Windows Codex Desktop 26.901.31953: local command runner fails with helper_unknown_error

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.901.31953

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Codex Desktop on Windows cannot start local tool execution in a local project. Any command execution fails immediately with:

helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors

This happens even for trivial commands like dir or Get-Location, so Codex cannot inspect or edit project files.

Environment

• OS: Windows
• App: ChatGPT / Codex Desktop
• Version: 26.901.31953
• Release date shown in About dialog: September 4, 2026
• Project path: D:\CODE\TEST\2DBattler
• Shell attempted: PowerShell and cmd
• Workspace mode: local Codex desktop task

Steps To Reproduce

1. Open ChatGPT / Codex Desktop on Windows.
2. Open or create a local Codex task for a project, e.g. D:\CODE\TEST\2DBattler.
3. Ask Codex to run a trivial local command:

   dir
   

4. Codex attempts to execute the command via local tools.
5. The command fails immediately.
   I also tried:
   Get-Location
   and:
   dir
   Both failed the same way.
   Actual Result
   Every local command fails before execution.
   Observed tool error:
   exec_command failed: CreateProcess { message: "Rejected("Failed to create unified exec process: helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors")" }
   This also affected fallback local execution through node_repl, which exited unexpectedly:
   trusted Node process exited unexpectedly; kernel reset, rerun your request
   Expected Result
   Codex should be able to start the local command runner and execute simple commands such as dir, Get-Location, or file listing commands inside the selected project.
   Impact
   Codex cannot perform normal local project work:

• cannot inspect files
• cannot read project structure
• cannot run scripts
• cannot edit or verify code/assets
• cannot complete tasks that require local filesystem access
  In my case, I needed Codex to inspect Unity audio clips under:
  Assets\Content\Sounds
  and update matching config files under:
  Assets\Content\Resources\Configs\Sounds
  but this was impossible because local command execution never started.
  Notes
  The failure appears unrelated to the project contents because even basic shell commands fail. It looks like a regression or startup failure in the local Codex command runner/helper after the recent desktop app update.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: 01a06f25-4d4e-7472-9c74-6e9caa6c3273

What is the expected behavior?

No response

Additional information

No response

Start by reproducing the failure in the local command runner/helper with PowerShell or cmd, using simple commands such as dir and Get-Location in a local project. Trace the setup refresh path associated with helper_unknown_error; done means local commands start successfully and can inspect the selected project without the node_repl fallback exiting.