Long-running Codex task ends after progress update instead of continuing to completion

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

26.901.6511.0 (currently installed; incident occurred on an earlier build)

What subscription do you have?

Pro

What platform is your computer?

Windows 11 x64

What issue are you seeing?

When I instruct Codex to perform a long-running task and not report until it is finished, the task still stops after a progress/status response. The response says the work is paused or that no background process is continuing, even though the requested task is incomplete. This makes long-running work unreliable and requires a later user message to resume.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Start a long-running Codex task that requires multiple bounded stages.
2. Tell Codex explicitly to continue working and not end the turn or report until the task is complete, unless an unrecoverable error occurs.
3. Allow Codex to perform an initial stage.
4. Observe that it sends a progress report and the turn ends instead of continuing.
5. Ask whether it is still working; Codex states that the previous turn ended and no background process is running.
6. Repeat across active project tasks.

What is the expected behavior?

Codex should continue the authorized task through its planned stages and return only when complete or when an unrecoverable error blocks progress. A progress update must not silently terminate the task. If the platform cannot continue after a response, it should clearly expose that limitation before accepting a request for uninterrupted work.

Additional information

The screenshots show this behavior in Creator-Space Lynn — Creator Audit. The user explicitly instructed Codex not to end the turn until the task was done. Codex reported progress at checkpoints 3/5 and 4/5, then the turn ended while the audit was incomplete. A later response stated that no background process was continuing.

Start by reproducing the long-running task flow on Windows 11 using the reported multi-stage scenario, especially the 3/5 and 4/5 checkpoints. Trace what happens when Codex sends a progress response and whether the task remains active afterward. Done means authorized work continues through completion or clearly reports an unrecoverable blocking limitation.