Codex remote SSH projects fail immediately with “refresh token was revoked”; local projects work
Summary
Codex remote projects backed by an SSH connection consistently fail on the first message in every new thread. Multiple machines, multiple locations, same account. Persistent over weeks.
The error is:
Your access token could not be refreshed because your refresh token was revoked. Please log out and sign in again.
Local Codex projects without a server/SSH connection work normally. Normal ChatGPT/Codex authentication also works, so the failure appears isolated to remote-project authorization.
Deleting and recreating the SSH connection does not resolve the issue.
Resetting passwords does not resolve the issue.
Logging out/in does not resolve the issue.
Reinstalling/updating Codex App does not resolve the issue.
Deleting remote projects and rebuilding them manually does not resolve the issue.
Impact
- I cannot use any Codex project connected to the affected remote server.
- Every newly created thread fails, including one containing only
hello. - The failure can cause the Codex desktop app to become unresponsive or lock up.
- Local projects remain usable.
- Repeated logout, connection recreation, and project recreation have not restored remote-project functionality.
Environment
- Product: Codex desktop app
- Operating system: macOS 26.6.2 (25G83) & Windows 11
- Codex app version: Version 26.818.61809
- Account plan: PRO 20x
- Authentication method:
Email/Pwd - Network:
Home, Work, public all have been tried - VPN or proxy:
None - Remote connection type: SSH
- Approximate first occurrence: August
1, 2026 - Time zone: America/Los_Angeles
- Latest reproduction: August 24, 2026 at approximately 8:15 AM PDT
Steps to reproduce
-
Open the Codex desktop app.
-
Enable one existing SSH connection.
-
Wait for its remote project to appear as active.
-
Open that remote project.
-
Create a completely new thread.
-
Send a simple message such as
hello. -
Codex immediately displays:
Your access token could not be refreshed because your refresh token was revoked. Please log out and sign in again.
-
The thread cannot proceed, and the app may become unresponsive.
Expected behavior
Codex should accept the message and start the task using the active remote project and SSH connection.
If remote authorization is invalid, Codex should offer a connection-specific reauthorization flow without affecting the app’s responsiveness.
Actual behavior
The first message in every new remote-project thread fails with a revoked-refresh-token error.
The error persists even when:
- The thread is newly created.
- The project contains no previous chat history.
- The SSH connection has been deleted and recreated.
- Only one SSH connection is enabled.
- The message does not request shell execution or repository access.
Control test
A new isolated local project with no server or SSH connection works normally. I can create threads, send messages, and use Codex without encountering the token error.
This suggests the account’s general ChatGPT/Codex session is valid and that the problem is specific to remote-project authorization.
Troubleshooting already completed
I have tried all of the following:
- Signed out and signed back in from all connections/sessions.
- Used the original account authentication method.
- Logged out all active sessions.
- Fully quit and restarted Codex.
- Uninstalled and reinstalled Codex.
- Restarted the Mac & PC
- Tested after waiting several days.
- Disconnected every SSH connection.
- Re-enabled only one SSH connection.
- Created multiple fresh threads.
- Deleted the affected threads.
- Removed and recreated the remote project.
- Deleted and recreated the affected SSH connection.
- Confirmed that a local project without a remote connection works.
- Confirmed that the error occurs on the first simple message, before requesting any remote command.
None resolved the problem.
Additional observations
- When all SSH connections are disconnected, the remote project disappears from the Codex project list.
- When the relevant SSH connection is enabled again, its remote project reappears as active.
- The project is therefore being discovered through the SSH connection as expected.
- Despite appearing active, its first chat request fails authentication.
- After previously deleting the project and its threads, the project entry later reappeared when the remote connection was available. The deleted chats did not reappear.
- Recreating the SSH connection produced the same revoked-token error.
Suspected component
This looks like a stale or revoked server-side authorization record associated with the Codex remote workspace/project.
That is only a hypothesis, but the behavior does not appear to be caused by:
- The SSH key or SSH connection definition.
- One corrupted thread.
- Local project functionality.
- General account login.
- A particular prompt or remote command.
The remote authorization may not be replaced when the visible SSH connection is deleted and recreated.
Requested investigation
Could the Codex team please investigate:
- Whether the account has a stale remote-workspace refresh token or authorization grant.
- Whether deleting/recreating an SSH connection actually generates a new remote-project authorization record.
- Whether the affected remote workspace can be reset or removed server-side.
- Why the desktop app locks up instead of recovering from the token-refresh failure.
- Whether additional logs or internal remote-workspace identifiers are required.
I can provide my account email, project name, connection name, timestamps, and other identifiers privately to OpenAI staff. I will not post credentials or SSH details publicly.
Attachments
- Screenshot showing the revoked-refresh-token error.
- Screenshot showing the SSH connections as disconnected.
- Screenshot showing the error after recreating the connection and sending
hello.
Security note
No access tokens, refresh tokens, SSH private keys, repository credentials, IP addresses, or hostnames are included in this public report. I can provide sanitized diagnostics privately if requested.
reaction on the GitHub issue itself—not only on this forum topic. Reactions on GitHub can help the developers gauge the number of affected users.