[Windows] 26.915.4065.0: rename_staging EPERM leaves Browser / Chrome / Computer Use without node_repl

Summary

On Windows 11, after updating Codex Desktop to package version 26.915.4065.0, Browser, Chrome, and Computer Use skills are present and enabled, but their required node_repl tool is absent from both an existing task and a newly created local task.

Desktop logs identify a concrete upstream failure: deployment of the bundled CLI and cua_node runtime repeatedly fails at rename_staging with EPERM. The app then records browser_use_setup_failed ... reason=node-repl-missing and missing Computer Use helper paths.

Related: #45858 and #45593. This report adds a newer affected build and a browser/computer-use failure mode while the desktop remains usable through an external CLI override.

Environment

• Windows 11 Pro, version 10.0.26200, build 26200, native PowerShell (not WSL).
• Microsoft Store package: OpenAI.Codex_26.915.4065.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0.
• Installation: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.915.4065.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0.
• Bundled Browser/Chrome/Computer Use skill version: 26.915.31945.
• Current package CLI, verified after copying: codex-cli 0.155.0-alpha.9.2.
• Current package Node runtime: v24.21.0; runtime archive version 0.0.16/20260915001755-492f19756c31.
• At diagnosis, user-level CODEX_CLI_PATH pointed to the npm-installed CLI 0.155.1, and the running CLI process used that path. This is a possible confounder for tool provisioning, not an explanation proven for the runtime deployment failure.

Observed behavior

1. Ask an existing local task to use Browser/Chrome/Computer Use.
2. Skill instructions are available, but the required mcp__node_repl__js tool is not callable.
3. Create a fresh local task and repeat discovery: same result. No callable node_repl or tool-search entry point is exposed.
4. Inspect desktop logs: repeated runtime deployment failures precede node-repl-missing.
5. The expected runtime file %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\runtimes\cua_node\df473e5367fa2b42\bin\node_repl.exe is absent. The installed application package still contains the complete runtime source.

No browser connection or website authentication attempt could begin, so this should not be reported as a browser-extension or website-login failure.

Log evidence

Selected fields from September 20, 2026 (UTC; user paths normalized and stacks omitted):

2026-09-20T01:15:28.602Z info [computer-use-native-pipe]
computer-use native pipe helper paths unavailable
missingHelperPath=true missingTransportModulePath=true platform=win32

2026-09-20T01:15:28.602Z info [BrowserUseThreadConfig]
browser_use_setup_failed backend=node_repl phase=runtime-paths
platform=win32 reason=node-repl-missing

2026-09-20T01:15:34.607Z warning bundled_executable_relocation_failed
destinationPath=%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\runtimes\cua_node\df473e5367fa2b42
errorCode=EPERM
errorMessage="Bundled executable relocation failed during rename_staging"

2026-09-20T01:36:50.849Z warning bundled_executable_relocation_failed
destinationPath=%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\bin\247581e40ee272fb
errorCode=EPERM
errorMessage="Bundled executable relocation failed during rename_staging"

The same runtime relocation error continued through 01:47:45Z.

Local recovery attempted and verification boundary

• Copied the current installed package's cua_node tree into the exact missing version directory expected in the logs, without altering package files.
• Verified SHA-256 equality for all 2,283 copied files (250,613,742 bytes). Copied node.exe --version returned v24.21.0.
• Copied the current package's codex.exe into the expected bin\247581e40ee272fb directory; verified source/destination SHA-256 equality, valid OpenAI Authenticode signature, and CLI startup/version.
• Backed up and removed the user-level external CODEX_CLI_PATH override so a future desktop launch can select its bundled CLI.
• Subsequent live browser verification succeeded: the in-app browser opened GitHub and Chrome read and interacted with the signed-in GitHub UI through the available cua_repl tool. Native Windows Computer Use has not been verified. This demonstrates browser recovery, but does not isolate which recovery step was decisive or establish a permanent fix for future updates.

features list marks js_repl as removed; changing that legacy flag was not used as a repair.

Expected behavior / requested investigation

Updates should reliably deploy their bundled runtime, and Browser/Computer Use should surface a deployment error instead of advertising skills without callable tools. Please investigate the rename_staging failure and recovery/retry behavior, and whether runtime provisioning failure is correctly surfaced to users.

We have not captured a blocking file handle or filter-driver trace. The logs establish the failed operation, but do not establish antivirus interference, a permanent ACL problem, or a particular race as the root cause.

Start by tracing the bundled_executable_relocation_failed logs for rename_staging, especially the cua_node and codex.exe destination paths under %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex. Reproduce the Windows deployment failure and examine how browser_use_setup_failed handles missing runtime paths. Done means updates reliably deploy the bundled runtime and deployment failures are surfaced instead of advertising unavailable tools.