openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [beta.5 regression] Sandboxed agents lose network access due to restrictCodexAppServerSandboxForOpenClawSandbox

Summary

In 2026.5.16-beta.5, a new function restrictCodexAppServerSandboxForOpenClawSandbox was introduced. It forces the Codex app-server sandbox to workspace-write whenever OpenClaw sandbox is enabled. workspace-write hardcodes networkAccess: false, breaking all agents that require outbound internet access.

Affected

• Research agent (web search)
• GWS Read agent (Google Drive / Gmail / Calendar)
• Main agent cron jobs requiring network (arXiv, PubMed, etc.)

Root cause

run-attempt-*.js:

function restrictCodexAppServerSandboxForOpenClawSandbox(appServer, sandbox) {
    if (!sandbox?.enabled || appServer.sandbox !== "danger-full-access") return appServer;
    return { ...appServer, sandbox: "workspace-write" };
}

config-*.js:

return {
    type: "workspaceWrite",
    networkAccess: false,  // hardcoded, no override possible
    ...
};

Timeline

• 2026.5.12 (stable): research agent with network access worked correctly
• 2026.5.16-beta.5 installed: DNS resolution fails for all sandboxed agents

Attempted workaround

Setting sandbox.mode: "off" on affected agents restored DNS access (confirmed Google Drive API success), but introduced sessions_send tool call timeouts (30s, codex_dynamic_tool_rpc) when the main agent tried to call subagents. Not a viable workaround.

Expected behavior

Sandboxed agents should be able to have network access when required. There should be a configuration option to allow outbound network access per agent without disabling the sandbox entirely.

Version

2026.5.16-beta.5