macOS: allow arbitrary apps or custom commands for "Default open destination"

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

• #12988

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This is not a duplicate of and is more of a super set of the linked #12988 issue. Additionally, the linked issue further links to other closed issues that don't have a clear resolution to this feature request.

Workaround: Use any app as Codex's "Default open destination" on macOS

Codex uses a hardcoded allowlist of known editors for its "Default open destination" dropdown. Custom .app bundles don't appear even when properly registered with Launch Services. This workaround creates a tiny AppleScript app that masquerades as a recognized editor (e.g. TextMate) but routes every file to its real macOS default handler — so files open in whatever app macOS would normally use.

This also works if you want files to always open in a specific app that is NOT already the default macOS handler (like Zed, Alacritty+Neovim, IntelliJ LightEdit, etc.) — just modify the AppleScript in the script below.

Install

Save this as install.sh, run chmod +x install.sh, then ./install.sh:

#!/bin/zsh
set -eo pipefail

APP="/Applications/TextMate.app"

# 1. Create the AppleScript
SCRIPT=$(mktemp /tmp/open-default-XXXXX.applescript)
cat > "$SCRIPT" << 'AS'
on open theFiles
  repeat with aFile in theFiles
    do shell script "open " & quoted form of POSIX path of aFile
  end repeat
end open
AS

# 2. Compile into an app bundle
osacompile -o "$APP" "$SCRIPT"
rm "$SCRIPT"

# 3. Write the Info.plist (must declare Editor role + droplet executable)
cat > "$APP/Contents/Info.plist" << 'PLIST'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
  "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>CFBundleName</key>
  <string>TextMate</string>
  <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
  <string>com.macromates.TextMate</string>
  <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
  <string>1.0</string>
  <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
  <string>1.0</string>
  <key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
  <string>APPL</string>
  <key>CFBundleSignature</key>
  <string>????</string>
  <key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
  <string>droplet</string>
  <key>CFBundleIconFile</key>
  <string>droplet</string>
  <key>CFBundleDocumentTypes</key>
  <array>
    <dict>
      <key>CFBundleTypeName</key>
      <string>Plain Text</string>
      <key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
      <string>Editor</string>
      <key>LSItemContentTypes</key>
      <array>
        <string>public.plain-text</string>
        <string>public.utf8-plain-text</string>
        <string>public.source-code</string>
        <string>public.script</string>
        <string>public.shell-script</string>
        <string>public.python-script</string>
        <string>public.ruby-script</string>
        <string>public.perl-script</string>
        <string>public.c-source</string>
        <string>public.c-header</string>
        <string>public.c-plus-plus-source</string>
        <string>public.objective-c-source</string>
        <string>public.swift-source</string>
        <string>public.assembly-source</string>
        <string>public.json</string>
        <string>public.xml</string>
        <string>public.yaml</string>
        <string>com.apple.property-list</string>
        <string>com.netscape.javascript-source</string>
        <string>public.css</string>
        <string>public.html</string>
      </array>
    </dict>
  </array>
  <key>NSAppleEventsUsageDescription</key>
  <string>This app routes files to their default macOS handler.</string>
  <key>LSUIElement</key>
  <true/>
</dict>
</plist>
PLIST

# 4. Register with Launch Services
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -f "$APP"

echo "Installed: $APP"

Then open Codex → Settings → Default open destination → select TextMate.

Files will now route through the fake TextMate to their real default macOS handler.

Customization

Want files to open in a specific app instead? Change the do shell script "open " line in the script:

-- Zed:
do shell script "/usr/local/bin/zed " & quoted form of POSIX path of aFile

-- Neovim via Alacritty:
do shell script "open -a Alacritty -- nvim " & quoted form of POSIX path of aFile

-- IntelliJ LightEdit:
do shell script "/usr/local/bin/idea -e " & quoted form of POSIX path of aFile

Already have TextMate installed? Change APP, CFBundleName, and CFBundleIdentifier to a different editor from Codex's allowlist that you don't use:

| Editor | App name | Bundle ID |
|--------------|---------------------|------------------------------|
| TextMate | TextMate.app | com.macromates.TextMate |
| BBEdit | BBEdit.app | com.barebones.bbedit |
| Sublime Text | Sublime Text.app | com.sublimetext.4 |

Great workaround! Tested it locally and it works! Would still be a good idea to make this natively supported so devs don't have to resort to hacking Applications to tricking Codex to working.

Also, I assume you vibecoded this solution to my vibecoded issue 😄

How to pass a $LINE and $COLUMN there?