Windows Codex app deep link / OAuth callback fails: "Unable to find Electron app" #25188

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1. dnl2052

   added

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

   on May 30, 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

   authIssues related to authentication and accountsIssues related to authentication and accounts

   mcpIssues related to the use of model context protocol (MCP) serversIssues related to the use of model context protocol (MCP) servers

   on May 30, 2026
3. github-actions commented on May 30, 2026

   

   github-actionsbot

   on May 30, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

   Contributor

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

   • Codex Desktop Windows: connector OAuth "Open in Codex" opens Electron error instead of completing callback #25157

   Powered by Codex Action
4. sined-rahkuk commented on May 30, 2026

   

   sined-rahkuk

   on May 30, 2026

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   I'm seeing the same Windows/AppX deep-link failure on Codex App 26.527.3686.0, with a separate reproduction path from Linear's "Open in -> Codex desktop" integration.

   Environment:

   • Windows 11
   • Codex App: 26.527.3686.0
   • Package: OpenAI.Codex_26.527.3686.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
   • Codex CLI: 0.130.0-alpha.5
   • Workspace path: C:\Users\kukha\Desktop\saiden.ai
   • Linear desktop app is installed and its own protocol association looks normal: "C:\Users\kukha\AppData\Local\Programs\Linear\Linear.exe" "%1"

   Repro from Linear:

   1. In Linear desktop, right click an issue.
   2. Choose Open in -> Codex desktop.
   3. Windows/Electron shows an error dialog:
      • Error launching app
      • Unable to find Electron app at C:\Program ...?prompt=Work%20on%20Linear%20issue...
      • Cannot find module 'C:\Program ...?prompt=Work%20on%20Linear%20issue...'

   Additional local checks:

   • codex://new?prompt=...&path=C%3A%5CUsers%5Ckukha%5CDesktop%5Csaiden.ai also fails the same way.
   • Directly starting the packaged app with a project path / --open-project produced the same class of error, where Electron treated C:\Users\kukha\Desktop\saiden.ai as the Electron app path/module.
   • Extracting the app bundle showed code paths that appear to parse codex://new?... and path, so this looks like the Windows/AppX/Electron activation path is passing the URL/path to Electron before the app's own deep-link parser can handle it.

   Impact:
   Linear's Codex Desktop integration can't create/open a desktop thread on Windows. We had to fall back to a workaround that opens Codex Desktop without args and copies the Linear prompt to the clipboard.

   This is especially relevant for teams running the desktop app on Windows now and migrating agent execution into WSL later: the failure happens before workspace runtime choice matters, so WSL doesn't avoid it.
5. marlonka commented on Jun 1, 2026

   

   marlonka

   on Jun 1, 2026

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   I can reproduce this with Gmail connector OAuth on Windows.

   Additional confirmation:

   • Codex was already open and focused.
   • Reproduces in both Chrome and Brave.
   • Full uninstall/reinstall did not fix it.
   • Also reproduces with Codex Beta after changing the CODEX link type to Codex Beta in Windows default apps.
   • OAuth callback URL is codex://oauth_callback?state=...
   • Electron error treats the callback as a filesystem path:
     C:\Program Files\WindowsApps...\oauth_callback?state=...

   This blocks plugin/connector OAuth setup, including Gmail.
6. Mylesoft commented on Jun 2, 2026

   

   Mylesoft

   on Jun 2, 2026

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   I’m seeing the same Windows OAuth/deep-link failure when connecting Codex marketplace plugins/connectors.

   Environment:

   • Windows 11
   • Codex Windows app: OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
   • ChatGPT Windows app: OpenAI.ChatGPT-Desktop_1.2026.133.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
   • Browser: Chrome

   Repro:

   1. Install a plugin from the Codex plugin marketplace.
   2. Try to connect/authorize a provider.
   3. Browser authorization succeeds and attempts to return via a desktop deep link.
   4. Windows launches the desktop app, but Electron shows:

   Error launching app
   Unable to find Electron app at C:\Program ...\oauth_callback?code=...
   Cannot find module 'C:\Program ...\oauth_callback?code=...'
   

