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Sandbox was mandated, but no sandbox is available! #156
Description
Error: Sandbox was mandated, but no sandbox is available!
at Q3e (file:///C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:439:254)
at async EN (file:///C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:437:5568)
at async Tte (file:///C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:437:4863)
at async R0.handleFunctionCall (file:///C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:461:3960)
at async R0.processEventsWithoutStreaming (file:///C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:462:4719)
at async R0.run (file:///C:/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:462:3045)
Activity
tibo-openai commentedon Apr 17, 2025
Apologies, sandboxing is currently not supported on Windows. What was the command you ran?
sevonade4 commentedon Apr 17, 2025
I use o4-mini model and set the approval to full auto.
As for the prompt I told it to learn my codebase and then create a new directory and work on inside that directory.
steven-forresttechnologies commentedon Apr 17, 2025
Can confirm the same error, codex was working on a dotnet 9 program without specifying full-auto just fine. Ran again with mode set to full-auto and repeatedly run into the same error :
Error: Sandbox was mandated, but no sandbox is available!
at Q3e.....
jonchurch commentedon Apr 17, 2025
This was likely fixed by #261
Can you build from source and try again? It will be released likely today (not something I hav viz into)
This fix should opt out of sandbox on WIndows
ishyv commentedon Apr 17, 2025
The error was not fixed, it crashes when trying to do anything regarding the codebase in Windows.
cravecra commentedon Apr 18, 2025
I saw sometimes codex pops up a wls terminal and process well but othera just sends this error
jonchurch commentedon Apr 18, 2025
@cravecra what version are you reproing on?
0.1.2504172351?And you're running from Windows directly, not inside WSL?
There must be a platform detection issue, you can see the codepaths here:
codex/codex-cli/src/utils/agent/handle-exec-command.ts
Lines 274 to 302 in 8e2e77f
Sunwood-ai-labs commentedon May 1, 2025
I encountered the following error when running Codex with the
--full-autooption in a GitHub Actions Ubuntu environment:This appears to be similar to issues other users have reported. While this error has been primarily reported on Windows systems, I've confirmed it also occurs in Linux environments.
🔍 Debug Information
System Environment
Node.js & Codex Information
Sandbox Related
/proc/1/cgroup file: ✅ Exists
christopherok commentedon May 1, 2025
This appears to be similar to issues other users have reported.
I encountered the following error when running Codex with the --dangerously-auto-approve-everything and --approval-mode full-auto on windows WSL2.
Error: Sandbox was mandated, but no sandbox is available!
at hOe (file:///home/chris/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:468:433)
at iO (file:///home/chris/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:466:2281)
at $ne (file:///home/chris/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:466:1418)
at dE.handleFunctionCall (file:///home/chris/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:490:4648)
at dE.processEventsWithoutStreaming (file:///home/chris/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:492:3562)
at dE.run (file:///home/chris/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:491:3235)
at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)
🔍 Debug Information
System Environment
Linux windoze 5.15.167.4-microsoft-standard-WSL2 #1 SMP Tue Nov 5 00:21:55 UTC 2024 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS"
VERSION_ID="24.04"
Node.js & Codex Information
Node.js: v22.14.0
Codex Version: 0.1.2504301751
rous100 commentedon May 1, 2025
Same exact issue on WSL2, Codex CLI 0.1.2504301751
model: o4-mini
approval: full-auto
fezsid commentedon May 2, 2025
I face the same issue on linux
ArchSenex commentedon May 2, 2025
Yeah, I was running just fine earlier, got an update notice and took it, and now getting "Error: Sandbox was mandated, but no sandbox is available!" on latest. Windows with WSL Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS. Hadn't had this problem since I started using Codex last week. Rolled back to v0.1.2504172351 and issue seems to have gone away
Vermath commentedon May 2, 2025
I'm getting a similar issue.
Here's what prints in console:
file:///home/[user]/.nvm/versions/node/v22.15.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:468 STDERR: ${A}),{stdout:f,stderr:A,exitCode:h,durationMs:d}}var AOe=oO.access(a4,oO.constants.X_OK).then(()=>!0,e=>(["ENOENT","ACCESS","EPERM"].includes(e.code)||jt(Unexpected error for \stat ${a4}`: ${e.message}),!1));async function hOe(e){if(e){if(process.platform==="darwin"){if(await AOe)return"macos.seatbelt";throw new Error("Sandbox was mandated, but 'sandbox-exec' was not found in PATH!")}else if(iR)return"none";throw new Error("Sandbox was mandated, but no sandbox is available!")}else return"none"}async function qne(e,t,r){let{review:n,customDenyMessage:a}=await r(e.cmd,t);if(n==="always"){let i=Wne(e.cmd);Vne.add(i)}if(n==="explain")return null;if(n!=="yes"&&n!=="always"){let i=n==="no-continue"?a?.trim()||"No, don't do that \u2014 keep going though.":"No, don't do that \u2014 stop for 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Error: Sandbox was mandated, but no sandbox is available!
at hOe (file:///home/[user]/.nvm/versions/node/v22.15.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:468:433)
at iO (file:///home/[user]/.nvm/versions/node/v22.15.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:466:2281)
at $ne (file:///home/[user]/.nvm/versions/node/v22.15.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:466:1418)
at dE.handleFunctionCall (file:///home/[user]/.nvm/versions/node/v22.15.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:490:4648)
at dE.processEventsWithoutStreaming (file:///home/[user]/.nvm/versions/node/v22.15.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:492:3562)
at dE.run (file:///home/[user]/.nvm/versions/node/v22.15.0/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/dist/cli.js:491:3235)
at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)`
Hope this contribution helps! I normally get this about once a day, and it's inconsistent. It often occurs after I've loaded in a bunch of context for the model to understand before it gets to work, or it reads a particularly long sequence of code.
fezsid commentedon May 2, 2025
That worked for me. Thank you!
npm install -g @openai/codex@v0.1.2504172351bluelighttechs commentedon May 3, 2025
Hey everyone, I ran into the same issue yesterday on a Linux system and spent most of the day troubleshooting it. After a lot of trial and error, here’s the solution that finally worked for me.
