Unusable on Windows due to permission ask for every shell command

[vthorsteinsson]

What version of Codex is running?

codex-cli 0.25.0

Which model were you using?

gpt-5

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26100.0 x64

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Simply use Codex in a basic way on Windows. It uses PowerShell for almost all operations (reading file contents, searching for files, enumerating directories) and asks for permission for every operation. Telling it to stop asking for permission has no effect.

Here is a screenshot example:

What is the expected behavior?

It should be able to perform basic harmless operations within the current directory and its subdirectories, such as reading files, scanning directories, and searching for text without asking permission for each operation.

Also, explicitly prefixing every operation with "powershell -NoProfile -Command ..." is fairly weird.

What do you see instead?

✔ You approved codex to run powershell -NoProfile -Command 'rg -n -S -e "gamelist" -e "recentlist" -e "recentList" -e "gameList"
src' this time
  ✓ ⌨️ powershell -NoProfile -Command 'rg -n -S -e "gamelist" -e "recentlist" -e "recentList" -e "gameList" src'

✔ You approved codex to run powershell -NoProfile -Command 'Write-Output "Opening gameListSlice.ts to inspect fetch functions
and triggers."; Get-Content -TotalCount 350 src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts' this time
  ✓ ⌨️ powershell -NoProfile -Command 'Write-Output "Opening gameListSlice.ts to inspect fetch functions and triggers.";
Get-Content -TotalCount 350 src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts'

✔ You approved codex to run powershell -NoProfile -Command 'Get-Content src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts -TotalCount 1000 |
Select-Object -Index 0..999' this time
  ✗ ⌨️ powershell -NoProfile -Command 'Get-Content src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts -TotalCount 1000 | Select-Object -Index
0..999'
    Select-Object : Cannot bind parameter 'Index'. Cannot convert value "0..999" to type "System.Int32". Error: "Input string
was n
    ot in a correct format."
    At line:1 char:88
    + ... lices/gameListSlice.ts -TotalCount 1000 | Select-Object -Index 0..999
    +                                                                    ~~~~~~
        + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [Select-Object], ParameterBindingException
        + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CannotConvertArgumentNoMessage,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.SelectObjectCommand


✔ You approved codex to run powershell -NoProfile -Command '(Get-Content src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts -Raw)' this time
  ✓ ⌨️ powershell -NoProfile -Command '(Get-Content src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts -Raw)'

✔ You approved codex to run powershell -NoProfile -Command '$content = Get-Content -Raw src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts;
$content.IndexOf('"'loadAllGameLists'); "'$content.Substring(0, [Math]::Min($content.Length, 2000))' this time
  ✓ ⌨️ powershell -NoProfile -Command '$content = Get-Content -Raw src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts;
$content.IndexOf('"'loadAllGameLists'); "'$content.Substring(0, [Math]::Min($content.Length, 2000))'
? Codex wants to run powershell -NoProfile -Command '$content = Get-Content -Raw src/stores/slices/gameListSlice.ts; $start =
$content.IndexOf('"'loadAllGameLists'); "'$content.Substring($start, [Math]::Min(2400, $content.Length - $start))'

▌Allow command?
▌ Yes   Always   No, provide feedback
▌ Approve and run the command    

Additional information

Unfortunately Codex-cli is unusable on Windows like this.

As an aside, I am using Claude Code extensively and Gemini-cli occasionally on the same Windows setup, and they work fine.

[vthorsteinsson]

Even writing output to the conversation requires permission!

✔ You approved codex to run powershell -NoProfile -Command 'Write-Output "Searching boardSlice for game over handling and list
refreshes."; rg -n -S -e "game over|gameover|gameState|over|time-expired|resign|timeout|end" src/stores/slices/boardSlice.ts;
Write-Output "Open file head"; Get-Content -TotalCount 200 src/stores/slices/boardSlice.ts' this time

...and the PowerShell invocations more often than not fail because vertical pipes or parentheses are not quoted or backslash-escaped correctly. Then you need to approve them twice!

✔ You approved codex to run powershell -NoProfile -Command "rg -n -S -e \"loadAllGameLists\\(\" src; rg -n -S -e
\"loadFinishedGames\\(\" src; rg -n -S -e \"loadOngoingGames\\(\" src; rg -n -S -e \"loadChallengeList\\(\" src" this time
  ✗ ⌨️ powershell -NoProfile -Command "rg -n -S -e \"loadAllGameLists\\(\" src; rg -n -S -e \"loadFinishedGames\\(\" src; rg -n
-S -e \"loadOngoingGames\\(\" src; rg -n -S -e \"loadChallengeList\\(\" src"
    Missing closing ')' in expression.
        + CategoryInfo          : ParserError: (:) [], ParentContainsErrorRecordException
        + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MissingEndParenthesisInExpression

[rwjdk]

@vthorsteinsson If you dare, then /approval and choose Full Auto then you are only asked about applying pacth code (which is a bug as it happen even if you run dangerous sandbox mode)... Making it better for now

[rodrigo-web-developer]

Same problem with codex-cli 0.27.0.

There's not sense on confirming every shell command. Makes codex an useless extension because you still need a manual interaction.

Even if I set approvals to never, it still asking permission for each command, even if I choose "Run always".

BTW, I think prefix powershell -NoProfile -Command is very weird too.

I just set to Agent (full access) in VS Code and it works, but I dont think is the best option.

[gt732]

Same thing happens to me in windows and WSL. Even adding the commands to “safecommands” in the confit file does nothing. I have to approve every single command. 🙁

[Sing303]

Made a PR to fix #2988

[desmondkr]

TL;DR "--yolo"

I had the same issue even using "--full-auto" and set "/approval" to "Full Access"

When using "--yolo" I don't get asked to allow a command. I just get asked to apply changes to e.g. a script file. Might help a bit. In Gemini CLI with "--yolo" I don't even have to approve changes to files.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenAI/comments/1n4gk3w/how_to_adjust_permissions_in_codex_so_i_can_stop/

[DynamicCE]

same issue

[DennisJansenDev]

Yeah same issue, basically useless, I can do research and write code by myself faster than this.

[Oren-T]

Also having this issue and it is totally useless to me right now.

[angeloprado]

someone please merge the PR