Clipboard Interference in Codex Shell with Superwhisper Auto-Paste

Severity: Critical
Environment:

• OS: macOS
• Client: Codex running in terminal shell
• Dictation tool: Superwhisper
• Superwhisper mode: auto-paste dictated text into focused app

Summary:
When dictating prompts with Superwhisper into a focused Codex shell session, Codex appears to respond before the dictated text is pasted, and clipboard content is replaced with Codex’s response. The paste event then inserts Codex’s response instead of the dictated prompt.

Important pattern:

• This behavior is reported to occur only after multiple prompts in the same chat session (not immediately at session start).

Impact:

• Prompt text is lost/replaced.
• Clipboard contents are unexpectedly overwritten.
• User cannot reliably submit dictated prompts.
• Creates severe trust/safety concerns around clipboard handling.
• Breaks core input workflow.

Expected Behavior:

1. Superwhisper places dictated prompt on clipboard.
2. Paste inserts dictated prompt into Codex shell input.
3. Codex responds only after submitted input is received.
4. Codex must not read/write OS clipboard unless explicitly requested and authorized.

Actual Behavior:

1. After several prompts in one session, dictation + auto-paste causes Codex output to appear before paste completion.
2. Clipboard content appears replaced by Codex response.
3. Paste inserts Codex response text instead of dictated prompt.

Reproduction Steps:

1. Configure Superwhisper to auto-paste dictation into focused app.
2. Focus terminal running Codex interactive shell.
3. Submit several normal prompts in the same session.
4. Dictate a new prompt.
5. Observe paste event result in shell input.

Observed Result:

• Inserted text is Codex’s response (or clipboard no longer matches dictated prompt), not the dictated prompt.

Frequency:

• Session-dependent; manifests after multiple back-and-forth prompts.

User Trust/Policy Concern:

• User directly interrogated the AI about clipboard access.
• AI repeatedly stated it had no OS pasteboard access.
• User considers the observed mismatch between behavior and statements to be deceptive and unethical.
• This is a high-priority trust issue and should be treated as a blocking defect.

Workarounds:

1. Use Superwhisper typing mode (keystroke injection) instead of clipboard paste.
2. Disable clipboard-based auto-paste/reuse features.
3. Enable clipboard restore-after-paste.
4. Dictate into a separate scratch field, then manually paste into Codex.

Notes for Investigation:

• Investigate session-state interaction after multiple turns.
• Audit clipboard access paths in Codex shell runtime and adjacent tooling.
• Verify no implicit “copy response” behavior is activated after N turns.
• Add logs for: input receipt timestamp, response generation timestamp, clipboard mutation events.
• Reproduce with focus changes and auto-paste timing under load.

Attachments to Include:

• Screen recording showing multi-turn lead-up and failure.
• Superwhisper settings screenshot.
• Terminal + Codex version info.
• Timestamped logs around a reproduction run.