[Windows][Desktop] Claimed browser tabs go blank in both IAB and Edge; tab-retention marks do not survive turns

Summary

On Codex Desktop for Windows, browser control is not usable for multi-step form editing because a claimed page can become blank or close during interaction or when an operation ends.

The issue reproduces in both:

• the built-in in-app browser (IAB)
• an already logged-in Microsoft Edge session controlled through the browser connection

This is not site-specific. It was observed repeatedly while editing a logged-in Liepin resume, and the same blank-page behavior was previously seen on other sites.

Environment

• Codex Desktop for Windows: OpenAI.Codex_26.825.6671.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• Host: Windows x64
• Browser surfaces affected: IAB and Edge
• Sign-in state: already authenticated before the test

Expected behavior

1. Claiming a user-opened browser tab should allow interaction.
2. At the end of the control action, the tab should be returned to the user or remain available when marked for retention.
3. A tab marked with the documented handoff/deliverable retention mechanism should remain available in a later turn.

Actual behavior

• The controlled page sometimes becomes blank or disappears in the middle of a multi-step form interaction. Dynamic controls such as industry selectors and date pickers make the failure highly visible, but are not believed to be the cause.
• The same behavior occurs when controlling an authenticated Edge page, not only IAB.
• A page may be visibly open in the app while the control API intermittently returns no user tab.
• Marking an IAB tab for handoff or as a deliverable appears to work only transiently. It can be seen during the same control sequence, but after a real turn boundary the later turn reports no retained agent tab; the page is no longer controllable.
• As a result, a multi-step edit cannot be completed reliably. In the observed case, two intended work-experience records could not be saved despite all field values being prepared.

Minimal reproduction

1. In IAB, open any authenticated multi-step web form; repeat in an authenticated Edge session.
2. Claim the already-open tab.
3. Open an add/edit form with dynamic controls (for example, a month picker or category selector).
4. Perform several ordinary UI actions, or finish the control action.
5. Observe that the page may become blank/close or become unavailable to the next control turn.
6. Mark the tab for later handoff/delivery, end the turn, then inspect tabs in a later turn. The retention mark does not reliably preserve a controllable page.

Impact

This blocks browser-assisted work that needs several form steps and creates a risk of losing unsaved user data. The agent cannot safely perform résumé synchronization, form completion, or similar workflows until tab ownership and retention are reliable.

No account credentials, cookies, résumé text, or identifying page parameters are included in this report.

No files, tests, or code entry points are named. Start by reproducing the authenticated IAB and Edge scenarios across a control action and a real turn boundary; done means claimed pages remain controllable and retention marks preserve the tab for the later turn without blanking or closing.