Windows Computer Use breaks across desktop update; recovery leaves enabled plugin without native tools #50876

What version of the Codex App are you using?

Windows MSIX 26.930.3930.0, verified from the installed package and running desktop process. Managed app-server daemon, restart CLI and app-server report 0.160.0. Installed Computer Use skill: 26.930.31730.

What subscription do you have?

Not independently verified for this report.

What platform is your computer?

Windows 11 Pro, 10.0.26200, x64. Windows-native PowerShell project workflow.

What issue are you seeing?

An authorized Windows GUI acceptance workflow has been repeatedly interrupted by Computer Use connection failures. In the observed October 3 sequence, native window discovery and accessibility capture worked, then a desktop update replaced the helper/runtime during the interaction. The existing tool host retained the preceding runtime/pipe and native control failed. After documented retries and a supported managed-daemon restart, the October 4 resumed conversation still cannot operate native apps: the installed skill requires node_repl, but no such tool is callable, while the available cua_repl explicitly disables native APIs.

This report concerns the update/recovery sequence and lack of an actionable recovery path. The individual missing-tool and browser-only symptoms overlap existing issues below. A common root cause is not established.

Observed sequence / reproduction

1. October 3: installed-skill @oai/sky window discovery and a native application's accessibility capture succeeded. This establishes native access at that point.
2. The first indexed click returned coordinate input geometry is unavailable. A refreshed capture showed the desktop's update-installing surface instead of the intended target. The desktop updated to MSIX 26.930.3930.0 and the helper/runtime changed from 81ea4d5168ddd0a3 to 45309f9050f7314b while the previous tool host remained active.
3. Activation subsequently failed with Computer Use native pipe is unavailable / The system cannot find the file specified. (os error 2). Delayed discovery retry and JavaScript kernel reset / Initialize / discovery retry also failed. No GUI acceptance case began.
4. Configuration was backed up. The stale global entry was removed using codex mcp remove node_repl; no replacement runtime path or pipe GUID was inserted. A supported managed-daemon restart was performed. This configuration removal is disclosed because the current missing-tool symptom is not a pristine-install reproduction.
5. October 4: saved restart stdout reports status: restarted, with managed Codex, CLI and app-server version 0.160.0; stderr is empty. Current process inventory confirms that the daemon is running and that a newly created cua_repl Node host and its node_repl.exe child use runtime 45309f9050f7314b. The native helper and intended application are also running. A full desktop relaunch after the daemon restart was not independently established.
6. Both computer-use@openai-bundled and unified-computer-use@openai-bundled are enabled in local configuration. The installed Computer Use skill requires a node_repl session importing @oai/sky. The callable tool inventory has no node_repl or tool-search entry. Available cua_repl tool instructions say Native computer APIs are disabled.
7. The supported available observation await cua.getState() returns apps: [] and only a Chrome extension browser, with no tabs. No native screenshot/input is possible through the exposed surface. No fresh Sky request could be issued, so the October 4 symptom is NOT a newly reproduced native-pipe exception or app-access denial.

These are observed steps, not a claim of a deterministic reproduction on a clean installation. No helper protocol client, alternative UI automation, pipe override, downgrade, cache deletion or speculative further configuration repair was attempted.

Expected behavior

The desktop should refresh or retire active native tool hosts when an update replaces their runtime/helper. If native control cannot resume, it should give a precise supported recovery instruction. Enabled Windows Computer Use should expose a compatible native tool surface matching its installed skill, or explicitly identify the failed capability before the agent starts a task.

Impact and investigation requested

Repeated failures across October 2-4 have blocked completion of an already-authorized GUI acceptance workflow. Shell/file access works; native interaction does not. Repeated restarts and handoffs without a reliable capability check consume work time and leave the workflow unfinished.

Please investigate update-time host invalidation/rebinding, the supported management of the legacy global node_repl entry, native versus browser-only session routing, and skill/tool compatibility. Provide a supported diagnostic that reports desktop/helper/host versions, expected callable tools, enabled surfaces and recovery status. Please distinguish missing tool exposure, app approval, capture failure and stale transport instead of presenting them as interchangeable permission problems.

Related reports

• Windows Computer Use skill loads, but node_repl tools are missing from the chat #49844: Computer Use skill loads, but node_repl tools are missing.
• Windows: native Computer Use remains browser-only despite enabled local backend #49742: enabled Windows backend with a browser-only conversation surface.
• Windows ARM64 upgrade leaves stale CUA/node_repl config, causing missing Browser controls (confirmed fix) #49391: ARM64 stale runtime/pipe configuration after an update; this report is x64 and does not claim that its workaround applies.
• macOS app update leaves pre-update node_repl host unable to authenticate to new Computer Use service #39042: macOS pre-update host survives a helper replacement; analogous lifecycle symptom, not proof of the same cause on Windows.
• Computer Use native pipe unavailable on Windows despite codex-computer-use pipe existing #26528: native pipe unavailable on Windows.
• [Windows] Codex browser interactions falsely report user denial regardless of site; other ChatGPT workflows work #50153: separately reported Codex browser false-denial failures. Included as another disruption affecting this user's workflows; not reproduced in the October 4 native check and not attributed to a common cause.

Public evidence is intentionally limited to version metadata, sanitized errors and capability results. No private repository links, customer/device data, credentials, pipe GUIDs, raw session logs or screenshots are included.