Work cloud browser fails to initialize: node_repl crash / bwrap read-only filesystem error

ChatGPT Bugs
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1

ChatGPT Work’s cloud browser stopped working for me on October 29, 2026, and continues to fail on October 30. Browser automation previously worked. It now fails even when asked to open a harmless public page such as example(dot)com.

I’ve reproduced the failure across different browsers, networks, and physical computers, as well as in new Work conversations.

Product and environment

  • Product: ChatGPT Work through the web interface

  • Subscription: ChatGPT Plus

  • Model shown during troubleshooting: GPT-6.1 Sol Light

  • Captured reproduction device: Windows 11 Home, version 25H2, OS Build 26200.9711

  • Browser for the captured reproduction: Google Chrome

  • Exact Chrome version: not recorded

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open a new Work conversation.

  2. Ask: “Open example(dot)com in the cloud browser.”

  3. Work attempts to initialize browser control.

  4. The tool crashes before creating a tab or returning browser state.

The same failure also occurs when Work calls await cua.getState();.

Expected behavior

The cloud browser initializes and opens example(dot)com.

Actual behavior

The browser does not open. Attempts return either:

trusted Node process exited unexpectedly; kernel reset, rerun your request

or:

node_repl kernel exited unexpectedly

node_repl diagnostics: {"kernel_pid":3184,"kernel_status":"exited(code=1)","kernel_stderr_tail":"bwrap: Can't create file at /home/agent/.codex/sessions: Read-only file system","reason":"stdout_eof","stream_error":null}

The diagnostics above are from an earlier attempt in the same conversation. Repeated attempts return the same filesystem error with different process IDs.

Timestamp

HAR-captured reproduction on October 30, 2026:

  • Request submitted: 7:07:56.937 a.m. PDT

  • Failure response recorded: 7:08:08.349 a.m. PDT

That captured attempt returned the “trusted Node process exited unexpectedly” message.

Troubleshooting already tried

  • Restarting Chrome

  • Starting new Work conversations

  • Switching browsers

  • Switching networks

  • Switching physical computers

  • Retrying the minimal example(dot)com request

These steps have not restored browser access. Ordinary code/shell commands still work in the affected Work conversation.

I collected a HAR and browser console log and can provide them privately to Support. The most specific diagnostic is the read-only filesystem error at /home/agent/.codex/sessions.

Has anyone encountered this particular cloud-browser startup failure or found a supported recovery procedure?

2

Additional diagnostic observation: Regular Chat vs. Work

I confirmed that a regular ChatGPT conversation can successfully access and read this public forum post, while ChatGPT Work continues to fail when attempting to initialize its cloud browser.

This suggests the issue is specific to Work’s cloud execution environment rather than general website accessibility or ChatGPT’s web retrieval capabilities.

Regular ChatGPT uses a separate web retrieval mechanism that does not depend on Work’s browser-control runtime. Work’s browser-control initialization appears to fail when its sandbox attempts to write to a read-only filesystem:

bwrap: Can't create file at /home/agent/.codex/sessions: Read-only file system

This further supports the possibility of a server-side sandbox configuration, filesystem permissions, or environment provisioning issue.

While this does not conclusively identify the root cause, it helps narrow the problem to Work’s runtime initialization rather than my local browser, computer, network, or the website being accessed.

3

I’m experiencing a persistent issue with Cloud Browser control in ChatGPT Work.

Cloud Browser is visible, but the cua_repl tool fails even on the basic call:
await cua.getState()

The errors are:
bwrap: Can’t create file at /home/agent/.codex/sessions: Read-only file system

and:
trusted Node process exited unexpectedly; kernel reset, rerun your request

Resetting the tool session and starting a new Work chat did not resolve the issue.

I use ChatGPT in Chrome on Windows 10. The issue occurred on October 31, 2026.