Chrome browser control times out creating about:blank after 30 seconds

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

26.908.31748 (build 8720), previously recorded; exact version at failure time not independently verified.

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro

What platform is your computer?

macOS 26.4 (25E246), previously recorded.

What issue are you seeing?

Chrome browser control timed out while creating an about:blank tab through mcp__cua_repl.js. Tab creation was not confirmed; no target website navigation was attempted.

Tool-reported duration: 30.0480 seconds.
Exact error:
js execution timed out; kernel reset, rerun your request

This report concerns this specific timeout, not the separate earlier 'nodeRepl.fetch request failed' symptom. It occurred before visiting help.openai.com; it does not establish that all URLs fail.

Feedback ID: 01a08f35-4ae1-7d73-a0e3-fbcc35d2deba
Task ID: 01a094c1-4408-7ae2-ad71-48fc1bbceeab
Turn ID: 01a094f2-922d-7c32-a718-18a4d42954bf
Tool call ID: call_f8OgRcEdVT9apMEIyIyUYi0d
Time: 2026-09-12 09:28:50.336–09:29:20.389 UTC (17:28:50.336–17:29:20.389 Asia/Shanghai). The timestamp difference is approximately 30.053 seconds, separate from the tool-reported duration.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Recorded failed test (no new reproduction performed):

1. In a Codex desktop task, request Chrome extension control.
2. Invoke mcp__cua_repl.js with this code:

let tab = await cua.createBrowserTab("chrome", "about:blank", { sessionName: "🧪 Chrome 扩展测试" });

3. The tool returned the timeout after 30.0480 seconds. Stop at failure; do not navigate to a website.

Restarting, reinstalling the extension, and testing in a new task had already been completed. Existing records were collected without another reproduction.

What is the expected behavior?

Create an about:blank tab and return its initial state, or return a specific actionable error indicating the failed stage.

Additional information

Existing log excerpts (UTC, 2026-09-12):

09:28:37.543Z [AppServerConnection]: server=cua_repl status=ready, for the reported task.
09:28:50.839Z [browser-use-iab-api]: IAB getInfo request completed for the same task and turn.
09:28:50.840Z–09:28:50.842Z [browser-use-iab-api]: repeated getInfo failures: "No ChatGPT browser route is available for browser session 01a094c1-4408-7ae2-ad71-48fc1bbceeab". Stack excerpt: ensureBrowserUseSessionRoute → getInfo.
09:29:20.390Z [browser-use-pip]: Received Browser Use PiP metadata backend=chrome browserID=2 tabID=undefined, for the reported task.

Evidence limits:

• MCP ready does not prove every runtime initialization stage completed.
• IAB events share the task, turn and time window, but causation is unproven.
• PiP metadata does not prove extension receipt or tab creation.
• Extension-side request/response records have not been obtained. Missing log entries do not prove an event never occurred.

Previously recorded Chrome version: 152.0.7977.83; ChatGPT extension: 1.26.901.11451. These and the app/OS versions were not independently verified at the exact failure timestamp.

Please correlate the feedback/task/turn/tool call IDs to determine whether the Chrome request was dispatched, whether the extension received it, whether tab creation completed, whether the response returned, which operation remained pending at timeout, and whether the IAB route failures belong to this call's execution path. No root cause or engineering escalation has been confirmed.

Please use existing evidence rather than repeating restart/reinstall/new-task suggestions or recommending broader permissions without supporting evidence.

Start by correlating the feedback, task, turn, and tool-call IDs across mcp__cua_repl.js and the AppServerConnection, browser-use-iab-api, and browser-use-pip log entries. Determine whether dispatch, extension receipt, tab creation, or response handling remained pending at the 30-second timeout, and whether the IAB route failures belong to this call. Done means about:blank creation returns its initial state or a specific error identifying the failed stage.