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codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Browser Use fails on Windows Codex Desktop: failed to start codex app-server (os error 3) [2 comments, 3 participants]

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openai/codex#20206•Fetched 2026-04-30 06:31:59
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On Codex Desktop for Windows, the Browser Use / in-app browser integration can detect the selected in-app browser tab, but real browser operations fail with:

failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3)

Error Message

failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3) The following fail with the codex app-server path error: failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3) A full Codex Desktop restart did not resolve the issue. After restart, PATH appeared to point to the current package version only (OpenAI.Codex_26.422.8496.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0). Before restart, there appeared to be an older package version in PATH as well, but the error persisted after that was cleaned up by restart.

Root Cause

On Codex Desktop for Windows, the Browser Use / in-app browser integration can detect the selected in-app browser tab, but real browser operations fail with:

failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3)

Code Example

failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3)

---

{"title":"Example Domain","url":"https://example.com/"}

---

const { setupAtlasRuntime } = await import('file:///<redacted-user-home>/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/browser-use/0.1.0-alpha1/scripts/browser-client.mjs');
await setupAtlasRuntime({ globals: globalThis, backend: 'iab' });
const tab = await agent.browser.tabs.selected();
await tab.playwright.domSnapshot();

---

failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3)
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Summary

On Codex Desktop for Windows, the Browser Use / in-app browser integration can detect the selected in-app browser tab, but real browser operations fail with:

failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3)

Environment

  • OS: Windows
  • Codex Desktop
  • App version seen in logs: 0.125.0-alpha.3
  • Installed package path/version seen locally: OpenAI.Codex_26.422.8496.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
  • Browser Use plugin: openai-bundled/browser-use/0.1.0-alpha1

What works

  • Basic node_repl execution works.
  • browser-client.mjs exists and imports successfully.
  • setupAtlasRuntime({ globals: globalThis, backend: "iab" }) succeeds.
  • agent.browser.tabs.selected() can read the current in-app browser tab title/url.

Example successful selected-tab read:

{"title":"Example Domain","url":"https://example.com/"}

What fails

The following fail with the codex app-server path error:

  • agent.browser.tabs.new()
  • tab.goto(...)
  • tab.playwright.domSnapshot()

Minimal repro

const { setupAtlasRuntime } = await import('file:///<redacted-user-home>/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/browser-use/0.1.0-alpha1/scripts/browser-client.mjs');
await setupAtlasRuntime({ globals: globalThis, backend: 'iab' });
const tab = await agent.browser.tabs.selected();
await tab.playwright.domSnapshot();

Expected behavior

Browser Use should be able to inspect and control the selected in-app browser tab.

Actual behavior

failed to start codex app-server: Das System kann den angegebenen Pfad nicht finden. (os error 3)

Notes

A full Codex Desktop restart did not resolve the issue. After restart, PATH appeared to point to the current package version only (OpenAI.Codex_26.422.8496.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0). Before restart, there appeared to be an older package version in PATH as well, but the error persisted after that was cleaned up by restart.

This reproduces on https://example.com/, so it is not site-specific.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue is likely due to a path resolution error when trying to start the Codex app-server, and a potential workaround is to verify the PATH environment variable and ensure it points to the correct Codex package version.

Guidance

  • Verify the PATH environment variable to ensure it only points to the current package version (OpenAI.Codex_26.422.8496.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0) and not to any older versions.
  • Check the codex app-server executable path to ensure it exists and is correctly referenced in the PATH variable.
  • Try to manually start the Codex app-server using the full path to the executable to see if it resolves the issue.
  • Review the Codex Desktop and Browser Use plugin configurations to ensure they are correctly set up and compatible with each other.

Example

No code snippet is provided as it is not clearly supported by the issue, but the minimal repro code snippet in the issue can be used as a starting point for further investigation.

Notes

The issue may be specific to the Windows environment and the Codex Desktop version 0.125.0-alpha.3. Further investigation is needed to determine the root cause of the path resolution error.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Verify the PATH environment variable and ensure it points to the correct Codex package version, as this is a potential cause of the issue and can be easily checked and resolved.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

Browser Use should be able to inspect and control the selected in-app browser tab.

#memory management#API rate limit#retriever error#indexing error#inference speed

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codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Browser Use fails on Windows Codex Desktop: failed to start codex app-server (os error 3) [2 comments, 3 participants]