Skip to content

Codex 0.147.0: token_exchange_failed after successful browser authentication on Windows and WSL #37467

Description

@HansKohlhaas

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

Codex 0.147.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus account

What platform is your computer?

No response

What issue are you seeing?

Codex 0.147.0: token_exchange_failed after successful browser authentication on Windows and WSL

Environment

  • Windows 11 x64
  • ChatGPT Plus account
  • Codex CLI: codex-cli 0.147.0
  • Codex installed via npm on Windows
  • Tested with Codex Desktop as well as Codex CLI
  • Additionally tested with a fresh Codex installation inside WSL/Linux

Problem

Codex authentication cannot be completed.

The browser authentication itself succeeds. After signing in, the browser confirms that authentication was successful and says that the page can be closed.

However, Codex subsequently fails when exchanging the authorization code for a token:

Sign-in could not be completed

Token exchange failed: error sending request for url
(https://auth.openai.com/oauth/token)

Error code: token_exchange_failed

Details:
Token exchange failed: error sending request for url
(https://auth.openai.com/oauth/token)

This occurs both with Codex Desktop and the Codex CLI.

Device authentication also fails

I also tested:

codex login --device-auth

This fails with:

Error logging in with device code:
error sending request for url
(https://auth.openai.com/api/accounts/deviceauth/usercode)

Network tests

DNS resolution works:

nslookup auth.openai.com

Name: auth.openai.com.cdn.cloudflare.net
Addresses:
2a06:98c1:310c::ac40:920f
2606:4700:4400::6812:29f
104.18.41.241
172.64.146.15
Aliases: auth.openai.com

HTTPS connectivity to the authentication server also exists:

curl -I https://auth.openai.com

returns:

HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden
Cf-Mitigated: challenge
Server: cloudflare

So the machine can reach auth.openai.com, but Cloudflare responds with a challenge to the curl request.

Proxy tests

Windows WinHTTP configuration:

netsh winhttp show proxy

DirectAccess (no proxy server)

No proxy environment variables are present:

set | findstr /I "proxy"

returns no output.

Different network tested

To rule out the router, ISP connection, or public IP address, I disconnected the PC from the normal network and connected it through a mobile phone hotspot.

The Codex authentication failure remained exactly the same.

Therefore, the problem does not appear to be specific to the normal internet connection, router, or public IP.

WSL/Linux test

To rule out a problem specific to the native Windows Codex runtime, I installed WSL and a Linux environment.

Node.js/npm and Codex were installed natively inside WSL.

The Linux Codex installation was verified:

which codex
/usr/local/bin/codex

codex --version
codex-cli 0.147.0

I then ran:

codex login

The browser opened and authentication completed successfully. The browser explicitly indicated that the login was successful and that the page could now be closed.

After closing the browser page, however, Codex did not complete the login successfully.

The token exchange failed again.

Thus, the problem can be reproduced with:

  • Codex Desktop on Windows
  • Codex CLI on Windows
  • Codex CLI running natively inside WSL/Linux
  • normal internet connection
  • separate mobile hotspot

Additional symptom

Before investigating the authentication problem, Codex had also repeatedly produced connection errors similar to:

stream disconnected before completion:
error sending request for url
(https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/codex/responses)

It is unclear whether this is related, but it may indicate a more general connectivity problem between the Codex client and OpenAI endpoints.

At approximately the same time, the normal ChatGPT browser session unexpectedly required a new login. The ChatGPT browser login itself succeeded.

Summary

Browser authentication works, but Codex cannot complete the subsequent communication with OpenAI's authentication endpoints.

The issue persists after ruling out:

  • DNS resolution
  • normal internet connection
  • router
  • public IP (tested via mobile hotspot)
  • WinHTTP proxy
  • proxy environment variables
  • native Windows Codex runtime
  • alternative device authentication
  • Codex running inside WSL/Linux

The most notable observation is that the browser reports a successful Codex authentication, but the subsequent token exchange performed by Codex fails.

Please advise whether this could be related to the current Codex authentication/token exchange implementation, Cloudflare handling, or an account/session-side issue.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

I cant use codex or Chatgpt localy

What is the expected behavior?

It works until this afternoon - suddenly the connection was frozen

Additional information

No response

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

No one assigned

    Labels

    CLIIssues related to the Codex CLIappIssues related to the Codex desktop appauthIssues related to authentication and accountsbugSomething isn't workingconnectivityIssues involving networking or endpoint connectivity problems (disconnections)windows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systems

    Type

    No type

    Projects

    No projects

    Milestone

    No milestone

    Relationships

    None yet

    Development

    No branches or pull requests

    Issue actions