SSH remote sessions repeatedly show "Couldn't check worktree status" #31210

What happened

While using Codex through an SSH remote connection, the UI repeatedly emitted the following error in large numbers:

Couldn't check worktree status
Retry to verify this chat's working directory

The repeated retries make the chat noisy and leave the remote working directory/worktree state unclear.

Expected behavior

Codex should either verify the remote worktree status successfully, or show one actionable error with the underlying cause, such as the exact path/status command failure, instead of repeatedly asking to retry verifying the chat working directory.

Environment

• Client: Codex desktop app 26.623.101652, build 4674
• OS: macOS 26.5.2, Darwin 25.5.0, arm64
• Connection mode: SSH remote connection
• Shell: zsh
• Repository/worktree involved: rspack worktree; local log showed a Codex-managed path shaped like ~/.codex/worktrees/<id>/rspack
• Logged model/session context around the affected worktree: gpt-5.5, auth_mode=Chatgpt, sandbox WorkspaceWrite

Frequency / impact

This happened many times during the SSH remote connection session, producing a large number of repeated errors.

Reproduction notes

I have not reduced this to a minimal repro yet, but the observed flow was:

1. Use the Codex desktop app.
2. Connect to or resume a project through an SSH remote connection.
3. Let Codex verify the chat working directory / worktree status.
4. Observe repeated messages:

Couldn't check worktree status
Retry to verify this chat's working directory

Diagnostics

Local Codex logs show activity in a Codex-managed worktree around 2026-07-06 02:34:49 UTC (2026-07-06 10:34:49 Asia/Shanghai) for a path shaped like ~/.codex/worktrees/<id>/rspack. I did not attach the full local log database because it may contain unrelated conversation/tool output, but I can provide targeted excerpts if useful.

by OpenAI Codex