[macOS][Remote Control] Desktop/CLI ownership collision returns HTTP 409 and prevents iOS from opening CLI chats

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.147.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro

Which model were you using?

gpt-5.6-sol

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.6.0 arm64 arm (macOS 26.6.1, Apple Silicon)

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

Ghostty 1.3.1

Codex doctor report

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  }
}

What issue are you seeing?

When ChatGPT Desktop Remote and Codex CLI Remote Control are active on the same Mac/account, CLI-originated chats are visible in both the desktop app and the iOS ChatGPT Remote chat list, but they cannot be opened from the phone.

The desktop app shows CLI-originated chats with a lock indicator. On iOS, tapping the same chat returns:

Error loading messages: Codex server returned an error.

Desktop-originated chats continue to open successfully on the same iPhone, so the phone connection, account, pairing, and desktop Remote host are working. Fresh CLI chats fail in the same way.

The CLI Remote Control transport repeatedly logs:

target: codex_app_server_transport::transport::remote_control::websocket
HTTP 409 Conflict
{"detail":"Remote app server already online"}

This occurs before mobile message loading and appears to be a relay ownership collision between the Desktop and CLI Remote app servers, rather than missing local transcript data.

A workaround was observed after quitting the desktop app and rebooting/restarting the CLI session: CLI Remote could take over and the iPhone could open the CLI-originated chat. That workaround prevents normal simultaneous use of Desktop and CLI Remote.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Sign into Codex CLI with ChatGPT on a Mac.
2. Pair ChatGPT Remote on an iPhone and confirm that chats created by the ChatGPT desktop app open successfully on the phone.
3. Leave the ChatGPT desktop app running with its working Remote connection.
4. Start CLI Remote Control with codex remote-control start.
5. Start a fresh chat from Codex CLI.
6. Observe that the CLI chat appears in the desktop app with a lock indicator and also appears in the iOS Remote chat list.
7. Tap the CLI-originated chat on the iPhone.
8. Observe: Error loading messages: Codex server returned an error.
9. Inspect the structured CLI log target codex_app_server_transport::transport::remote_control::websocket; it repeatedly reports HTTP 409 with {"detail":"Remote app server already online"}.
10. Quit the desktop app and reboot/restart the CLI session. In the observed workaround, CLI Remote then takes ownership and the iPhone can open the CLI chat.

What is the expected behavior?

Desktop Remote and CLI Remote Control should either coexist for the same account and Mac, or perform an explicit, reliable ownership handoff. A CLI-originated chat that appears in the iOS Remote chat list should load its messages when opened. The relay should not retain or assign ownership in a way that makes the CLI app server receive Remote app server already online while the thread remains visible but unusable.

Additional information

The Desktop and CLI enrollments were distinct local records. The Desktop record had a named desktop client, while the CLI/headless enrollment used a blank client name. Removing only the stale CLI enrollment caused it to be recreated with the same identity, and the relay continued returning HTTP 409; the Desktop enrollment was not altered. This suggests that deleting the local row alone does not clear the relay-side owner/lease.

A clean local app-server start also showed matching CLI and app-server versions, so local version skew was ruled out.

Possibly related:

• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/24024 — Remote Control stuck with HTTP 409 / Remote app server already online
• https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/22705 — iOS thread is visible but message hydration fails

Structured CLI logs contain hundreds of repeated Remote WebSocket connection attempts returning HTTP 409 over three days. These are reconnect attempts, not unique chats. The response body is {"detail":"Remote app server already online"}.