Chrome/Edge extension shows Connected, but Codex app shows not connected and @Chrome is unavailable

Open 💬 6 comments Opened May 21, 2026 by SIN1638

💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

What version of the Codex App are you using?

26.513.4821.0

What subscription do you have?

Not sure / not included

What platform is your computer?

Windows, x64

What issue are you seeing?

The Codex browser extension is installed in Microsoft Edge and the extension popup shows Connected, but the Codex desktop app still shows the Chrome/browser plugin as not connected. In Codex chats, @Chrome is not exposed as an available tool, so Codex cannot use the browser extension backend.

This creates a state mismatch:

Browser extension popup: Connected
Codex app settings/plugin status: not connected
Current Codex thread/tool list: no usable @Chrome / Chrome backend

I understand the documented setup is for Chrome, but the Codex app setup flow on this Windows machine opens Edge by default, and Edge is Chromium-based. The extension can be installed there and reports Connected, but Codex does not recognize it as connected.

Additional related symptom

When trying the Chrome Web Store page directly in Chrome, the store sometimes shows the localized error equivalent to:

This item cannot be purchased or downloaded

So the Edge extension can show Connected, but the Codex app still does not accept it as a connected Chrome/browser backend.

Steps to reproduce

Use Codex desktop app on Windows.
Open Codex settings/plugins and start the Chrome/browser plugin setup flow.
The setup opens Edge by default on this machine.
Install/enable the Codex browser extension in Edge.
Open the extension popup and confirm it shows Connected.
Return to Codex settings/plugins.
Observe that Codex still shows the plugin as not connected.
Start a new Codex thread and try to invoke @Chrome.
Observe that @Chrome is not available/usable.

Expected behavior

Either:

Codex should clearly require Google Chrome and not treat Edge as a valid setup path, or
If Edge/Chromium is supported, Codex should recognize the connected Edge extension backend and expose it to new Codex threads.

At minimum, the app should not leave the user in a contradictory state where the extension says Connected but Codex says not connected.

What I tried

Updated Codex desktop app to 26.513.4821.0.
Restarted Codex and the browser.
Checked that the extension popup shows Connected in Edge.
Started a new Codex thread.
Checked whether @Chrome appears as an available tool.
Tried opening the Chrome Web Store extension page directly in Chrome, but encountered the "item cannot be purchased or downloaded" store error.

Possibly related issues

This seems related to the same general connection/backend state mismatch class as:

#22264: Chrome plugin shows Connected on Windows, but Codex cannot control Chrome and initialization times out
#21822: Chrome extension can list/claim tabs but page content APIs fail
#21741: Chrome extension stays Disconnected while Codex settings show Connected
#21791: Chrome plugin mention is selectable but chrome@openai-bundled is not exposed

Notes

The key difference in this report is that the browser extension shows Connected, while Codex app settings show not connected, and the setup flow opens Edge by default on this Windows machine.

View original on GitHub ↗

6 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 2 months ago

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

#23322
#23146
#22638
#22264
#23283

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ai-craftsman404 · 1 month ago

I have had the same issue as reported here however I just discovered that Chrome plugin appears to be native, with Codex installation. I just only noticed when I navigated to "manage" submenu under "Plugins" menu in Codex application. Oddly in search menu, I can never find any match for Chrome plugin ! I wonder if this is what has been the cause for confusion :-)

stevenworld75 · 1 month ago

Possible fix/workaround that just fixed mine on Windows. Not official, so back up first.

