codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Codex Desktop cron automations create session_meta-only rollout sessions; prompt never executes

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

Unknown; rollout metadata shows cli_version 0.131.0-alpha.9, local codex.exe shows 0.130.0-alpha.5

What subscription do you have?

Oracle Corporation (Enterprise)

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Codex Desktop cron automations appear to wake up and create rollout JSONL session files, but the automation prompt is never injected or executed. The resulting files contain only a single session_meta line: no user prompt, no assistant output, and no tool calls.

Affected automations:

• morning-work-brief
• workday-brief-update-watch

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Create or enable a Codex Desktop cron automation.
2. Leave it active until its scheduled time.
3. Inspect the generated rollout JSONL session file under the local Codex sessions directory.
4. Confirm the file contains only session_meta.

What is the expected behavior?

At the scheduled time, Codex should execute the automation prompt, call available tools/connectors as needed, and produce assistant output.

Additional information

• Automations are present and marked ACTIVE.
• Outlook calendar connection works.
• Slack connection works.
• Project is trusted.
• approval_policy = "on-request" is set.
• Recent affected rollout sessions include scheduled-looking runs on May 21 and May 22, 2026.
• Sample affected files had exactly one line and no entries matching the automation prompt, tool calls, or assistant messages.

Scheduled work brief automations silently fail. The scheduler appears to fire, but the actual task does not run, so the user receives no brief or update.