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Windows Computer Use fails to initialize: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors #43255

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Windows Computer Use fails to initialize: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors#43255
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appIssues related to the Codex desktop appbugSomething isn't workingcomputer-usesandboxIssues related to permissions or sandboxingwindows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systems

Description

@kaenapple
kaenapple
opened on Sep 6, 2026

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

26.901.51231

What subscription do you have?

plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Summary

Computer Use cannot initialize in the Codex desktop app on Windows. As a result, Codex cannot open or control desktop apps such as Notepad.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open the Codex desktop app on Windows.
  2. Ensure the Computer Use plugin is enabled:
    • Computer Use server: enabled
    • Computer Use skill: enabled
    • Any App control: enabled
  3. Ask Codex: Open Notepad and type こんにちは.
  4. Codex attempts to initialize Computer Use.

Expected behavior

Computer Use initializes successfully, opens Notepad, and types the requested text.

Actual behavior

Computer Use fails immediately before it can inspect or control the desktop.

Error:

windows sandbox failed: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

trusted Node process exited unexpectedly; kernel reset, rerun your request

### What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: 01a07789-f505-75e3-8e4a-1528d1cb1a00

### What is the expected behavior?

_No response_

### Additional information

Troubleshooting already attempted
- Restarted the Codex desktop app.
- Reset and retried the Computer Use connection multiple times.
- Confirmed the Computer Use plugin settings.
- Disabled and re-enabled the Computer Use plugin.
- Retried while using an active, unlocked Windows desktop session.
The issue persists.

Environment
- OS: Windows
- App: Codex desktop app
- Feature affected: Computer Use
- Target app: Notepad

Activity

  1. kaenapple
    added
    appIssues related to the Codex desktop app
    on Sep 6, 2026
  2. github-actions
    added
    bugSomething isn't working
    windows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systems
    computer-use
    sandboxIssues related to permissions or sandboxing
    on Sep 6, 2026

  3. github-actions commented on Sep 6, 2026

    @github-actions
    github-actionsBot
    on Sep 6, 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. bazokhan commented on Sep 18, 2026

    @bazokhan
    bazokhan
    on Sep 18, 2026

    Corroborating evidence from Codex Desktop 26.911.7940.0 on Windows x64, bundled command runner 0.155.0-alpha.2.6:

    • Computer Use initialization fails before any browser is opened or selected.
    • Both a surface-enumeration call and a browser-selection call terminate the trusted Node kernel.
    • The surfaced error is: windows sandbox failed: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors.
    • After the failure, ordinary workspace-write sandbox process creation also fails with the same setup-refresh error, while an explicitly approved out-of-sandbox read-only command can still start. This indicates a shared Windows sandbox setup failure rather than a browser or target-site failure.
    • The two managed sandbox accounts are present and enabled. Read-only ACL inspection found unresolved explicit sandbox identity entries remaining on the workspace alongside the current managed sandbox group, which may be relevant to refresh/reconciliation.
    • Installed browsers were present and healthy; no browser process was reached by the failing Computer Use initialization.

    No sandbox repair was attempted. No logs, session transcript, filesystem paths, account identifiers, repository details, process identifiers, or security principal values are included here.

  5. Freemlen commented on Sep 19, 2026

    @Freemlen
    Freemlen
    on Sep 19, 2026 – with ChatGPT Codex Connector

    Very closely related RCA in #43373.

    That investigation separated native Computer Use health from sandbox startup:

    sandbox setup succeeds
-> trusted node_repl starts
-> @oai/sky imports
-> native apps/windows enumerate
-> native interaction works

    On the affected machine, the native backend was healthy; the blocker was the Windows sandbox ACL refresh before trusted Node startup. A process-scoped dedicated TEMP/TMP restored the native path.

    So for this symptom, trusted Node process exited / unavailable native apps can be downstream effects of sandbox setup rather than proof that the native Computer Use backend itself is broken.

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