Codex Desktop (Windows): ChatGPT login redirects to add-phone and Codex remains unusable

Start by reproducing the Windows desktop flow using Codex App 26.818.11542 and the documented Sign in with ChatGPT entry point. Trace why authentication redirects to auth.openai.com/add-phone; done means an existing ChatGPT account completes authentication and Codex becomes usable without an API key.

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

26.818.11542

What subscription do you have?

Free

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Problem

I cannot use Codex Desktop on Windows because the normal Sign in with ChatGPT flow redirects my account to:

https://auth.openai.com/add-phone

My ChatGPT account works normally in the web browser. The problem occurs specifically when authenticating Codex Desktop.

I am trying to authenticate Codex using my existing ChatGPT account, not using an API key.

As a test, entering an invalid value such as 1234 in the API-key field allows the application to proceed past the login screen, but Codex is then unusable because there is no valid authentication.

The Codex application itself launches correctly and the Codex backend process starts normally. The failure occurs during the ChatGPT authentication flow.

This appears to be an authentication/account issue rather than a Windows installation issue.

Actual behavior

1. Open Codex Desktop.
2. Select Sign in with ChatGPT.
3. Complete the normal ChatGPT account login.
4. Instead of completing Codex authentication, the flow redirects to auth.openai.com/add-phone.
5. I cannot complete Codex authentication from there.
6. If I bypass the screen using an invalid API-key value such as 1234, the application opens but Codex does not function.

Expected behavior

After signing in with my existing ChatGPT account, Codex Desktop should complete authentication and become usable.

The ChatGPT web account already works normally.

Please investigate whether Codex Desktop is incorrectly routing this account through the phone-enrollment flow instead of completing the normal ChatGPT/Codex authentication flow.

This appears similar to other reported Codex Desktop authentication issues involving unexpected redirects to /add-phone.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Open Codex Desktop on Windows.
2. Select Sign in with ChatGPT.
3. Authenticate using the same ChatGPT account that works normally in the web browser.
4. After authentication, Codex redirects to:
   https://auth.openai.com/add-phone
5. The Codex Desktop authentication process cannot be completed.
6. As a test, entering an invalid API-key value such as 1234 allows the application to pass the login screen, but Codex remains unusable because the API key is not valid.

No Codex session is successfully created, so there is no session ID, token usage, or context-window usage to provide.

What is the expected behavior?

After selecting Sign in with ChatGPT and successfully authenticating my existing ChatGPT account, Codex Desktop should complete the authentication flow and allow me to use Codex.

The account already works normally through ChatGPT in the web browser.

Codex should not redirect the account to a phone-enrollment page unless phone enrollment is genuinely required for that account.

Additional information

• Windows: Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64
• Codex App: 26.818.11542
• Subscription: Free
• WebView2: 151.0.4129.86
• The installed Windows package is OpenAI.Codex 26.814.5517.0.
• The Codex process launched by the Windows application is the one located inside the OpenAI.Codex_26.814.5517.0 WindowsApps package.
• The separate Codex CLI installation under %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\bin\... is not the process used by the Windows Desktop application.
• ChatGPT web login works normally.
• The failure is specifically reproducible in Codex Desktop during ChatGPT authentication.
• No valid Codex session is created, so there is no session ID or token/context usage available.
• I have not modified or deleted the application's authentication data.