Critical Data Loss Issue in Codex App for Windows – Agent Executed File Deletion Outside Project Directory

I am reporting the same critical issue. Another confirmed case.

Date: 7 March 2026, approximately 20:50 AWST Location: Australia Application: Codex App for Windows (Microsoft Store) Model: GPT-5.4 Mode: Local / Full Access OS: Windows 11

What happened

I was working normally on a project in the Codex App for Windows using GPT-5.4. Without any prior command, warning, or user action, the project suddenly appeared completely empty. Upon investigation, I discovered that files had been massively deleted — not only from the project directory, but from my Desktop, multiple local project folders, and other areas of my filesystem.

The destruction was total: months of professional development work were wiped in seconds, including proprietary algorithmic trading systems, complete web projects, historical testing and performance data, and multiple independent software projects that were running locally. These represent my primary source of income and months of irreplaceable intellectual effort.

As a direct consequence, Windows 11 is now severely corrupted : all desktop icons appear white/blank, OneDrive is non-functional, I cannot take screenshots, and the system is practically inoperable.

Pattern of behaviour

This is now at least the third confirmed case of this exact behaviour:

• @telecartme reported ~370 GB of data destroyed (this thread, 6 March 2026)

• @Staticaliza reported ~700 GB of data destroyed (this thread, 6 March 2026)

• My case: total destruction of professional digital property + OS corruption (7 March 2026)

Additionally, this risk was documented months before the Windows app launch:

• September 2025: gpt-5-codex spontaneously attempted sudo rm -rf / with no user instruction (community thread)

• October 2025: GitHub Issue #4969 — Codex deleted 6GB of unrelated files outside the project scope

• November 2025: GitHub Issue #6999 — Codex deletes entire files instead of making localised edits

OpenAI marketed the Codex App for Windows with a “native agent sandbox” using “OS-level controls like restricted tokens, filesystem ACLs, and dedicated sandbox users.” This sandbox clearly failed catastrophically.

Actions taken

I have submitted a formal legal claim to legal@openai.com under the Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act 2010), citing breaches of consumer guarantees (sections 54, 55, 61), misleading or deceptive conduct (section 18), and claiming full compensation for all damages including destroyed intellectual property, lost income, lost business opportunities, sunk subscription/API costs, system repair costs, and consequential loss.

I have also submitted a formal data preservation request to privacy@openai.com requesting that OpenAI preserve and provide all server-side session logs, as the application itself destroyed my local logs and chat history.