   Providers reproduced:

   • Slack plugin/connect flow
   • Convex plugin/connect flow
   • OpenAI Developers plugin/connect flow

   What I tried locally:

   • Re-registered the Codex AppX package with Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register ...\OpenAI.Codex...\AppxManifest.xml
   • Installed ChatGPT from Microsoft Store via winget install --id=9NT1R1C2HH7J --source=msstore
   • Re-registered the ChatGPT AppX package with Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register ...\OpenAI.ChatGPT-Desktop...\AppxManifest.xml
   • Verified chatgpt:// is registered under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\chatgpt
   • Verified ChatGPT’s AppX handler exists as AppX3tncadb9jesbf7n7rdjbat6deztktxgp
   • Rebooted and retried from a fresh plugin connection flow

   Result: still fails the same way. The desktop app receives chatgpt://oauth_callback?... / OAuth callback handoff, but Electron appears to treat the callback URL/path as the app path instead of passing it into the running app.
7. tugkan98 commented on Jun 2, 2026

   

   tugkan98

   on Jun 2, 2026

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   I reproduced this on Windows with Codex App 26.527.7698.0.

   Error:
   Unable to find Electron app at:
   C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\codex:

   Context:

   • Plugin/connector OAuth callback failed when the browser opened codex://...
   • Re-registering the AppX package did not fix it.

   Workaround that fixed it:
   Set the protocol handler to launch Electron with app.asar first, then the callback URL:

   "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\Codex.exe" "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\resources\app.asar" "%1"
8. Darin19 commented on Jun 2, 2026

   

   Darin19

   on Jun 2, 2026

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   same error for Chrome plugin 😢
9. stephantamminga commented on Jun 2, 2026

   

   stephantamminga

   on Jun 2, 2026

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   Also in 26.527.60818

   Partial fix script below. Plugins work, but still throws the error when Codex notifications are clicked in the Windows notification bar:

   $pkg = Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex |
     Sort-Object Version -Descending |
     Select-Object -First 1
   
   if (-not $pkg) {
     throw "OpenAI.Codex package not found"
   }
   
   $codexExe = Join-Path $pkg.InstallLocation "app\Codex.exe"
   $appAsar = Join-Path $pkg.InstallLocation "app\resources\app.asar"
   $command = "`"$codexExe`" `"$appAsar`" `"%1`""
   
   $codexAppxProgId = "AppXybfp6cjpb1wf0pftw0fd4bz59gzn1401"
   
   $keys = @(
     "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex\shell\open\command",
     "HKCU:\Software\Classes\$codexAppxProgId\Shell\open\command"
   )
   
   foreach ($key in $keys) {
     New-Item -Path $key -Force | Out-Null
     Set-Item -Path $key -Value $command
   }
   
   New-Item -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex" -Force | Out-Null
   Set-Item -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex" -Value "URL:Codex Protocol"
   New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex" -Name "URL Protocol" -Value "" -PropertyType String -Force | Out-Null
   
   Write-Host "Set handler command:"
   Write-Host $command
   
   Write-Host ""
   Write-Host "Verify:"
   reg query HKCU\Software\Classes\codex\shell\open\command /ve
   reg query HKCU\Software\Classes\$codexAppxProgId\Shell\open\command /ve
   
   Read-Host "Press Enter to test codex://new"
   Start-Process "codex://new"
   
   Read-Host "Press Enter to close"
   

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by Ethan Marreel
10. Stropical commented on Jun 2, 2026

    

    Stropical

    on Jun 2, 2026

    More actions

    Also in 26.527.60818

    Partial fix script below. Plugins work, but still throws the error when Codex notifications are clicked in the Windows notification bar:

    $pkg = Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex |
      Sort-Object Version -Descending |
      Select-Object -First 1
    
    if (-not $pkg) {
      throw "OpenAI.Codex package not found"
    }
    
    $codexExe = Join-Path $pkg.InstallLocation "app\Codex.exe"
    $appAsar = Join-Path $pkg.InstallLocation "app\resources\app.asar"
    $command = "`"$codexExe`" `"$appAsar`" `"%1`""
    
    $codexAppxProgId = "AppXybfp6cjpb1wf0pftw0fd4bz59gzn1401"
    
    $keys = @(
      "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex\shell\open\command",
      "HKCU:\Software\Classes\$codexAppxProgId\Shell\open\command"
    )
    
    foreach ($key in $keys) {
      New-Item -Path $key -Force | Out-Null
      Set-Item -Path $key -Value $command
    }
    
    New-Item -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex" -Force | Out-Null
    Set-Item -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex" -Value "URL:Codex Protocol"
    New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\codex" -Name "URL Protocol" -Value "" -PropertyType String -Force | Out-Null
    
    Write-Host "Set handler command:"
    Write-Host $command
    
    Write-Host ""
    Write-Host "Verify:"
    reg query HKCU\Software\Classes\codex\shell\open\command /ve
    reg query HKCU\Software\Classes\$codexAppxProgId\Shell\open\command /ve
    
    Read-Host "Press Enter to test codex://new"
    Start-Process "codex://new"
    
    Read-Host "Press Enter to close"
    

    This fix worked for me on Win11 attempting to install Linear plugin. Thank you!
11. marlonka commented on Jun 3, 2026

    

    marlonka

    on Jun 3, 2026 – with ChatGPT Codex Connector

    Last edited by marlonka

    More actions

    Confirming the workaround posted above also fixes connector/plugin OAuth callbacks on my machine.

