Codex Desktop Scheduled Automations Create Empty Sessions

Title

Codex Desktop scheduled automations create empty sessions with no prompt or task turn

Environment

• Product: Codex Desktop
• Operating system: Windows
• Shell: PowerShell
• Timezone: Australia/Brisbane
• Codex CLI versions observed in failed scheduled run files:
  • 0.125.0-alpha.3
  • 0.126.0-alpha.8
• Relevant config:
  • model = "gpt-5.5"
  • [windows] sandbox = "elevated"

Issue

Scheduled cron automations appear to fire enough to create a session/thread, but the saved automation prompt is not injected into the run.

The resulting session contains only startup metadata such as session_meta and thread_name_updated. There is no user prompt, no assistant response, no tool call activity, no token usage event, and no task completion.

Expected Behavior

At the scheduled time, Codex Desktop should:

1. Create the scheduled automation run.
2. Inject the saved automation prompt into the session.
3. Execute the task.
4. Report the result in the created thread/session.

Actual Behavior

At the scheduled time, Codex Desktop creates a run/session, but no actual automation task starts.

Observed in the smoke-test run:

• Session file was created shortly after the scheduled time.
• Working directory was set correctly.
• thread_name_updated event existed.
• User messages: 0
• Assistant messages: 0
• Tool calls: 0
• Token events: 0
• Task completions: 0

Minimal Reproduction

1. Create a temporary cron automation in Codex Desktop.
2. Schedule it a few minutes into the future.
3. Use a harmless prompt:

Scheduler smoke test only. Do not inspect, create, edit, rename, or delete any files. Simply reply with exactly: TEMP SCHEDULER SMOKE TEST RAN OK at <current local time>.

1. Use a local test workspace.
2. Wait for the scheduled time.
3. Inspect the created .jsonl session file.

Redacted Evidence Summary

Smoke-test automation:

• Temporary automation name: [REDACTED_TEMP_AUTOMATION_NAME]
• Scheduled local time: 2026-04-28 19:35 Australia/Brisbane
• Session created local time: approximately 2026-04-28 19:36:59 Australia/Brisbane
• Session ID: [REDACTED_SESSION_ID]
• Workspace path: [REDACTED_LOCAL_PATH]
• Prompt content: harmless smoke-test prompt shown above
• Result: empty session with session_meta and thread_name_updated only

Earlier scheduled automations showed the same pattern:

• Scheduled time arrived.
• A session/thread was created.
• The automation prompt was not injected.
• No task turn occurred.
• No tool calls occurred.
• No completion event occurred.

Impact

Scheduled automations can appear active and may create threads, but silently do no work. This is risky because users may believe scheduled business workflows are running when they are not.

Sensitive Information Redacted

The following information has been intentionally removed from this report:

• Local Windows username
• Business name
• Client names
• Full local file paths
• Real automation names tied to business workflows
• Real source/output folder names
• Real business workflow prompts

Request

Please investigate why Codex Desktop scheduled cron automations can create a session/thread without injecting the saved automation prompt or starting a task turn.