Skip to content

Windows app fails on fresh install - Electron app not found / app-server unavailable #25671

Open
Open
Windows app fails on fresh install - Electron app not found / app-server unavailable#25671
Labels
appIssues related to the Codex desktop appapp-serverIssues involving app server protocol or interfacesbugSomething isn't workingwindows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systems

Description

@TheBeefBai
TheBeefBai
opened on Jun 1, 2026

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

26.527.7698.0

What subscription do you have?

Workplace Group

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

After a fresh installation, Codex fails to start correctly.

Observed errors:

"Unable to find Electron app at ...\app\codex...\new"
"Failed to resume chat: failed to resolve rollout path"
"Codex app-server is not available"

Troubleshooting performed:

Uninstalled and reinstalled Codex multiple times
Rebooted Windows
Deleted C:\Users\joshr.codex
Reset the AppX package
Verified package status is OK:
Status: Ok
IsPartiallyStaged: False
Confirmed package contents exist under:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app

Findings:

Direct launch of:
app\Codex.exe
opens the UI.
Starting a chat then produces:
"Codex app-server is not available"
The package contains app\Codex.exe but does not contain an app\codex directory.
The Electron error appears to reference a path that does not exist in the installed package.

PowerShell output:
Test-Path "$((Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex).InstallLocation)\app"
True

Test-Path "$((Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex).InstallLocation)\app\codex"
False

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Scenario 1: Fresh Installation Fails with Electron Error

  1. On Windows 11, install the Codex desktop app using the installer downloaded from openai.com.
  2. Allow the installer to install the application through the Microsoft Store.
  3. Complete installation.
  4. Launch Codex from the Start Menu.

Expected Result

Codex launches normally and displays the chat interface.

Actual Result

Codex immediately displays an error:

"Unable to find Electron app at ...\app\codex...\new"

The application cannot be used.

Additional Findings

The installed package contains:

...\app\Codex.exe

but does not contain:

...\app\codex

PowerShell results:

Test-Path "$((Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex).InstallLocation)\app"
True

Test-Path "$((Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex).InstallLocation)\app\codex"
False

Scenario 2: Direct Launch Opens UI but Chat Cannot Start

  1. Launch Codex directly using:

& "$((Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex).InstallLocation)\app\Codex.exe"

  1. Sign in successfully.
  2. Attempt to start a new chat or send the first message.

Expected Result

A new chat is created and the message is sent.

Actual Result

One of the following errors occurs:

  • "Failed to resume chat: failed to resolve rollout path"
  • "Codex app-server is not available"

The application UI loads but cannot create or use conversations.

Troubleshooting Performed

  • Multiple uninstall/reinstall cycles
  • Windows reboot
  • Deleted C:\Users\joshr.codex
  • Reset AppX package
  • Verified package status is OK
  • Verified no OneDrive redirection
  • Verified local profile path is standard
  • Windows Defender only (no third-party antivirus)

The issue reproduces on a completely fresh installation before any successful chat session has ever been created.

What is the expected behavior?

No response

Additional information

No response

Activity

  1. TheBeefBai
    added
    appIssues related to the Codex desktop app
    on Jun 1, 2026
  2. github-actions
    added
    bugSomething isn't working
    windows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systems
    app-serverIssues involving app server protocol or interfaces
    on Jun 1, 2026

  3. github-actions commented on Jun 1, 2026

    @github-actions
    github-actionsbot
    on Jun 1, 2026 – with GitHub Actions
    Contributor

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

    Powered by Codex Action

  4. whl0901 commented on Jun 2, 2026

    @whl0901
    whl0901
    on Jun 2, 2026

    I can reproduce this on:

    OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
    Windows
    Package status: Ok
    IsPartiallyStaged: False

    I ran additional diagnostics and found that the app-server launch path appears to be wrong.

    Installed package paths:

    app\Codex.exe exists
    app\resources\codex.exe exists
    app\resources\codex exists
    app\resources\app.asar exists

    Missing paths:

    app\app-server does not exist
    app\codex does not exist
    app\codex\app-server does not exist

    AppxBlockMap also does not contain:

    app\app-server
    app\codex
    app\codex\app-server

    The bundled app-server binary seems valid:

    Directly running app\resources\codex.exe from WindowsApps gives Access is denied, but after copying the same binary to %TEMP%, it runs successfully:

    codex.exe --version
    => codex-cli 0.136.0-alpha.2

    codex.exe app-server --help
    => works and prints app-server help.

