tool.
Save them as:
- images/01.png
- images/02.png
- images/03.png
- images/04.png
- images/05.png
- images/06.png

Generate each asset separately. Before finishing, inspect every output and verify all six exact paths exist. If any image call fails or any path is missing, report failure rather than success.

1. Run:

python3 -c 'print(open("image-task.md", encoding="utf-8").read())' \
  | codex exec --ignore-user-config --ephemeral --skip-git-repo-check -s workspace-write -
echo $?

1. Inspect both images/ and $CODEX_HOME/generated_images/.

In the observed run, two default-location PNGs existed, zero requested workspace files existed, and the shell status was 0.

This may be timing-sensitive. The two image results arrived slowly, and the codex_models_manager child-process timeout appeared near termination.

What is the expected behavior?

At least one of the following:

• codex exec continues until the explicitly required image calls and path checks finish;
• if the built-in image tool or an internal child process prevents completion, codex exec exits non-zero with a clear error;
• a final tool/task status explicitly marks the run incomplete so automation does not treat exit 0 as delivery success.

A background model-catalog refresh failure should not silently convert an unfinished multi-image task into a successful CLI exit.

Additional information

• Duplicate search performed for generated_images partial, image_generation exit 0, and built-in image codex exec; no matching issue was found.
• Related but not duplicate: #23119 and #34397.
• The generated files themselves were valid PNGs; the problem is partial execution, missing requested copies, missing verification, and success exit semantics.