My failure was not only the browser extension. The local bundled marketplace was broken. In my case codex plugin list failed with:

marketplace root does not contain a supported manifest

What fixed it:

Update the PATH CLI:

npm install -g @openai/codex@latest
codex --version
codex doctor --summary

Back up these before changing anything:

%USERPROFILE%\.codex\config.toml
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\bundled-marketplaces\openai-bundled

Remove the broken marketplace entry:

codex plugin marketplace remove openai-bundled

Restore/recreate this missing manifest:

%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\bundled-marketplaces\openai-bundled\.agents\plugins\marketplace.json

The manifest needs local entries for:

./plugins/browser
./plugins/chrome
./plugins/computer-use
./plugins/latex

Re-add the marketplace:

codex plugin marketplace add "$env:USERPROFILE\.codex\plugins\bundled-marketplaces\openai-bundled"

If you use Edge with the Codex Chrome extension, check the Edge native messaging host too. Chrome and Edge use separate registry keys. This was missing on mine:

$manifestPath = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\OpenAI\extension\com.openai.codexextension.json"
$key = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Edge\NativeMessagingHosts\com.openai.codexextension"
New-Item -Path $key -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $key -Name "(default)" -Value $manifestPath

Fully restart Codex and Edge/Chrome.

After this, codex plugin list showed:

browser@openai-bundled installed, enabled
chrome@openai-bundled installed, enabled
computer-use@openai-bundled installed, enabled

and codex doctor --summary ended clean: 17 ok - 1 idle - 0 warn - 0 fail ok.

This probably does not fix every upstream bug, but it fixed the local plugin/cache/native-host state where Browser/Chrome/Computer Use disappeared or the extension was connected but unavailable to Codex.

stevenworld75 · 1 month ago

Sharing a field workaround that fixed this on my Windows desktop after the recent Codex Desktop update. This is not an official OpenAI fix, but it may help when the extension is installed/reinstalled and still shows not connected.

In my case, the extension itself was not the only problem. Two local runtime issues were blocking Codex:

ode_repl failed before browser automation with codex/sandbox-state-meta: missing field sandboxPolicy.

Computer Use tried a native-pipe-only path, but the expected codex-computer-use-* pipe was missing. The bundled codex-computer-use.exe helper still worked over stdio.

What fixed it locally:

Wrapped

ode_repl.exe with a shim that injects the legacy sandboxPolicy field and forwards to the original runtime.

Refreshed browser/chrome MCP and extension-host config to point at the current runtime/CLI paths.
Patched computer-use-client.mjs to try native pipe first, then fall back to the shipped stdio helper.
Added an idempotent repair script and optional restart watchdog.

Verification:

Chrome extension control opened https://example.com/ and read title Example Domain.
Computer Use sky.list_apps() returned 40 apps.
The repair script rerun reported Browser runtime repair: already current.

Full copy/paste prompt and repair notes:
https://gist.github.com/stevenworld75/6c59315b858807a1b6d6a238b1db69f6

Use carefully: back up first, do not hard-code paths from my machine, and keep it version-aware so it does not overwrite a future upstream fix.

aidawilliam41-ops · 13 days ago

Adding another Windows case / feedback bundle for the same class of issue.

Feedback ID: 019ee940-52a7-7ad2-9d9e-1d69098eb8a6

Environment / observed state:

Windows
Codex Desktop package: OpenAI.Codex 26.623.19656.0
Chromium path: C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Chromium\Application\chrome.exe
Codex extension ID: hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg
Codex extension version: 1.1.5
Native host manifest exists: C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\OpenAI\extension\com.openai.codexextension.json
Native messaging host keys point to that manifest:
HKCU\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.openai.codexextension
HKCU\Software\Chromium\NativeMessagingHosts\com.openai.codexextension

Important detail: after adding/checking the Chromium native messaging host, the extension popup can show Connected and the browser bridge can work, but the Codex UI/settings can still show Google Chrome as Not connected / Не подключено.

This looks like a status/detector mismatch for Chromium-family browser state, not only a missing extension or missing native host manifest.

smangifthub · 6 days ago

I am experiencing the same issue on Windows 10 with ChatGPT Work and Google Chrome. The Chrome extension is installed and appears connected, but ChatGPT Work repeatedly reports that the control extension failed to initialize and cannot open or control Chrome.
I have restarted Windows, Chrome and ChatGPT Work, reinstalled and reconnected the extension, checked Chrome profiles and permissions, and temporarily disabled antivirus protection. The issue persists.
Feedback ID: 019f5f7c-07c1-7882-b7a8-c211bb11f678