codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix macOS 15.6 arm64: codex CLI installs via npm but native binary fails to execute (`spawn Unknown system error -88`) [1 comments, 2 participants]

node:internal/child_process:440 throw new ErrnoException(err, 'spawn'); ^

Error: spawn Unknown system error -88 at ChildProcess.spawn (node:internal/child_process:440:11) at spawn (node:child_process:796:9) at file:///opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/bin/codex.js:175:15 at ModuleJob.run (node:internal/modules/esm/module_job:437:25) at async onImport.tracePromise.proto (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:639:26) at async asyncRunEntryPointWithESMLoader (node:internal/modules/run_main:101:5) { errno: -88, code: 'Unknown system error -88', syscall: 'spawn' }

Node.js v25.9.0

TL;DR

The issue is likely due to the native binary not being properly signed, causing the Node launcher to fail when trying to spawn it, and a potential workaround is to adjust the system's security settings to allow unsigned binaries to run.

Guidance

• The error message "Unknown system error -88" and the output from codesign and spctl commands suggest that the issue is related to the binary not being signed.
• The presence of the com.apple.provenance xattr and the failure of ad-hoc signing attempts indicate that the system's security features are preventing the binary from running.
• To verify the issue, try running the codex command with the --verbose flag to see if it provides more detailed error messages.
• As a potential workaround, consider adjusting the system's security settings to allow unsigned binaries to run, such as by using the spctl command to assess the binary with the --type execute option and the --verbose flag.

Example

No code snippet is provided as it is not directly related to the issue, but the following command can be used to assess the binary:

spctl --assess --type execute -vv /opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/node_modules/@openai/codex-darwin-arm64/vendor/aarch64-apple-darwin/codex/codex

Notes

The issue seems to be specific to the macOS 15.6 (Apple Silicon) environment and the @openai/codex package. The fact that the issue reproduces after rolling back to an earlier version of the package suggests that the issue is not specific to a particular version.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Adjust the system's security settings to allow unsigned binaries to run, as the issue is likely due to the binary not being properly signed.