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Codex Issues / #40596

Windows Codex App: unified exec fails with `helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors`

Open 💬 8 comments Opened Aug 25, 2026 by kupakupich2026
💡 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)?

26.819.11345

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.22631.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

The Codex App cannot start the unified exec terminal helper.

Exact error:

Failed to create unified exec process: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

The failure occurs before any command starts, including read-only commands such as:

git rev-parse HEAD

Reproduced in:

  • the existing project chat;
  • a newly created chat in the same local project;
  • after restarting the Codex App;
  • after restarting Windows;
  • after Workspace dependency diagnostics reported Codex dependencies look healthy;
  • after reinstalling the Workspace bundle;
  • with [windows] sandbox = "elevated";
  • with [windows] sandbox = "unelevated".

The local project path contains Cyrillic characters. The project and commands worked previously with the same path.

Expected behavior:
The unified exec helper starts and executes the read-only command.

Actual behavior:
The helper fails during setup refresh before the command is launched.

Impact:
Terminal preflight cannot run. Repository staging and commit operations are intentionally paused. No repository changes, staging, or commits were performed during troubleshooting.

The existing .codex/.sandbox/sandbox.log does not contain the current failures. Its last records predate the currently installed Codex App version.

Feedback ID:
01a03853-2618-7b90-9ce3-1d74d3c81a1d

What steps can reproduce the bug?

  1. Open the Codex App on Windows.
  2. Open an existing local-project chat or create a new chat in the same project.
  3. Ask Codex to run a basic read-only terminal command such as git rev-parse HEAD.
  4. The terminal helper fails before the command starts with: Failed to create unified exec process: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors.
  5. Repeat after restarting the app or creating another project chat; the same failure occurs.

What is the expected behavior?

The unified exec terminal helper should initialize successfully and execute the requested command in the configured local project directory.

Additional information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

8 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 2 days ago

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

  • #40469
  • #40215
  • #39841
  • #40044
  • #39697

Powered by Codex Action

kupakupich2026 · 2 days ago

The suggested duplicate #40215 describes the same failure, but it was closed automatically without a documented resolution or confirmed fixed version.

The issue remains reproducible in Codex App version 26.819.11345 after restarting Windows, reinstalling the Workspace bundle, creating a new project chat, and testing both Windows sandbox modes.

Regular Windows PowerShell works normally. A manual read-only Git check outside Codex confirmed that the local repository exists, its HEAD is readable, and the staged index is empty. The failure is isolated to the Codex unified exec/local command runner before process creation.

Please keep #40596 open, or link it to the current active tracking issue if this regression is already being investigated.

Feedback ID: 01a03853-2618-7b90-9ce3-1d74d3c81a1d

MilkyWay008 · 2 days ago

Saw helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors on 26.819.11345, it's the same Windows regression as #40215, which got auto-closed without a fix note, so staying on this build keeps you stuck. While you wait for a patched build, two things helped me: copy the project to a pure-ASCII path, your Cyrillic path is the one variable that's different from the other reporters, and tail .codex/.sandbox/sandbox.log right after the failure, that's where setup refresh writes the real error. And on the Windows install-breaks side of things, I built a portable Hermes OTG, a spare agent on a USB stick that runs outside the broken install so you can still dig in and fix things, https://github.com/MilkyWay008/Hermes-OTG.

gsaiching · 2 days ago

Additional diagnostic information from another affected Windows user.

Environment

  • Codex Desktop: 26.818.8289.0
  • Workspace runtime: 26.819.11345
  • Windows build: 26100, x64
  • Sandbox mode: workspace-write

The error occurred with both PowerShell and cmd.exe, before the requested command was started. The bundled PowerShell executable itself works when launched manually.

Concrete sandbox error

The sandbox log contains:

granting write ACE to D:\Project for sandbox group and capability SID
write ACE grant failed on D:\Project: SetNamedSecurityInfoW failed: 5
setup refresh completed with errors:
["write ACE failed on D:\\Project: SetNamedSecurityInfoW failed: 5"]
setup error: setup refresh had errors

D:\Project has the following relevant ACL state:

Owner: BUILTIN\Administrators
Authenticated Users: Modify

Ordinary file operations are possible, but the sandbox setup helper cannot modify the directory ACL.

Possible project/workspace-root synchronization bug

I also observed the following behavior:

  1. A folder registered when a new Codex project is initially created is readable and writable.
  2. A folder added later through Edit project was not propagated correctly to the existing task's sandbox workspace roots.
  3. The newly added folder was inaccessible and could even appear not to exist.
  4. Fully quitting and restarting Codex did not update the existing task.
  5. The old broad root D:\Project remained in the sandbox setup payload.
  6. Creating a new Codex project with the narrower repository folder registered from the beginning restored access.

Expected behavior

Editing a project's source folders should refresh the sandbox workspace roots, or the UI should clearly state that changes apply only to newly created tasks.

