Windows desktop: unified exec fails at apply deny-read ACLs in every workspace
Open
Nobody has claimed this yet.
app
bug
sandbox
tool-calls
windows-os
- Dominant language
- Rust
- Stars
- 125k
- Forks
- 19.4k
- PR merge metrics
- PR metrics pending
Description
Description
Every local command fails before process creation in the Windows ChatGPT/Codex desktop app.
Exact error
Rejected("Failed to create unified exec process: helper_unknown_error: apply deny-read ACLs")
Reproduction
- Open an existing local project.
- Ask Codex to run a read-only command such as
git status. - The command fails before execution.
- Create and open a completely empty folder.
- Ask Codex to read the current directory.
- The same error occurs.
Troubleshooting already completed
- Fully restarted the ChatGPT/Codex desktop app
- Rebooted Windows
- Installed the latest available app update
- Retested in an empty folder
- Did not modify ACLs or run the app as administrator
- Did not attempt a sandbox bypass
- In-app feedback submission was also attempted but failed
Impact
No local shell command can start in any workspace. File editing, testing, and Git operations are blocked.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by reproducing the failure on Windows with git status in both an existing project and an empty folder. Trace the unified exec path around the reported apply deny-read ACLs failure before process creation. Done means read-only commands, file editing, testing, and Git operations can start normally in both workspace types.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust
- Domain
- desktop, devtools, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100