Computer Use cannot attach to in-app browser: “Codex auth token is unavailable”

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

26.908.70816

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT / Codex workspace account

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Computer Use / in-app browser control is blocked in Codex desktop.

The in-app browser is open and ambient browser context shows the active URL, but the Computer Use bridge cannot attach to the browser. Calls to cua.getState() return no browsers and fail with:

Codex auth token is unavailable

This happens before page inspection, so it does not appear to be specific to the website being used. In my case, the active page was Amplemarket, but Codex fails before it can inspect or interact with that page.

Impact:

• Codex cannot list browser tabs.
• Codex cannot attach to the in-app browser.
• Codex cannot click, inspect, export, select leads, remove rows, add contacts to sequences, or verify live browser UI state.
• Terminal commands, local file access, and CSV analysis still work.
• Ambient browser context still shows the active browser URL.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: 01a0355b-26be-7b92-bf46-e15f6995e353

What is the expected behavior?

Codex should be able to discover the open in-app browser, list the active tab, and attach to it with Computer Use.

If the in-app browser URL is visible in ambient context, cua.getState() should either return the browser/tab normally or provide a recoverable authentication prompt. It should not get stuck returning no browsers with “Codex auth token is unavailable.”

Additional information

This is blocking live browser-controlled workflows in Codex desktop.

Important detail:
The ambient browser context still shows the current URL, so the task can see that an in-app browser exists. However, the Computer Use bridge cannot authenticate to control it.

This appears to be a Codex desktop Browser Use / Computer Use auth bridge issue, not a website-specific issue. The website was Amplemarket, but the error occurs before Codex can inspect the page.

Workaround used:
Exported CSV files from the web app manually and had Codex analyze them locally. That works, but live browser execution remains blocked.

Start by reproducing the failure in Codex desktop on Windows using the reported Feedback ID and the in-app browser context. Inspect the Computer Use bridge behavior around cua.getState() when the ambient browser URL is visible but authentication reports “Codex auth token is unavailable.” Done means the open browser and active tab are discovered and attach successfully, or a recoverable authentication prompt is provided.