Codex IDE extension on Windows cannot execute commands: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

What version of the IDE extension are you using?

26.818.31338

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

Which IDE are you using?

Visual Studio Code

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

The Codex IDE extension is unable to execute any local command on Windows because the runner fails before process creation.

The error is consistently:

helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

The failure happens before even trivial commands can execute.

Examples of commands I tried:

node --version
npm --version
git branch --show-current
git status --short

None of these commands actually execute. Codex immediately reports:

helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

Environment:

• IDE: Visual Studio Code
• Codex/OpenAI IDE extension version: 26.818.31338
• Subscription: ChatGPT Plus
• Agent environment: Windows native

Troubleshooting already attempted:

1. Retried in the existing Codex conversation.
2. Switched from GPT-5.6 Luna to GPT-5.5.
3. Created a completely new Codex conversation.
4. Closed and reopened Visual Studio Code.
5. Updated the Codex/OpenAI extension.
6. Closed and reopened Visual Studio Code again after updating.
7. Rebooted Windows completely.
8. Created a new Codex conversation after the reboot.
9. Tested only harmless commands such as node --version, npm --version and git status.

The exact same error persists:

helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

Expected behavior:

Codex should create the local process and execute basic terminal commands.

Actual behavior:

The runner fails during "setup refresh" before creating the process. No command is executed.

Impact:

Codex is currently unusable for local development because it cannot execute any terminal command.

Additional information:

The Codex process is running from the VS Code extension installation path:

.vscode/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.818.31338-win32-x64/

No repository files were modified during the failed attempts.
No database operations were executed.
No dependencies were installed.
No migrations or tests were executed.

The issue persists across:

• different models;
• new conversations;
• extension restart/update;
• VS Code restart;
• full Windows reboot.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Open Visual Studio Code on Windows.

2. Open a local repository.

3. Open the Codex/OpenAI IDE extension.

4. Start a new Codex conversation using the Windows native agent environment.

5. Ask Codex to execute a simple command, for example:

   node --version

6. The command is never executed. The runner immediately returns:

   helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

The same behavior occurs with other basic commands, including:

npm --version
git status --short
git branch --show-current

The problem is reproducible in both existing and completely new Codex conversations.

I also reproduced it after:

• restarting Visual Studio Code;
• updating the extension;
• switching models;
• creating a new conversation;
• rebooting Windows completely.

After the Windows reboot, the first simple command in a new Codex conversation still failed with the same error.

What is the expected behavior?

Codex should successfully initialize the Windows native agent environment, create the requested local process, and execute terminal commands.

For example, when requesting:

node --version

Codex should execute Node.js and return the installed version.

Similarly, commands such as:

npm --version
git status --short

should execute normally.

A setup refresh failure should not prevent all local command execution in the IDE extension.

Additional information

The issue appears to be related to the Codex IDE extension runner/environment rather than the repository being opened.

Additional observations:

• Agent environment is configured as "Windows native".

• The Codex process is launched from the VS Code extension installation:

  .vscode/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.818.31338-win32-x64/

• The failure occurs before any requested process is created.

• Even read-only/basic commands such as node --version and git status cannot start.

• The same repository and normal PowerShell outside Codex can execute commands.

• The failure persists in completely new Codex conversations.

• Switching between GPT-5.6 Luna and GPT-5.5 did not change the behavior.

• Updating the extension did not resolve it.

• Restarting Visual Studio Code did not resolve it.

• A full Windows reboot did not resolve it.

The consistent error is:

helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

Because the failure occurs before command execution, I have not attempted to modify the project as a workaround.

If additional Codex/VS Code diagnostic logs are needed, please let me know which logs would be useful and I can provide them.

Start by reproducing the failure in the Windows native runner from the VS Code extension installation path using node --version or git status --short, then inspect the setup-refresh diagnostics and relevant runner entry point. Done means the runner creates the local process and basic commands execute without helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors.