macOS workspace-write sandbox denies directory rename and removal inside a writable workspace

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.149.1

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro 5x

Which model were you using?

gpt-5.6-terra medium

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?

No response

Codex doctor report

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  }
}

What issue are you seeing?

File creation works, but directory removal and rename operations return EPERM even though:

• the workspace is declared writable;
• source and destination are inside that workspace;
• ownership and POSIX permissions are normal;
• the target directory is empty;
• the same command succeeds in the normal macOS Terminal.

Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir '<workspace>/.next/build/chunks'
mv: rename visualizations-v2 to docs/designs/visualizations-v2: Operation not permitted

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Use any writable Git workspace.

1. Run a Next.js build in Codex:
   npm run build
   The first build succeeds and creates .next.

2. Run the same command again in the same Codex session:
   npm run build

3. It fails before compilation:
   Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir '<workspace>/.next/build/chunks'

4. Moving a directory inside the same workspace also fails. The destination does not exist before the command:
   mv visualizations-v2 docs/designs/visualizations-v2
   Result:
   mv: rename visualizations-v2 to docs/designs/visualizations-v2: Operation not permitted

5. Changing Next's distDir from .next to a regular directory such as next-build does not help. The second build fails in the same way:
   Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir '<workspace>/next-build/build/chunks'

What is the expected behavior?

Commands running in workspace-write should be able to create, remove, and rename files and directories inside the writable workspace.

Additional information

• Running the build with danger-full-access succeeds twice in a row.
• The failure is independent of the .next directory name.
• Adding .next/** as an explicit writable path in the permissions profile did not help.
• The standalone installation layout uses the current symlink shown above.
• Launching Codex through the fully resolved release binary allowed the Next.js part of the build to complete under workspace-write, which may indicate a macOS Seatbelt issue involving
  the standalone symlink path.

Related issues

• #38286: macOS standalone apply_patch helper fails through the current symlink with EPERM
• #28894: workspace-write on macOS returns EPERM for operations that work with danger-full-access
• #20613: macOS Seatbelt handling of writable roots has known regressions

Start by reproducing directory rename and removal inside a workspace granted workspace-write access on macOS, using the reported Codex CLI 0.149.1 environment. Trace the sandbox behavior responsible for the denial and verify that operations inside the writable workspace succeed while access outside it remains restricted.