[Windows][26.901.4073.0] Codex stuck in repeating startup logo → black-screen loop while renderer/app-server remain alive

What version of the Codex App are you using?

• Microsoft Store / MSIX package: OpenAI.Codex 26.901.4073.0
• Package family: OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0
• Embedded Chromium observed from the running process command line: 152.0.7977.64

What platform is your computer?

Windows x64. Exact Windows build was not captured during the initial diagnostics.

What issue are you seeing?

Codex cannot complete startup and is stuck in a continuous startup/reload loop.

The exact visible sequence is:

1. Codex launches and displays the OpenAI/Codex startup logo.
2. The logo slides upward/disappears as though the normal UI is about to load.
3. The client area turns black.
4. The startup logo appears again.
5. Steps 2–4 repeat continuously.

This is not a static blank/black window. The startup animation repeatedly restarts and the normal Codex UI never becomes usable.

While the loop is occurring, local process inspection shows that the application is not simply crashing:

• primary ChatGPT.exe remains running;
• Crashpad processes remain running;
• ChatGPT.exe --type=gpu-process remains running;
• network and storage utility processes remain running;
• multiple ChatGPT.exe --type=renderer processes remain running;
• codex.exe ... app-server remains running.

The renderer process command line includes --device-scale-factor=3.

The desktop log also reached Git workspace discovery successfully, for example:

[git] [git-origins] worker-complete ...

Using Chromium remote debugging for diagnosis, the renderer target was reachable at:

app://-/index.html

So the renderer exists and can be reached even though the visible app remains in the startup loop.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Launch Codex Desktop normally on Windows with package 26.901.4073.0.
2. Observe the startup logo.
3. The logo slides upward/disappears.
4. The window turns black.
5. The startup logo returns.
6. The same sequence repeats indefinitely and the main UI never becomes usable.

Troubleshooting already performed

The following non-destructive diagnostics/workarounds were attempted and did not resolve the issue:

1. Fully terminated Codex/ChatGPT processes and relaunched.
2. Launched the installed MSIX app with:

--disable-features=CalculateNativeWinOcclusion

The flag was confirmed on the running main/GPU/renderer process command lines, but the startup loop continued.

3. Launched with local Chromium remote debugging enabled.
4. Successfully discovered the renderer at app://-/index.html.
5. Successfully connected to its DevTools WebSocket and issued:

{"id":1,"method":"Page.reload","params":{"ignoreCache":false}}

The command was accepted, but the visible startup loop continued unchanged after more than 20 seconds.

6. Inspected the running process tree and confirmed that the renderer(s), GPU process, utility processes, and Codex app-server stay alive during the loop.

Important preservation constraint

I have intentionally not reset the Codex app, deleted .codex, cleared AppData/profile state, removed plugins, signed out, uninstalled/reinstalled, or altered repositories.

This installation contains important Codex state that I do not want to risk losing or disconnecting, including:

• conversation/thread history;
• project history;
• connected plugins and MCP/tool configuration;
• connected accounts/links;
• local Git repositories and worktrees;
• Codex tools and related local state.

A supported non-destructive recovery procedure would be especially helpful if the root cause is persisted client state rather than the current app build itself.

Expected behavior

Codex should display the startup logo once, finish initialization, and transition to the normal Codex UI.

If initialization fails, the app should surface a clear diagnostic/error state rather than continuously restarting the startup animation.

Additional information

Desktop logs are available under the normal MSIX path:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0\LocalCache\Local\Codex\Logs

No private conversation contents, repository names, credentials, authentication tokens, or local username are included in this report.

Potentially related reports:

• #41721 — Startup Loop (open; similar visible behavior: logo → visual transition/grey → repeat)
• #41571 — older Windows build with repeating startup-logo loop (closed/completed)

This report is for the current 26.901.4073.0 package and includes the additional observation that the renderer at app://-/index.html, GPU process, and codex.exe app-server remain alive, and that an explicit DevTools Page.reload did not recover the UI.

Start with the desktop startup flow and the logs under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0\LocalCache\Local\Codex\Logs. Reproduce the logo-to-black-screen loop while checking the renderer at app://-/index.html and the codex.exe app-server; the existing Page.reload attempt did not recover it. Done means identifying the startup failure and providing a non-destructive recovery or a clear diagnostic instead of repeated animation.