    Tested with:

    OpenAI.Codex_26.601.1994.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
    Windows 11
    

    The key part is the same as already reported: the protocol handler needs to launch Electron with resources/app.asar before the deep-link argument:

    "...\app\Codex.exe" "...\app\resources\app.asar" "%1"
    

    One additional detail: this only fixes the normal codex:// protocol path. Clicking Codex notifications from the Windows notification center still throws the same Electron error for me.

    That remaining failure appears to bypass the codex:// shell command and activate the packaged app through the MSIX AppUserModelID/package metadata instead, e.g.:

    OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0!App
    PackageRelativeExecutable = app\Codex.exe
    

    So the notification path still seems to launch something equivalent to:

    Codex.exe "?type=click&tag=..."
    

    instead of:

    Codex.exe "...\resources\app.asar" "?type=click&tag=..."
    

    So the workaround is useful for connector/plugin OAuth, but the long-term product fix likely needs to cover every Windows activation path, including toast notification activation, not only the codex:// URL association.
12. stephantamminga commented on Jun 3, 2026

    

    stephantamminga

    on Jun 3, 2026

    More actions

    I'm getting reports of the issue being solved in 26.601.21317
13. dvdxfv commented on Jun 4, 2026

    

    dvdxfv

    on Jun 4, 2026

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    Additional repro/evidence from another Windows machine, specifically with Figma remote MCP OAuth.

    Environment:

    • Codex Desktop package: OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
    • App executable: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\Codex.exe
    • Platform: Windows, Store/MSIX install
    • Connector: Figma remote MCP server, https://mcp.figma.com/mcp

    Repro:

    1. In Codex Desktop, start connecting/authorizing Figma MCP.
    2. Browser opens the Figma authorization page.
    3. Click Agree & Allow Access.
    4. Browser redirects to codex://connector/oauth_callback?code=...&state=codex_scheme_oauth....
    5. Windows opens an Electron error dialog instead of the running Codex Desktop app completing OAuth.

    Observed dialog:

    Error launching app
    
    Unable to find Electron app at C:\Program
    ...\oauth_callback?code=[REDACTED]&state=codex_scheme_oauth...
    
    Cannot find module 'C:\Program
    ...\oauth_callback?code=[REDACTED]&state=codex_scheme_oauth...'
    

    Local investigation:

    • The MSIX/AppX package manifest declares the codex protocol.
    • The AppX ProgID seen locally was AppXybfp6cjpb1wf0pftw0fd4bz59gzn1401.
    • Process inspection showed the failing activation starts a new process with the callback URL as a bare positional argument, effectively like:

      Codex.exe codex://connector/oauth_callback?code=...&state=...
      

    • Extracting app.asar showed Codex has code that scans process.argv for codex://... and maps connector/oauth_callback into a connector OAuth callback route, but the cold-start Electron/Owl path appears to interpret the URL as an app path before that handler succeeds.
    • A local registry experiment that launches the same executable with -- "%1" changed the process command line to:

      Codex.exe -- "codex://diagnostic-appx-progid-double-dash/"
      

      which suggests the missing -- / activation argument handling is part of the failure mode.

    Workaround validated:

    • Authorizing the same Figma MCP through Codex CLI works because it uses localhost loopback OAuth instead of the codex:// desktop callback.
    • Command used:

      codex mcp add figma --url https://mcp.figma.com/mcp

    • After authorization, codex mcp list showed:

      figma   https://mcp.figma.com/mcp   enabled   OAuth
      

    Expected:
    The existing/running Codex Desktop app should receive codex://connector/oauth_callback?... and complete connector OAuth.

    Actual:
    The Store/MSIX Windows desktop app opens a new Electron error dialog and treats the callback URL/path as an Electron app module path, so Figma MCP desktop authorization cannot complete.
14. etraut-openai

    marked Windows Codex App: Google plugin OAuth callback fails with "Unable to find Electron app" #25901 as a duplicate of this issue on Aug 6, 2026
15. etraut-openai

    marked GitHub OAuth callback fails with "Unable to find Electron app" on Windows #25203 as a duplicate of this issue on Aug 6, 2026
16. etraut-openai

    marked Canva OAuth callback fails on Windows: codex:// deep link is treated as Electron app path #25598 as a duplicate of this issue on Aug 6, 2026