Actual behavior

The existing task retained the old workspace root. Sandbox setup repeatedly attempted to modify its ACL, failed with Win32 error 5, and prevented every local command from starting.

Workaround

Creating a new Codex project with the actual repository folder registered during initial project creation worked correctly.

normandiazr64 · 1 day ago

Confirmed workaround on Windows

I was hitting the same error:

Failed to create unified exec process:
helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

Codex could not start PowerShell, CMD, Git, or any local process.

I checked:

%USERPROFILE%\.codex\.sandbox\sandbox.YYYY-MM-DD.log

and found:

deny ACE failed on C:\dev\sample-project\.git:
SetNamedSecurityInfoW failed for C:\dev\sample-project\.git: 5

5 = Access Denied.

Then I checked the .git owner:

(Get-Acl "C:\dev\sample-project\.git").Owner

It was unexpectedly owned by:

DESKTOP-EXAMPLE\CodexSandboxOffline

instead of my normal Windows account.

Fix

I closed Codex completely, opened PowerShell as Administrator, and ran:

$me = "$env:USERDOMAIN\$env:USERNAME"
icacls "C:\dev\sample-project\.git" /setowner "$me"

After reopening Codex, local execution worked again immediately:

git status
git --version
cmd.exe /c echo CODEX_CMD_OK

No reinstall, reclone, .git deletion, or recursive permission reset was needed.

So if you are seeing setup refresh had errors, check whether your .git directory is owned by CodexSandboxOffline. Restoring ownership to the normal Windows user may fix the issue.

yanchao123585-a11y · 1 day ago

I’m experiencing the same issue in the ChatGPT/Codex desktop app on Windows.

App version: 26.820.9563.0
Windows build: 10.0.26200.9168
Subscription: ChatGPT Pro

Error:
Failed to create unified exec process: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

Standalone Windows CMD works normally, but the failure occurs before PowerShell or cmd can start inside Codex.

Troubleshooting already completed:

  • Started a new chat
  • Restarted the ChatGPT app
  • Restarted Windows
  • Checked for app and Windows updates
  • Ran Windows App Repair
  • Retested with: cmd.exe /d /c echo CODEX_EXEC_OK

The error remains unchanged and no files were modified.

Feedback ID:
no-active-thread-01a041e7-0c0f-7852-90e8-f9c5f11dc036

normandiazr64 · 1 day ago

Hola, he dejado la solución en git a ese problema que también me paso
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/40596#issuecomment-5429209321

El jue, 27 ago 2026, 8:52, yanchao123585-a11y @.***>
escribió:

yanchao123585-a11y left a comment (openai/codex#40596) <https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/40596#issuecomment-5435428155> I’m experiencing the same issue in the ChatGPT/Codex desktop app on Windows. App version: 26.820.9563.0 Windows build: 10.0.26200.9168 Subscription: ChatGPT Pro Error: Failed to create unified exec process: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors Standalone Windows CMD works normally, but the failure occurs before PowerShell or cmd can start inside Codex. Troubleshooting already completed: - Started a new chat - Restarted the ChatGPT app - Restarted Windows - Checked for app and Windows updates - Ran Windows App Repair - Retested with: cmd.exe /d /c echo CODEX_EXEC_OK The error remains unchanged and no files were modified. Feedback ID: no-active-thread-01a041e7-0c0f-7852-90e8-f9c5f11dc036 — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/40596?email_source=notifications&email_token=BJHVQK3PPBYGUFNDVYZJ4AT5L7LEBA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTKNBTGU2DEOBRGU22M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJLDGN5XXIZLSL5RWY2LDNM#issuecomment-5435428155>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BJHVQK5PB7E2UEZCEEZVAED5L7LEBAVCNFSNUABFKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHM4TMNJUGE2TMNBZHNEXG43VMU5TKMRUGU2DINRZGU42C5QC> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/BJHVQKYWKKH2TSGDFSVYMWL5L7LEBA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTKNBTGU2DEOBRGU22M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJKTGN5XXIZLSL5UW64Y> and Android <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/BJHVQK7ZAAESIWJ4AOHQ7OL5L7LEBA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTKNBTGU2DEOBRGU22M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJLTGN5XXIZLSL5QW4ZDSN5UWI>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>
kupakupich2026 · 1 day ago

Thank you very much for sharing this workaround, and thanks to everyone who confirmed the same issue.

This resolved the problem on my system. The repository root was owned by my normal Windows account, but the .git directory was unexpectedly owned by CodexSandboxOffline.

After fully closing Codex, restoring ownership of .git to my normal Windows account from an Administrator PowerShell session, and reopening Codex, unified exec started working again.

A read-only preflight then confirmed the correct working directory, the expected HEAD, and an empty staged index. No project files were modified during the ownership repair.

This strongly suggests that the failure was caused by an incorrect Windows ownership/ACL state affecting .git.

Thank you again for identifying and sharing the fix.