Codex Chrome browser connection crashes during initialization

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.153.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro

Which model were you using?

No response

What platform is your computer?

macOS 26.6.2 arm64

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

No response

Codex doctor report

not available

What issue are you seeing?

The Codex Chrome browser connection cannot be initialized.

Error:

trusted Node process exited unexpectedly; kernel reset, rerun your request

Environment:

• macOS 26.6.2 arm64
• ChatGPT / Codex Desktop 26.901.20858
• Codex CLI 0.153.0

Details:

• approval_policy = "untrusted" has already been removed from the config.
• Chrome Native Messaging and the Chrome extension are both working normally.
• The minimal trusted Node execution itself — before Chrome is selected and before the browser service is loaded — terminates immediately with the error above, twice in a row.
• The failure still reproduces after reinstalling both the desktop app and the Chrome extension.

The failure happens before any local application, Docker container, localhost page, or browser tab is accessed. This appears to be a Codex / ChatGPT desktop browser-integration service crash, or a version compatibility issue.

No credentials, secrets, or production data were involved.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Uploaded thread: 01a064e1-a9d2-7ad0-bb3e-eafaadb5ef3a

What is the expected behavior?

The Chrome browser connection should initialize successfully, so that a browser task can select Chrome and open a page.

Additional information

The chat ID could not be obtained: the linked service crashes during conversation-metadata checks as well (not only in the browser flow), so the ID cannot be provided. The uploaded thread ID above is included instead.

Start with uploaded thread 01a064e1-a9d2-7ad0-bb3e-eafaadb5ef3a and reproduce on macOS 26.6.2 arm64 with Codex CLI 0.153.0. Investigate the trusted Node process termination before Chrome is selected or the browser service loads; done means the Chrome connection initializes and can open a page without the kernel reset.