Codex VS Code Extension Loops With Promises and Consumes Quota Without Producing Code

Coding with ChatGPT Codex CLI
1

The VS Code OpenAI Codex extension repeatedly confirms that it will apply changes, but does not perform any actual implementation. Instead, it loops through multiple “Now I will implement…” messages, consuming significant quota without modifying any files.

Context

I asked the extension to improve the UX of my Navigation Management UI with this prompt:

“For Navigation management: It is really confusing when I am adding columns, links, subtitles etc. The UX is very complicated. There are no proper heading / subheadings and the delete button is placed anywhere in the stack. Can you make the UX little better?”

The extension responded with a full proposed UX structure and said it would implement it. I confirmed multiple times.

Observed Behavior

Instead of editing any files, the extension sent multiple sequential messages like:

  • “I will apply these changes now.”

  • “Proceeding now with those changes.”

  • “I’ll refactor and return with a green build.”

  • “Acknowledged. Implementing now.”

Across several responses, it repeated the same promises but never made a single code edit.

It also claimed it would fix JSX pairing, reorganize Stacks, add headers, adjust action layouts, add confirmation dialogs, and clean up AdminNavigationForm.tsx — but none of this happened.

Impact

  • The extension consumed about 4–5% of my weekly quota.

  • No code changes were produced.

  • No file modifications occurred.

  • The conversation looped with repeated “I will do it now” statements, with no execution.

Expected Behavior

  • When the extension commits to implementing changes, it should:

    1. Actually apply edits to the referenced files.

    2. Show diffs or confirm which files were changed.

    3. Stop repeating promises if it is unable to perform the task.

    4. Provide an explicit error instead of looping.

Requested Fix

  1. Prevent Codex from entering a promise loop (“I will do it now”) without executing edits.

  2. If the model cannot modify files due to ambiguity or failure, return a clear error message.

  3. Provide a fail-safe that stops repeated confirmations.

  4. Improve reliability of file-editing tasks in the VS Code extension.

Additional Notes

This was entirely inside VS Code using the Codex extension, not the chat web UI.
The extension responded as if it was editing files but never produced code or touched the project.