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Codex Issues / #39543

Unable to use browser plugin even after update and repair

Open 💬 6 comments Opened Aug 19, 2026 by joakley1991
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

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

26.814.5517.0

What subscription do you have?

Pro

What platform is your computer?

Windows 11 x64 realse no. 25H2

What issue are you seeing?

Title: Codex Windows browser and computer-control helpers fail during sandbox startup

Product: Codex desktop app for Windows

Summary

Browser control and Windows Computer Use cannot start. Both fail before connecting to a browser, enumerating windows, selecting a tab, or making any network request.

Environment

  • Codex package version: 26.814.5517.0
  • Browser plugin version: 26.814.41957
  • Computer Use plugin version: 26.814.41957
  • Platform: Windows, x64
  • Windows release: 25H2
  • Windows build: 26200.9168
  • Computer-use runtime: 0.0.8/20260818003901-c66628846294-pr-1311460
  • Bundled Node version: 24.19.0

Exact error

node_repl kernel exited unexpectedly

node_repl diagnostics:
{"kernel_status":"exited(code=1)","kernel_stderr_tail":"windows sandbox failed: orchestrator_helper_incomplete: setup helper exited successfully before setup completed","reason":"stdout_eof","stream_error":null}

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open the Codex Windows desktop app.
  2. Start or continue a task requiring the in-app browser.
  3. Attempt to initialize browser control and connect to any URL.
  4. The helper process exits after approximately 3–6 seconds.
  5. Attempting Windows Computer Use produces the same sandbox-helper failure.

Expected result

The helper should initialize, connect to the browser or Windows desktop, and return available tabs or windows.

Actual result

The supporting runtime exits with code 1 before browser discovery or Windows enumeration begins. No tab, page, or application is reached.

Troubleshooting already completed

  • Updated Codex from 26.814.5167.0 to 26.814.5517.0.
  • Confirmed the updated executable is running.
  • Fully closed and reopened Codex.
  • Restarted Windows.
  • Used Windows Installed Apps → Codex → Advanced options → Repair.
  • Signed out of Codex and signed back in.
  • Retried with multiple fresh helper sessions.
  • Changed to a different network.
  • Retried browser control after every troubleshooting step.
  • Retried using Windows Computer Use as a fallback.

The result and exact error remained unchanged after every step.

Additional observations

  • The failure occurs during local Windows sandbox/helper startup.
  • It happens before any browser connection, URL navigation, authentication, or external network request.
  • Changing networks had no effect.
  • It affects both the Browser and Computer Use capabilities, suggesting a shared local runtime or sandbox-helper problem.
  • Normal Codex chat, repository inspection, and command execution continue to work.
  • The issue blocks workflows requiring access to authenticated browser sessions, including Laravel Forge, PostHog, and Google Analytics administration.
  • No passwords, tokens, analytics keys, or other secrets are included in this report.

Relevant log location

C:\Users\joakl\AppData\Local\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0\LocalCache\Local\Codex\Logs\2026\08\19

I can provide relevant logs after reviewing them for private project information.

Request

Please investigate the Windows sandbox setup/orchestrator helper. In particular, could you confirm why the setup helper exits successfully before completing its expected initialization handshake and whether there is a supported repair or re-registration procedure that does not require resetting all local Codex state?

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Asking a work chat to do something that requires taking control of the browser

What is the expected behavior?

The work chat takes control of the browser

Additional information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

6 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 8 days ago

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

  • #39184

Powered by Codex Action

joakley1991 · 8 days ago

It is not a duplicate as it's a different operating system so could be a different problem causing it

joakley1991 · 6 days ago

I have tried everything from reinstalling, going into AppData and deleting bin files, please someone fix what's going wrong

Feedback ref: 019fe301-98ac-7ca3-93a6-cc5ed194d9d2

Saguinusimperator · 5 days ago

Independent reproduction on Windows with a newer desktop/plugin build.

Environment

  • Windows 10 Pro 22H2, build 19045.6466, x64
  • Codex desktop package: 26.818.5229.0
  • Browser/Chrome bundled plugin: 26.818.41509
  • CUA runtime: 0.0.8/20260817223725-7efba775c041-pr-1300023
  • Bundled Node: 24.19.0

Exact symptom

Every Browser initialization attempt fails before page or extension discovery with:

trusted Node process exited unexpectedly; kernel reset, rerun your request

This reproduces with both the in-app Browser and Chrome paths. It also reproduces while requesting the bootstrap troubleshooting documentation.

Important isolation result

The failure is below the Browser layer. A minimal node_repl call that does not import any browser code also fails immediately:

nodeRepl.write({ ok: true, value: 1 + 1 });

It returns the same trusted Node process exited unexpectedly error.

In contrast, the bundled ordinary Node executable runs successfully and reports v24.19.0. The installed node_repl.exe has a valid Authenticode signature. Windows Event Viewer contains no corresponding Application Error/WER crash, and Defender, Code Integrity, AppLocker, and threat-detection logs contain no block for the runtime.

Two node_repl.exe broker processes remain present after the failures, suggesting that a trusted child or its IPC/handshake is exiting rather than Windows terminating the broker executable itself.

Impact and inference

This blocks in-app Browser, Chrome control, and any other feature using the same trusted node_repl execution path. The failure occurs before URL navigation, authentication, extension/native-host communication, or network access.

This appears related to the shared Windows trusted-runtime/sandbox initialization problem reported here, but the user-visible error matches #39591. Please investigate the trusted child-process startup/IPC path on Windows and provide a supported repair that does not require deleting the user's local Codex state. Raw session logs were not attached because they may contain private conversation and filesystem data.

joakley1991 · 4 days ago

I have a temporary workaround, I made a new profile on the computer and installed the app with a fresh profile which has worked. Something about the old profile has caused codex to become corrupted

thebyfolk-star · 2 days ago

Independent reproduction on Windows; the problem is still present on August 25, 2026.

Environment

  • Codex Desktop: 26.818.8289.0
  • Codex CLI runtime: 0.149.0-alpha.4.3
  • Bundled Node: v24.19.0
  • Browser / Chrome / Computer Use bundled plugins: 26.818.61809

Symptom

Browser, Chrome, and Computer Use are installed and exposed correctly, but no internal or external browser can be launched or attached. The shared trusted Node runtime terminates during initialization with:

trusted Node process exited unexpectedly; kernel reset

The failure occurs before browser discovery/navigation and therefore blocks all workflows that depend on Browser, Chrome, or Computer Use.

Isolation already performed

  • Marketplace/cache/plugin consistency was repaired and verified separately; the bundled skills load correctly.
  • The same runtime failure was reproduced using both the plugin stored on a network repository and a separately verified local mirror.
  • More importantly, a minimal trusted Node initialization with no browser-plugin import and no network/repository access fails with the same error.
  • The current OpenAI node.exe and node_repl.exe are validly signed. node --version and a direct node_repl.exe --help invocation exit successfully.
  • No sufficient local evidence was found to attribute the termination to the antivirus/security software.
  • Because the failure reproduces without network access, the network repository and its firewall do not explain this specific termination.

The available evidence therefore places the failure below the Browser layer, in Codex's trusted Node process startup/management path. I cannot determine whether the precise failing sublayer is the sandbox, bridge, or child-process handshake, so I am not attributing the root cause beyond that.

OpenAI feedback already submitted with diagnostics: 019f753c-acd6-7dd3-9b86-b22b7d949dc0

This appears closely aligned with the other Windows reproduction already reported in this thread, including the minimal node_repl failure and working standalone Node executable. I am adding this case to help correlate the affected builds and the uploaded diagnostics.