Root Cause
• Codex’s latest versions require a specific Docker-based sandbox with network isolation and filesystem access controls.
• It checks for the presence of /etc/codex/sandbox/enabled and requires a functional outbound connection to api.openai.com.
• Running Codex outside of a properly flagged container results in immediate failure.
⸻
Solution
** Create a Docker Image with Proper Flags **
A custom image was built based on node:22.15.0-slim, including:
• Codex CLI installation
• Sandbox flag file at /etc/codex/sandbox/enabled
• Required networking tools (curl, iptables)
** Mount the Correct Host Directory **
Docker was configured to mount "/home/my-project" into /workspace inside the container so Codex can access project files.
** run_in_container.sh Script **
A reusable script was created:
HOST_DIR="/home/"your-project"
CONTAINER_DIR="/workspace"
IMAGE_NAME="codex-sandbox"
if ! docker image inspect $IMAGE_NAME >/dev/null 2>&1; then
docker build -t $IMAGE_NAME - <<'EOF'
FROM node:22.15.0-slim
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y
curl iptables ipset &&
npm install -g @openai/codex@0.1.2403191639 &&
mkdir -p /etc/codex/sandbox &&
touch /etc/codex/sandbox/enabled &&
apt-get clean && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
WORKDIR /workspace
EOF
fi
docker run --rm -it
--network=bridge
-v "$HOST_DIR":"$CONTAINER_DIR"
-w "$CONTAINER_DIR"
$IMAGE_NAME
Make it executable:
chmod +x run_in_container.sh
Then run Codex:
./run_in_container.sh
Result
Codex now successfully launches inside a properly sandboxed Docker container. To ensure filesystem access worked as expected, we mounted the host directory directly from the absolute path (e.g., /home/your-folder-name) instead of relying on symbolic names or assumed working directories like /your-project.
This adjustment resolved the ENOENT errors caused by Codex attempting to recursively scan the filesystem. By explicitly mounting the correct host path into the container (-v /home/your-folder-name:/workspace), Codex is now able to access all required files and function as intended.
AnirudhaGohokar commentedon May 27, 2025
Still getting same error on windows:
Tried with latest codex : npm install -g @openai/codex@latest
nonlin commentedon Jun 5, 2025
Getting this on latest as well.
TheKurdishProgrammer commentedon Aug 4, 2025
I can confirm that, despite the latest update, the issue remains unresolved.
codex-maintainers commentedon Aug 7, 2025
Thanks for the feedback! Please try again on the latest version of Codex CLI. We're primarily focused on the native/Rust implementation of Codex CLI and would love to see if this is still an issue there.
AmazingTurtle commentedon Aug 7, 2025
I just downloaded codex and ran into this issue while using it for the very first time. Not 5 minutes ago.
whitebabylon commentedon Aug 8, 2025
just got this today too, same story as amazingturtle
whitebabylon commentedon Aug 8, 2025
edit** moved to wsl 2 and run everything inside there now. it doesn't tell me it has no access anymore**
edit** I'll keep the WSL stuff below as it's interesting, but Istill got the error again. I talked to chatgpt and it told me it was in a sandbox environment and couldn't help me. but it wasn't running in sandbox mode on windows. I told it it keeps opening wsl.exe and running stuff that closes immediately I couldn't see it. I asked it to run WSL.exe without closing on me. it told me it was sandboxed again and had no access to WSL.exe on my machine but it then ran again to look for the file it said it had no access to and it did keep WSL.exe open for me somehow. so it changed the commands it runs to interface on my machine? not clear. looking at the open WSL session it looked fine and had full access to everything. I told it it did have full access and to do the implementation for me, and it worked .
end edit****
turns out my WSL couldn't open, couldn't start, couldn't uninstall. my LX service also couldn't do anything, like I wasn't admin on my own machine. do at your own risk I suppose, but it seems like codex tries to open WSL command prompt windows and fail, and when that happens it says all sorts of stuff. Please don't mind me using GPT5 to summarize my past 2 hours fixing this issue.
🛠️ FIXED: How I Recovered from a Broken WSL (Error 0x80070424, 1603, Stuck Updates, etc.)
After WSL was completely broken (unable to list distros, install Ubuntu, or update via
wsl --update), I resolved it by fully cleaning out the corrupted WSL install, then reinstalling cleanly using both a diagnostic tool and offline installer.This post walks through every single step needed.
✅ TL;DR: What Worked for Me
.msiwsl --install -d Ubuntu🔁 STEP-BY-STEP: WSL FULL RESET + REINSTALL
🧨 STEP 1 — Run Microsoft's Fix Tool to Remove Stuck WSL Install
1603/0x80070424MSI corruption)🧼 STEP 2 — Run WSL Cleanup Script in PowerShell (Admin)
Tylersuard commentedon Aug 8, 2025
Why is this issue closed? It is still happening.