    The npm global CLI is also working:

    @openai/codex@0.135.0
    codex --version
    => codex-cli 0.135.0

    codex app-server --help
    => works.

    Most important finding from process tracing:

    When launching Codex Desktop, the main process is:

    C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\Codex.exe

    But the desktop app repeatedly spawns:

    ExecutablePath:
    C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.527.7698.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\codex.exe

    CommandLine:
    codex.exe app-server --analytics-default-enabled

    On Windows, app\codex.exe resolves case-insensitively to app\Codex.exe, which is the Electron shell, not the bundled CLI/app-server binary at app\resources\codex.exe.

    This explains the observed error:

    Unable to find Electron app at:
    ...\app\app-server

    Cannot find module:
    ...\app\app-server

    Manual repro:

    & "$((Get-AppxPackage OpenAI.Codex).InstallLocation)\app\Codex.exe" app-server

    This reproduces the same Electron error.

    Hypothesis:

    The Windows desktop app-server launcher should probably invoke:

    app\resources\codex.exe app-server --analytics-default-enabled

    but it currently invokes or resolves to:

    app\codex.exe app-server --analytics-default-enabled

    which maps to the Electron shell app\Codex.exe on Windows.

  5. whl0901 commented on Jun 3, 2026

    @whl0901
    whl0901
    on Jun 3, 2026

    Confirmed workaround / root cause evidence:

    After patching a loose-folder copy of the app, Codex UI opens successfully.

    Patch used:

    1. Copy the MSIX app folder out of WindowsApps to a normal directory.
    2. Rename the Electron shell:
      Codex.exe -> CodexShell.exe
    3. Copy the real bundled CLI/app-server binary:
      resources\codex.exe -> codex.exe
    4. Launch:
      CodexShell.exe

    Result:
    The Codex UI opens successfully.

    This confirms that the app-server launch failure is caused by the desktop app spawning a bare:

    codex.exe app-server --analytics-default-enabled

    which resolves to the Electron shell Codex.exe on Windows, instead of the real bundled app-server binary:

    resources\codex.exe

    Before the patch, the desktop log showed:

    [StdioConnection] stdio_transport_spawned argsCount=2 executablePath=codex.exe spawnCommand=codex.exe

    Then the child process output was:

    正於現有瀏覽器工作階段中開啟。

    The app then tried to parse that as MCP JSON and failed:

    Failed to parse MCP message
    Unexpected token '正' ... is not valid JSON

    After replacing same-folder codex.exe with the real resources\codex.exe, the UI opens.

  6. whl0901 commented on Jun 7, 2026

    @whl0901
    whl0901
    on Jun 7, 2026

    Update after installing the latest 6/6 Windows Store update:

    The same app-server launcher issue still appears to reproduce.

    Previously, on 26.601, I confirmed a workaround by patching a loose-folder copy:

    1. Copy the app folder out of WindowsApps.
    2. Rename:
      Codex.exe -> CodexShell.exe
    3. Copy:
      resources\codex.exe -> codex.exe
    4. Launch:
      CodexShell.exe

    Result:
    The Codex UI opened successfully.

    After updating again to the latest Store version, launching the official packaged app again fails with the same app-server issue.

    Prior logs showed:

    [StdioConnection] stdio_transport_spawned argsCount=2 executablePath=codex.exe spawnCommand=codex.exe

    Then the child process output was:

    正於現有瀏覽器工作階段中開啟。

    Codex then tried to parse that as MCP JSON and failed:

    Failed to parse MCP message
    Unexpected token '正' ... is not valid JSON

    Then:

    Codex app-server process closed unexpectedly

    This still suggests the Windows desktop launcher is spawning a bare:

    codex.exe app-server --analytics-default-enabled

    which resolves to the Electron shell Codex.exe on Windows, instead of the real bundled app-server binary:

    resources\codex.exe

Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

No one assigned

    Labels

    appIssues related to the Codex desktop appapp-serverIssues involving app server protocol or interfacesbugSomething isn't workingwindows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systems

    Type

    No type

    Projects

    No projects

      Milestone

      No milestone

      Relationships

      None yet

      Development

      No branches or pull requests

      Issue actions