can't launch codex app after latest update

[OldChi]

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

Codex 26.616.31447

What subscription do you have?

pro 20x

What platform is your computer?

MacOS Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

Codex failed to start.
Codex app-server initialize handshake timed out.

if I click for updating, it says it's already the latest version (Codex 26.616.31447).

What steps can reproduce the bug?

launch codex

What is the expected behavior?

No response

Additional information

No response

[OldChi]

I was using codex as usual. After I hit the "update" button, codex can't be launched any more.

[OldChi]

can launched now....suddenly

[LeiGitHub1024]

Same problem! I can‘t launch it too!
Codex 26.616.81150

[lord007tn]

same problem even with todays update

[LeiGitHub1024]

Same problem today again!

[Sere1nz]

same problem here today, after updating codex/chatgpt combined version, cant fix even uninstall and resinstall

[LeiGitHub1024]

same problem here today, after updating codex/chatgpt combined version, cant fix even uninstall and resinstall

@Sere1nz It's a a problem about codex's database, tall codex, codex can fix it self.

[Sere1nz]

same problem here today, after updating codex/chatgpt combined version, cant fix even uninstall and resinstall

@Sere1nz It's a a problem about codex's database, tall codex, codex can fix it self.

@LeiGitHub1024 dude, I cant even launch/open the app to the chat/agent window. How can I even tell it to fix itself? I tried website chat and cli, not fixing it properly.

[Sere1nz]

delete cache, reinstall, repair app/reset internet setting wont help at all.

[hanyu-zhou]

delete cache, reinstall, repair app/reset internet setting wont help at all.

I switched to a different Clash proxy node, and it worked. If you're using proxy software, you can try switching nodes too.

[kirill-markin]

What fixed it for me: my ~/.codex/logs_2.sqlite had bloated to ~6.7 GB, so the app-server couldn't open it before the initialize-handshake timeout. Moving that log DB aside fixed startup instantly.

Details — logs only, so auth/config/sessions are untouched and it's reversible:

# 1. quit the app
osascript -e 'tell application "ChatGPT" to quit'
pkill -f "/Applications/ChatGPT.app"

# 2. move the oversized log DB aside
cd ~/.codex
mv logs_2.sqlite logs_2.sqlite.bak
mv logs_2.sqlite-wal logs_2.sqlite-wal.bak 2>/dev/null
mv logs_2.sqlite-shm logs_2.sqlite-shm.bak 2>/dev/null

# 3. relaunch — a fresh, small logs_2.sqlite is recreated
open -a ChatGPT

Check yours first: ls -lah ~/.codex/logs_2.sqlite* — if it's multiple GB, this is likely the cause. After it starts cleanly, rm ~/.codex/logs_2.sqlite*.bak to reclaim the space. Single machine here, but the unbounded log growth looks like the real bug.