Windows app: Browser Use is packaged and feature-flagged but not exposed in UI or plugin marketplace
Summary
In the Codex Windows desktop app, Browser Use appears to be packaged with the app and feature flags appear enabled, but the feature is not exposed in Settings, Plugins, autocomplete, shortcuts, or local URL handling.
Environment
- OS: Windows
- Codex Windows app package after update:
OpenAI.Codex_26.422.2339.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0 - App install location:
%ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.422.2339.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0 - Auth mode observed in logs: ChatGPT
- Model in use:
gpt-5.5
Symptoms
- No
Browser Usesection appears in Settings. - No
Browser Useplugin appears in Plugins. @browser-useand@Browserdo not autocomplete.Ctrl+Shift+Bdoes nothing.- Typing/clicking
http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:8000, orhttp://localhostdoes not open an in-app browser.
Diagnostics
The installed app package contains the Browser Use plugin:
%ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.422.2339.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\resources\plugins\openai-bundled\plugins\browser-use
The packaged marketplace includes both browser-use and latex-tectonic:
{
"name": "openai-bundled",
"plugins": [
{ "name": "browser-use" },
{ "name": "latex-tectonic" }
]
}
But the rebuilt user bundled marketplace cache only contains latex-tectonic:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\.tmp\bundled-marketplaces\openai-bundled
Cached marketplace observed:
{
"name": "openai-bundled",
"plugins": [
{ "name": "latex-tectonic" }
]
}
The Codex logs for the running session show feature flags including both InAppBrowser and BrowserUse:
features=[..., Plugins, InAppBrowser, BrowserUse, ...]
Things tried
- Updated Codex through the Microsoft Store.
- Fully quit Codex.
- Deleted
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\.tmp\bundled-marketplaces\openai-bundled. - Restarted Codex.
- Confirmed the cache rebuilt, but it still omitted
browser-use. - Tried an experimental
config.tomloverride pointing[marketplaces.openai-bundled].sourcedirectly to the packaged marketplace. On restart/update, Codex reset it back to the filtered cache path.
Expected behavior
If BrowserUse and InAppBrowser are enabled and the packaged marketplace includes browser-use, the Windows app should expose Browser Use in Settings/Plugins and allow @browser-use or the documented in-app browser shortcut/URL behavior.
Actual behavior
Browser Use is packaged and appears feature-flagged, but is filtered out of the user marketplace cache and unavailable in the UI.
Notes
This looks like a Windows app marketplace-cache/filtering, rollout-gating, or UI exposure bug rather than a missing package or stale install.
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