Windows Codex desktop cannot connect to Chrome: nodeRepl.fetch request failed
Open
Nobody has claimed this yet.
app
browser
bug
connectivity
windows-os
- Dominant language
- Rust
- Stars
- 125k
- Forks
- 19.5k
- PR merge metrics
- PR metrics pending
Description
What issue are you seeing?
Environment
- OS: Windows
- Product: ChatGPT/Codex desktop app
- Browser: Google Chrome
- Browser extension: Installed
- Chrome sidebar: Works normally
- Affected website: Alibaba enterprise email, but the failure occurs before the tab can be accessed
Problem
Codex cannot connect to Chrome through @Chrome.
Every browser connection attempt fails with:
nodeRepl.fetch request failed
The Chrome extension is shown as installed, and its sidebar loads and can chat normally. However, Codex cannot list or bind Chrome tabs.
Steps to reproduce
- Open Chrome and log in to a website.
- Open a new Codex task.
- Mention @Chrome and the open tab.
- Ask Codex to read the page.
- The browser connection fails with
nodeRepl.fetch request failed.
Troubleshooting already attempted
- Restarted Chrome
- Restarted the ChatGPT/Codex desktop app
- Created a new task
- Checked browser permissions
- Enabled site tools/CDP
- Attempted to reinstall the extension
- Confirmed that the Chrome ChatGPT sidebar works normally
Feedback session ID
01a0b587-31c2-7c62-84ce-105b8161793b
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Feedback session ID
01a0b587-31c2-7c62-84ce-105b8161793b
What is the expected behavior?
No response
Additional information
No response
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by reproducing the failure on Windows with Chrome, the installed extension, and an open tab, then trace the @Chrome connection path using the reported nodeRepl.fetch request failed message. Confirm the fix by showing that Codex can list or bind the tab and read its page.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust
- Domain
- desktop, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100