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Error running remote compact task: timeout waiting for child process to exit #9211
Description
What version of Codex is running?
codex-cli 0.80.0
What subscription do you have?
pro
Which model were you using?
gpt 5.2
What platform is your computer?
linux server vm
What issue are you seeing?
Error running remote compact task: timeout waiting for child process to exit
What steps can reproduce the bug?
when auto compacting or using command /compact
What is the expected behavior?
to free up context and continue working
Additional information
No response
Activity
github-actions commentedon Jan 14, 2026
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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etraut-openai commentedon Jan 14, 2026
Please use the
/feedbackcommand to upload your logs and session details, then post your thread ID here.ECamposSoria commentedon Jan 14, 2026
019bbd13-a821-7a93-abe2-d1afa5733ae7
etraut-openai commentedon Jan 15, 2026
Thanks for reporting. Looking at your logs, it appears that the compaction request exceeded a 30-second timeout. The CLI retried multiple times but hit the same timeout each time until it gave up.
So far, this is the only report of this that we've received. If you (or anyone else) sees it again, let us know.
ECamposSoria commentedon Jan 15, 2026
it happened again, just for you to know thread ID 019bc34c-e247-7341-b2db-06f62d55bf57
sayan-oai commentedon Feb 3, 2026
@ECamposSoria, thanks for reporting. Are you on a corporate network/VPN/proxy that you know of? We don't set an explicit timeout ourselves, so trying to see what's terminating the connection.
rusbogdan commentedon Feb 22, 2026
reproduced with thread: 019c83e7-5d40-7331-8572-7dad7fe4cb3c. (vm, screen lock due to inactivity, with vpn)
estingala commentedon Feb 28, 2026
reproduced too, thread 019ca5b7-aa9c-79d3-8866-a5fdf7bcd9dc
HopelessLoop commentedon Mar 7, 2026
Hi everyone, I encountered the exact same
Error running remote compact task: timeout waiting for child process to exitissue and managed to find a working workaround.💡 The Workaround:
Delete the SQLite temporary files (
-waland-shm) in the.codexdirectory.🛠️ Steps:
Open your terminal and navigate to the Codex data directory (usually
~/.codex).Delete or rename
state_5.sqlite-walandstate_5.sqlite-shm:cd ~/.codexrm state_5.sqlite-wal state_5.sqite-shmRestart Codex. The auto-compact task should now proceed normally.
doranm09 commentedon Mar 9, 2026
the workaround does not resolve this for me unfortunately.
ediks commentedon Mar 12, 2026
Hi all, I'm experiencing the same issue and it only happens when connected to my VPN (Surfshark dedicated IP). Then it seems to always fail auto compacting on large sessions, resulting in "Error running remote compact task: stream disconnected before completion: error sending request for url (https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/codex/responses/compact)". When disconnecting, or not connected to, the VPN, the auto compacting completes without any issues.
Just had it again: Large session going on while connected to VPN -> Fails (error message above) -> Disconnecting VPN -> "Yo try again and continue" -> [working working] -> "Context compacted" - and it proceeds with the session.
BlackRule commentedon Mar 16, 2026
switching from xhigh bebore saying "continue" helps
4 remaining items
kaiospitz commentedon Mar 24, 2026
Having this issue on Windows 11:
codex --version
codex-cli 0.116.0
thread id = 019cfd9b-cdfd-7aa1-8ccc-e892831f2d0a
it-zyf commentedon Mar 25, 2026
Beisheng8888 commentedon Mar 27, 2026
一样的问题 每次报错5次 之后 才能回答问题。
stevo1403 commentedon Mar 27, 2026
@Beisheng8888 @it-zyf @kaiospitz @w0rk3r
The timeout seems network-related.
Routing egress traffic from my VP through a server in Europe/North America definitely helped.
Using Tailscale, I configured an Azure VM as an exit node through which internet-bound traffic was routed.
I am happy to help if need be.
Enchanter-W commentedon Mar 30, 2026
I just got the same error, and I haven't found how to solve it yet
bakhda777 commentedon Mar 30, 2026
Same error
stevo1403 commentedon Mar 30, 2026
Wow.
I think the only option left is recompiling the codex-cli to use a much longer timeout.
It worked for me.
@bakhda777 @Enchanter-W .
See Issue 14860
steven42121 commentedon Apr 18, 2026
lzcmian commentedon Apr 25, 2026
019dc3b1-687d-72a0-99cf-efc169d1e30f
w0rk3r commentedon May 8, 2026
019e02a3-e2fd-7e41-9997-c9968546709f
Nuclear2 commentedon May 27, 2026
Me too. I'm running codex on WSL2
w0rk3r commentedon Jun 13, 2026
019ebd34-ce2f-7a23-aeec-79afd8d3a89a
Is this ever getting fixed? I'm kinda tired of compiling it with a higher timeout every release
cc @etraut-openai @tibo-openai
xsourabhsharma commentedon Jun 15, 2026
read this: https://maplememo.com/codex-timeout-waiting-for-child-process-to-exit-fix/#%E5%AE%9F%E9%9A%9B%E3%81%AB%E3%82%84%E3%82%8B%E5%88%87%E3%82%8A%E5%88%86%E3%81%91%E6%89%8B%E9%A0%86
etraut-openai commentedon Jun 29, 2026
Thanks for reporting this problem. Until recently, Codex used a separate endpoint and server-side logic for compaction. We recently switched to a more robust approach where the compaction logic is moved locally using the same endpoint as normal turns. This eliminates "remote compaction" errors and increases the stability and reliability of compaction operations. If you see further problems with compaction, please use
/feedbackand open a new bug report.