[Bug]: Desktop app crashes on launch on Windows (Chromium sandbox failure, exit 0x80000003)
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Description
Before submitting
- I searched existing issues and did not find a duplicate.
- I included enough detail to reproduce or investigate the problem.
Area
apps/desktop
Steps to reproduce
- Install T3 Code (Alpha) 0.0.31 desktop app on Windows.
- Launch the app (double-click shortcut or run
T3 Code (Alpha).exe). - The process exits within seconds with exit code
-2147483645(0x80000003, STATUS_BREAKPOINT). No window appears.
Expected behavior
The desktop app should open and display its UI.
Actual behavior
The app crashes immediately at startup. The Chromium GPU and renderer child processes terminate instantly with exit code -2147483645. The main process starts, but the window never renders and the app exits.
Launching with --no-sandbox works and the app runs normally.
Impact
Blocks work completely
Version or commit
T3 Code (Alpha) 0.0.31 (Electron/Chromium desktop build)
Note: This is not an issue for this particular version, when I used try for earlier versions, during that time as well I would face this crash issue, just didn't found the fix until now.
Environment
- OS: Windows 11 (build 26200.0)
- Desktop app: T3 Code (Alpha) 0.0.31
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics (driver 32.0.101.5542)
- VBS / Credential Guard is enabled (Windows Security)
Logs or stack traces
App data under %APPDATA%\t3code. The failure is the Chromium sandbox failing to initialize under the current system configuration, which kills the GPU and renderer child processes. Same crash signature appears in the local Electron logs (child process gone { type: 'GPU', reason: 'crashed', exitCode: -2147483645 }).
Workaround
Append --no-sandbox to the launch arguments (e.g. edit the shortcut target to "T3 Code (Alpha).exe" --no-sandbox). The app then starts normally.
Note: the same issue occurs with the OpenCode desktop app (also Electron) on this machine, so this appears to be a Chromium sandbox incompatibility with the system environment rather than app-specific logic.
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 in apps/desktop by tracing Electron startup and Chromium sandbox initialization, then reproduce on Windows 11 with VBS/Credential Guard enabled while reviewing the Electron child-process logs. Done means the packaged app launches and renders its UI without requiring the --no-sandbox workaround, with GPU and renderer processes remaining healthy.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- electron, typescript
- Domain
- desktop, operating-systems, security
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100