Codex (ChatGPT) Windows desktop app closes silently 10–35 seconds after sign-in: crash in `windows-updater.node` while installing `OpenAI.CodexPrimaryRuntime`

Context

Source(s): https://community.openai.com/t/workaround-found-windows-codex-desktop-26-1002-7124-0-silently-closes-within-10-35-seconds-after-login/1404464 Signal: 710 views, 5 likes in 10 days; a second user replied "you're my life saver" after the workaround (October 2026). Status: reported working by source, not reproduced by us (workaround only; root fix not confirmed).

Problem

Right after the October 7, 2026 desktop update, the ChatGPT/Codex Windows app quits on its own about 10–35 seconds after signing in, even when idle. It stays open while signed out. Windows Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor show nothing, because the app's own crash reporter catches the crash.

Error (redacted / normalized)

(symptom, no error text) The app opens, loads the workspace, then every Codex process exits within 10–35 seconds of sign-in with no dialog. The last app log line before each crash is near primary_runtime_install_started; the crash is c0000005 (null-pointer access violation) in windows-updater.node.

Applies when

Windows 11 x64, OpenAI.Codex Microsoft Store package 26.1002.7124.0 (previous working version 26.930.7945.0).

Confirm it is this problem

1. .dmp files appear in the app's Crashpad\reports folder under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_*\LocalCache\Roaming\Codex\web\Codex\, one per crash.
2. %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_*\LocalCache contains folders named codex-windows-runtime-framework-*, each with a ~528 MB .msix, and a new one appears on every launch.
3. The app logs (LocalCache\Local\Codex\Logs) show primary_runtime_install_started shortly before each crash.

Not this when / boundary

No primary_runtime_install_started line and no runtime-framework folders; the crash then has another cause (our inference). The thread access denied (-32003) log lines and the sandbox "Windows setup didn't finish" message turned out to be unrelated (the original poster).

Root cause

Per the original poster's crash analysis: after sign-in, account-side settings turn on a feature that downloads and installs a support package, OpenAI.CodexPrimaryRuntime, in the background. The app's native installer code (windows-updater.node) crashes with a null read before Windows receives the install request, taking every Codex window down with it. That is why reinstalling and a fresh .codex profile don't help. Not confirmed by OpenAI.

Fix

1. Quit Codex completely. In PowerShell (no admin needed), find the package the app already downloaded: $msix = Get-ChildItem "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\OpenAI.Codex_*\LocalCache\codex-windows-runtime-framework-*\*.msix" | Sort-Object LastWriteTime | Select-Object -Last 1 → expect: $msix.FullName prints one .msix path.
2. Check its signature: Get-AuthenticodeSignature $msix.FullName | Format-List Status, SignerCertificate → expect: Status Valid and signer OpenAI OpCo, LLC. Stop if it is not Valid.
3. Install it yourself: Add-AppxPackage -Path $msix.FullName, then start Codex and sign in. → expect: the original poster said the app stayed open and the log showed windows_primary_runtime_framework_ready, because the app skips its own crashing install when the runtime is already present; a second user replied "you're my life saver" but did not describe their result.
4. Optional cleanup once it works: delete the leftover codex-windows-runtime-framework-* folders (the original poster had 19, about 9 GB).

How to verify

The app stays open well past 35 seconds after sign-in, and no new .dmp files or codex-windows-runtime-framework-* folders appear.

What did not work

Restarting Windows, GPU driver reset and update, Windows app Repair, full uninstall and reinstall, a fresh .codex profile, changing the sandbox mode, and turning off the in-app updater (all from the original poster).

Risks

Only install a package whose signature shows Valid from OpenAI; never install an .msix from another source or one that fails the check. This is an unofficial workaround: if a newer runtime ships before the bug is fixed, the crash may come back (the original poster). To undo it: Get-AppxPackage CodexPrimaryRuntime | Remove-AppxPackage.

Verified scope

ChatGPT/Codex Windows desktop 26.1002.7124.0 (Microsoft Store), October 2026.

Becomes obsolete when

A desktop release that installs the runtime without crashing.