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Windows sandbox fails with helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors #48979
Description
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
Powered by Codex & OWL Version 26.924.22138 Released 26 Sept 2026 © OpenAI
What subscription do you have?
Plus
What platform is your computer?
Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.19045.0 x64
What issue are you seeing?
Feedback ID: 01a0be8b-85e5-7f13-b603-b04e3373c36c
The Codex App cannot initialize its Windows sandbox. Every local command fails with:
windows sandbox failed: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors
The integrated terminal also does not open through the keyboard shortcut or the menu. Computer-use/browser-control sessions fail to start with the same Windows sandbox/helper error.
Steps to reproduce:
- Open an existing project or create a new task.
- Try to open the integrated terminal, or ask Codex to run a basic command such as Get-Location.
- The terminal does not open and the local execution process exits with the sandbox setup-refresh error.
Expected result:
The integrated terminal and local execution tools should start normally.
Actual result:
No terminal or local tool can start.
Troubleshooting already completed:
- Closed and reopened the app
- Restarted Windows
- Used Windows App Repair
- Fully uninstalled and reinstalled the Codex App
- Created a new task
- Closed and attempted to reopen the integrated terminal
- Submitted in-app feedback and generated the Feedback ID above
The problem persists after all these steps.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Feedback ID: 01a0be8b-85e5-7f13-b603-b04e3373c36c
What is the expected behavior?
No response
Additional information
No response
Activity
github-actions commentedon Sep 28, 2026
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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Schwabo75 commentedon Sep 28, 2026
I can reproduce this issue on Windows.
In my case, terminal commands initially work, but workspace write operations are denied. After granting the requested write/network permissions, terminal execution immediately starts failing with:
helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors
The problem has reproduced after restarting Codex and reopening the workspace.
My workspace is on a local J: drive.
I submitted diagnostic logs through Codex feedback.
Feedback ID: 01a0e802-2e92-7ec0-b71e-5f28ca258784
Schwabo75 commentedon Sep 28, 2026
Update: I was able to resolve the issue.
Root cause in my case:
helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors
What fixed it:
Current result:
In my case, the issue was related to Windows ownership/SIDs combined with Git safe.directory checks.
Hopefully this helps diagnose and fix similar Windows cases.
comvol-code commentedon Oct 8, 2026
Additional reproduction from a separate Windows 11 environment:
26.1002.7124.026.1002.52244 / 13536, production channel26300.9457HELPER_UNKNOWN_ERROR / SETUP_REFRESH_HAD_ERRORS.CODEX_HOME/.sandbox/sandbox.logfile was not emitted.Status: OK; the four previously inspected allowlisted components were present, AMD64, and Authenticode-valid.This may share the same top-level symptom as this issue, but I have not established that ownership/SID or Git
safe.directoryis the cause in this environment. I have therefore not applied recursive ownership or ACL changes, and I have not copied another machine's fix.Could a maintainer advise a supported, minimally scoped diagnostic path when the failure occurs before UAC and
sandbox.logis not created?Imawizard96 commentedon Oct 9, 2026
I can reproduce the same failure on Codex Desktop for Windows.
windows sandbox failed: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errorsThe sandbox log shows the underlying failure:
runtime read/execute validation failed: validate runtime read/execute access on
C:\Users\Pascal\AppData\Local\OpenAI\Codex\runtimes\cua_node\3dd31cfff853001c\bin\node_repl.exe:
open ACL target for root-only update:
Der Prozess kann nicht auf die Datei zugreifen, da sie von einem anderen Prozess verwendet wird.
(os error 32)
The issue is reproducible repeatedly. Codex starts its CUA Node runtime and then the sandbox setup fails during ACL validation of node_repl.exe.
Already tried without success:
Resource Monitor’s handle search does not catch node_repl.exe, likely because the locking process exists only briefly. The error remains identical after the runtime rebuild.
Update: the issue is currently resolved on my machine.
Two things changed before the successful retest:
26.1002.52244(build 13536) to26.1007.21434(build 13901).config.tomland restarted Codex:[windows]
sandbox = "unelevated"
Afterwards, Computer Use initialized successfully and the in-app browser could open and read a page normally. The previous node_repl.exe / os error 32 / setup refresh had errors failure did not recur.
I cannot isolate whether the app update, the sandbox = "unelevated" setting, or their combination fixed it.
For context, rebuilding the cua_node runtime cache alone had not resolved the issue earlier.
EP-PBednarczyk commentedon Oct 9, 2026
I have problem after updated 07 october 2026.
Title: Windows desktop: terminal fails after update with helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors
I use the Codex desktop app on Windows, independently of PyCharm.
After updating Codex, terminal commands stopped working.
Even git status --short fails before the command starts:
exec_command failed: CreateProcess { message: "Rejected("Failed to create unified exec process: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors")" }
Restarting Windows and the Codex app did not resolve the issue.
The terminal in PyCharm works correctly, including git status.
The configuration contains:
[windows]
sandbox = "elevated"
The supplied configuration records version 26.1002.52244.
Last reproduction: October 9, 2026.
Please investigate this possible regression and provide an official fix.