OpenAI Codex server_error: request failed during processing
Summary
A Codex request failed with provider-side server_error.
Observed payload (request ID redacted):
{"type":"error","error":{"type":"server_error","code":"server_error","message":"An error occurred while processing your request. You can retry your request, or contact us through our help center at [help.openai.com](http://help.openai.com/) if the error persists. Please include the request ID <REDACTED_REQUEST_ID> in your message.","param":null},"sequence_number":2}
This appears to be an upstream processing failure, not a local auth/cooldown configuration error.
Environment
- First observed: 2026-02-24
- Provider:
openai-codex
- Model: not captured in this payload
- Channel context: Telegram direct workflow
- OpenClaw version: not captured in this payload
Reproduction
- Send a normal request routed to
openai-codex.
- Provider responds with
type=error, error.type=server_error.
- Request fails unless retried or rerouted.
Expected vs actual
- Expected:
- Request completes successfully, or fallback path succeeds without user-visible failure.
- Actual:
- Provider returns
server_error with a request ID, and the request fails.
Findings
- Error signature matches transient upstream/internal processing failure.
- This is a different class than:
- cooldown/rate-limit (
rate_limit)
- org auth policy failure (
403 permission_error)
- Request IDs should be redacted in public notes.
Mitigation / Workaround
- Retry with short backoff (avoid rapid loops).
- Keep provider-diverse fallback enabled.
- If repeats, collect logs and open upstream support case with redacted evidence:
openclaw logs --follow
openclaw models status --probe --plain
- For support escalation, include the request ID privately (do not publish raw IDs in docs).
Risk / Impact
- Reliability: intermittent request failures.
- User experience: sudden “request failed” behavior without prompt-specific cause.
- Operations: may cascade into full fallback failure if alternatives are unhealthy.
Next actions
References