Browser Use / in-app browser fails to navigate to any external URL. #19477

Activity

1. DFColumbus

   added

   appIssues related to the Codex desktop appIssues related to the Codex desktop app

   on Apr 25, 2026
2. github-actions

   added

   bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working

   windows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systemsIssues related to Codex on Windows systems

   app-serverIssues involving app server protocol or interfacesIssues involving app server protocol or interfaces

   on Apr 25, 2026
3. neusse commented on Apr 25, 2026

   

   neusse

   on Apr 25, 2026

   More actions

   I was able to identify the issue and I have a work around explained at...

   #19423 (comment)
4. ahostbr commented on May 2, 2026

   

   ahostbr

   on May 2, 2026

   More actions

   Cross-linking a local workaround that fixed this same Windows Codex Desktop / Browser Use failed to start codex app-server: ... (os error 3) failure here: #19562 (comment)

   On my machine, %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\bin was expected/on the Desktop path but missing. The helper binaries already existed at:

   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0\LocalCache\Local\OpenAI\Codex\bin

   Creating a junction from the expected path to the packaged helper-bin path fixed Browser Use / in-app browser control:

   $target = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0\LocalCache\Local\OpenAI\Codex\bin"
   $link = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\OpenAI\Codex\bin"
   
   if (!(Test-Path $target)) { throw "Target not found: $target" }
   
   New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Split-Path $link) | Out-Null
   if (!(Test-Path $link)) {
       New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path $link -Target $target
   }

   After adding the junction and retrying in Codex Desktop, Browser Use could attach to the selected in-app browser tab, navigate to external pages, read DOM snapshots, click links, and continue navigating.

   This may not cover every Windows Browser Use failure, but it looks relevant when the IAB backend can initialize/list tabs and then navigation/DOM/screenshot work fails with failed to start codex app-server: ... (os error 3).
5. etraut-openai

   added

   browser

   on May 3, 2026
6. zemeng5208 commented on Aug 12, 2026

   

   zemeng5208

   on Aug 12, 2026 – with ChatGPT Codex Connector

   More actions

   I maintain WinBridge Recovery for Windows Codex Desktop local runtime/path recovery: https://github.com/zemeng5208/winbridge-recovery

   The detail here that multiple AppX package versions were installed and running Codex processes appeared to reference an older package path is exactly the kind of update split-brain WinBridge checks. v3.1.1 resolves the current Store package first, then validates generated CLI/Node REPL/app-server paths, version/hash directories and user-owned runtime state against that package instead of trusting stale process/config paths.

   The confirmed workaround linked later in this thread — restoring the expected %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\bin path when the helper binaries existed elsewhere in the packaged LocalCache — is within the same recovery class. WinBridge can reconstruct the current user-side helper/runtime state through verified staging and SHA-256 checks with backups/rollback, without pointing the long-term runtime directly at an obsolete AppX version.

   If all effective runtime/app-server paths are current and Browser still fails in the protocol/preflight layer, that remaining issue is upstream. It does not modify WindowsApps ownership/ACLs or bypass Browser policy.
7. etraut-openai commented on Oct 13, 2026

   

   etraut-openai

   on Oct 13, 2026

   Contributor

   More actions

   (response from codex)

   Thanks for the report. Closing in favor of #19187, which tracks this Windows Browser Use / nodeRepl.fetch failure to start the app-server for external navigation. The multiple WindowsApps versions and stale process paths you observed are useful context for that tracker; we are not treating a local workaround as a product fix.
8. etraut-openai

   closed this as a duplicateof Windows Codex app: Browser Use external navigation fails because nodeRepl.fetch cannot start codex app-server #19187 on Oct 13, 2026