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codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Browser Use iab backend can read tabs but tab.goto fails with nodeRepl.fetch request failed [1 comments, 2 participants]

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openai/codex#19519•Fetched 2026-04-26 05:16:01
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Error Message

Error: nodeRepl.fetch request failed

Code Example

const { setupAtlasRuntime } = await import('/Users/cy/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/browser-use/0.1.0-alpha1/scripts/browser-client.mjs');
await setupAtlasRuntime({ globals: globalThis, backend: 'iab' });

---

await agent.browser.tabs.list();
const tab = await agent.browser.tabs.selected();
await tab.title();
await tab.url();
await tab.goto('https://example.com/');

---

Error: nodeRepl.fetch request failed

---

[
  {"name":"tabs.list","ok":true,"value":[{"id":"1","url":"about:blank","title":"about:blank"}]},
  {"name":"tabs.selected","ok":true,"value":{"hasTab":true,"id":"1"}},
  {"name":"title","ok":true,"value":"about:blank"},
  {"name":"url","ok":true,"value":"about:blank"},
  {"name":"tab.goto","ok":false,"message":"nodeRepl.fetch request failed","string":"Error: nodeRepl.fetch request failed"}
]
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What happened?

The Browser Use iab backend can connect to the in-app browser and read tab state, but navigation fails.

Environment

  • macOS
  • Codex desktop app
  • Browser Use plugin: openai-bundled/browser-use/0.1.0-alpha1
  • In-app browser open, current URL: about:blank

Steps to reproduce

  1. Initialize Browser Use with backend iab:
const { setupAtlasRuntime } = await import('/Users/cy/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/browser-use/0.1.0-alpha1/scripts/browser-client.mjs');
await setupAtlasRuntime({ globals: globalThis, backend: 'iab' });
  1. Run:
await agent.browser.tabs.list();
const tab = await agent.browser.tabs.selected();
await tab.title();
await tab.url();
await tab.goto('https://example.com/');

Expected behavior

The in-app browser navigates to https://example.com/.

Actual behavior

The read operations work:

  • tabs.list() returns one tab with url: about:blank, title: about:blank
  • tabs.selected() returns the selected tab
  • tab.title() returns about:blank
  • tab.url() returns about:blank

But navigation fails:

Error: nodeRepl.fetch request failed

A stepwise diagnostic showed the same result:

[
  {"name":"tabs.list","ok":true,"value":[{"id":"1","url":"about:blank","title":"about:blank"}]},
  {"name":"tabs.selected","ok":true,"value":{"hasTab":true,"id":"1"}},
  {"name":"title","ok":true,"value":"about:blank"},
  {"name":"url","ok":true,"value":"about:blank"},
  {"name":"tab.goto","ok":false,"message":"nodeRepl.fetch request failed","string":"Error: nodeRepl.fetch request failed"}
]

Additional notes

  • Restarting Codex did not fix the issue.
  • Reinstalling Codex did not fix the issue.
  • External Chrome controlled through Computer Use can open https://www.bilibili.com/, so the machine network and target website are not the problem.
  • Sending Cmd+L, writing clipboard text, Cmd+V, and Enter via tab.cua returned success, but the in-app browser remained on about:blank.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The tab.goto method fails with a "nodeRepl.fetch request failed" error, suggesting a potential issue with the iab backend or network communication.

Guidance

  • Verify that the iab backend is properly configured and connected to the in-app browser.
  • Check the network connectivity and ensure that the target website (https://example.com/) is accessible.
  • Investigate the nodeRepl.fetch request failure by checking the error details or logs.
  • Try using the tab.cua method to navigate to the target website as a workaround.

Example

// Workaround using tab.cua
await tab.cua('Cmd+L'); // focus address bar
await tab.cua('https://example.com/'); // write URL
await tab.cua('Enter'); // navigate

Notes

The issue may be specific to the iab backend or the Codex desktop app environment. Further debugging and investigation are needed to determine the root cause.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Use the tab.cua method to navigate to the target website as a temporary solution until the tab.goto issue is resolved.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

The in-app browser navigates to https://example.com/.

#model loading#dependency error#configuration error#environment variable#network issue

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codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Browser Use iab backend can read tabs but tab.goto fails with nodeRepl.fetch request failed [1 comments, 2 participants]