›_ Codex Issues
Codex Issues / #22400

Windows Desktop: Chrome plugin not discoverable in Plugins; only Browser Use is installed

Open 💬 3 comments Opened May 13, 2026 by thenorthen

What version of the Codex App are you using?

Unknown from local package lookup. Get-AppxPackage did not return a Codex package in this environment.

Embedded CLI/runtime observed:

codex-cli 0.130.0-alpha.5

What subscription do you have?

Unknown.

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0

User timezone/region context: Africa/Casablanca / Morocco. The user is trying to determine whether this is a Windows limitation, region availability issue, or account/workspace rollout issue.

What issue are you seeing?

The Chrome plugin is not discoverable in Codex Desktop Plugins, even though the official Codex Chrome extension docs say it should be added from Codex -> Plugins -> Add the Chrome plugin.

Local plugin cache inspection shows no Chrome plugin currently available:

~/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-curated:
atlassian-rovo
build-web-apps
canva
gmail
google-calendar
granola
hyperframes
openai-developers
outlook-email
remotion
sharepoint

~/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled:
browser-use

A tool search inside the Codex session exposed plugin/app surfaces such as Canva, OpenAI Platform, and GitHub, but no Chrome or Browser plugin surface for direct use.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

  1. Open Codex Desktop on Windows.
  2. Go to Plugins.
  3. Search for Chrome / Codex Chrome extension / browser.
  4. Observe that the Chrome plugin is not available to add.
  5. Inspect local plugin cache under ~/.codex/plugins/cache.
  6. Observe that openai-bundled contains browser-use only and openai-curated does not contain Chrome.

What is the expected behavior?

If Chrome is available for this account/platform/region, Codex Desktop should expose the Chrome plugin in Plugins so the user can install/connect the Chrome extension and use @Chrome for signed-in browser workflows.

If Chrome is intentionally gated by region, workspace controls, subscription, or staged rollout, the Plugins UI/docs should state that clearly instead of making it look like a missing or broken Windows install.

Additional information

Feedback / reference ID from the user:

36ea6cb6-2702-4156-9031-b078a607332f

Related existing issue with a similar symptom from Norway/EU:

  • #21598

Official docs referenced while troubleshooting:

The current local evidence points to availability/gating or plugin marketplace filtering rather than a simple Chrome extension connection problem, because the Chrome plugin is not present in the plugin cache or discoverable from Plugins in the first place.

View original on GitHub ↗

3 Comments

kevin20031015 · 2 months ago

Adding another Windows reproduction from Taiwan/Asia-Taipei.

Environment:

Codex Desktop package: OpenAI.Codex_26.527.3686.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
Codex CLI: codex-cli 0.130.0
OS: Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26100.0
Chrome extension ID: hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg
Chrome extension version dir: 1.1.5_0

Observed on 2026-05-30:

  • The Codex Chrome extension is installed in the Chrome Default profile.
  • ~/.codex/config.toml has no chrome, browser, or openai-bundled plugin entry, aside from unrelated project path strings.
  • ~/.codex/plugins/cache has no chrome or browser plugin directory.
  • Inside this Codex session, the installable plugin list does not include Chrome; it includes other connectors such as Gmail, Google Drive, GitHub, etc.
  • The expected native messaging registry key was not found at HKCU\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.openai.codexextension.

This appears to match the issue description: the Chrome extension can exist locally, but the Codex Chrome plugin itself is not discoverable/installed in Codex, so @Chrome cannot be made usable from the normal Plugins flow.

simfor99 · 2 months ago

Adding another data point for the plugin-discovery side of this issue.

In the current Codex Desktop session, the user has a Chrome setup where Chrome Computer Use is visible in settings but disabled with:

Von deiner Organisation deaktiviert oder in deiner Region nicht verfügbar

The user then uninstalled the Codex Chrome extension after seeing a configuration error. Reinstalling via the documented Chrome Web Store URL is not possible:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/codex/hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg

Chrome Web Store redirects to an /error URL and displays:

Dieser Artikel ist nicht verfügbar

From inside the Codex session, searching available tools/plugins for Chrome/browser control does not expose a callable Chrome extension backend. This leaves the user with neither a discoverable/usable Chrome plugin in Codex nor a supported Web Store reinstall path for the extension.

This looks consistent with Chrome plugin provisioning being filtered or gated before it reaches the normal Plugins/runtime tool surface, rather than merely a user having selected the wrong Chrome profile.

NotoriousNDC · 1 month ago

Confirming the same failure on a current Windows desktop installation.

Environment:

  • ChatGPT/Codex desktop package build: 26.707.9981
  • OS: Microsoft Windows 10.0.26200, x64
  • Account: personal ChatGPT Plus (I explicitly signed out of an Enterprise workspace and authenticated with the personal workspace)
  • Local official plugin catalog does not expose Chrome
  • ~/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled is absent

Observed behavior:

  1. Open Settings > Browser.
  2. The page says, “Google Chrome can be set up in computer use settings.”
  3. The browser status card says “In-app browser plugin unavailable.”
  4. Chrome is not discoverable in the local Plugins list, so the documented Chrome-extension setup flow cannot be started.

I also updated/restarted the desktop app and started a new task after changing from the Enterprise workspace to personal Plus. The result is unchanged. This suggests bundled-plugin availability or account/app capability discovery rather than a Chrome extension or Enterprise permission problem.

The UI should either provision the bundled Browser/Chrome plugin for an eligible personal account or explain the exact plan, region, rollout, or policy reason it is unavailable. The current generic message provides no actionable recovery path.