{"record":{"id":"3f50c4a93afe7b39","repo":"nikivdev/code","slug":"codex-app-server-response-timed-out-3f50c4","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"codex app-server response timed out","messagePattern":"codex app-server response timed out","errorType":"exception","errorClass":"anyhow::Error","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"src/skills.rs","lineNumber":1118,"sourceCode":"    source: Option<String>,\n}\n\nfn codex_write_msg(writer: &mut dyn Write, msg: &serde_json::Value) -> Result<()> {\n    let mut line = serde_json::to_string(msg)?;\n    line.push('\\n');\n    writer.write_all(line.as_bytes())?;\n    writer.flush()?;\n    Ok(())\n}\n\nfn codex_read_response(\n    lines: &mut std::io::Lines<std::io::BufReader<std::process::ChildStdout>>,\n    expected_id: u64,\n    deadline: Instant,\n) -> Result<serde_json::Value> {\n    loop {\n        if Instant::now() >= deadline {\n            bail!(\"codex app-server response timed out\");\n        }\n        let line = match lines.next() {\n            Some(Ok(line)) => line,\n            Some(Err(err)) => bail!(\"failed to read from codex app-server: {}\", err),\n            None => bail!(\"codex app-server closed stdout unexpectedly\"),\n        };\n        if line.trim().is_empty() {\n            continue;\n        }\n        let msg: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(&line)\n            .with_context(|| format!(\"invalid JSON from codex app-server: {}\", line))?;\n        if msg.get(\"id\").and_then(|v| v.as_u64()) == Some(expected_id) {\n            if let Some(err) = msg.get(\"error\") {\n                let message = err\n                    .get(\"message\")\n                    .and_then(|v| v.as_str())\n                    .unwrap_or(\"unknown codex app-server error\");\n                bail!(\"codex app-server error: {}\", message);","sourceCodeStart":1100,"sourceCodeEnd":1136,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/nikivdev/code/blob/a747e741ae92c09071d0ae946ab48488adcff1ce/src/skills.rs#L1100-L1136","documentation":"codex_read_response polls the codex app-server child process stdout for a JSON-RPC response with a specific id, but only until a deadline. When the deadline elapses before the expected response arrives, it aborts with this message instead of blocking forever. It is a deliberate timeout guard against a hung or stuck app-server process.","triggerScenarios":"Calling reload_codex_skills_for_cwd (which sends a request to the codex app-server via codex_read_response) when the app-server accepts the request but never sends back a response with the expected id before the deadline; a wedged or extremely slow codex process; a request id mismatch so the expected reply never matches.","commonSituations":"Codex app-server is frozen or overloaded; the codex binary version speaks a different protocol so responses carry unexpected ids; system under heavy load makes the child slow to answer; stdout produces unrelated chatter so the matching id never appears before timeout.","solutions":["Check that the codex app-server process is alive and responsive (kill hung instances and retry)","Verify the codex binary version matches the protocol this tool expects; upgrade or downgrade codex","Re-run the command after freeing system resources; the deadline is fixed so a transiently slow machine can cause this","Add logging around the request to confirm the request id sent matches the one codex_read_response waits for"],"exampleFix":"// before: waiting on a hung server with no diagnosis\nbail!(\"codex app-server response timed out\");\n// after: surface the elapsed time and hint at the hung process\nbail!(\"codex app-server response timed out after {:?} (is the codex app-server hung?)\", deadline.duration_since(Instant::now()));","handlingStrategy":"retry","validationCode":"// check the codex app-server is responsive before the call\nif let Ok(status) = std::process::Command::new(\"pgrep\").args([\"-f\", \"codex app-server\"]).status() {\n    if !status.success() { eprintln!(\"codex app-server not running; expect timeout\"); }\n}","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":"match reload_codex_skills_for_cwd() {\n    Ok(skills) => apply(skills),\n    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains(\"timed out\") => {\n        // kill wedged server, back off, retry once\n        kill_codex_app_server();\n        std::thread::sleep(RETRY_DELAY);\n        retry_reload()?;\n    }\n    Err(e) => return Err(e),\n}","preventionTips":["Keep the codex binary version aligned with the client protocol so ids/methods match","Add health checks or pings to the app-server before issuing real requests","Avoid issuing requests while the machine is under heavy load; the deadline is fixed","Capture the child's stderr so hangs can be diagnosed quickly"],"tags":["timeout","ipc","codex","process"],"backgroundTag":"process-ipc-timeout","analyzedSha":"a747e741ae92c09071d0ae946ab48488adcff1ce","analyzedAt":"2026-09-01T22:43:55.719Z","contentChangedAt":null,"schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-09-08T10:18:20.063Z"}