Dollar sign menu bloated with entirely irrelevant plugins I've never seen before or configured

Resolved 💬 7 comments Opened May 22, 2026 by SpyrosBou Closed May 26, 2026

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.133.0

What subscription do you have?

Pro

Which model were you using?

Any - Irrelevant

What platform is your computer?

MacOS

What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?

Warp

Codex doctor report

codex doctor --json
{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "generatedAt": "1779482266s since unix epoch",
  "overallStatus": "ok",
  "codexVersion": "0.133.0",
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      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "background server is not running",
      "details": {
        "control socket": "/Users/warui1/.codex/app-server-control/app-server-control.sock",
        "daemon state dir": "/Users/warui1/.codex/app-server-daemon",
        "mode": "ephemeral",
        "pid file": "/Users/warui1/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server.pid (missing)",
        "settings": "/Users/warui1/.codex/app-server-daemon/settings.json (missing)",
        "status": "not running",
        "update-loop pid file": "/Users/warui1/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server-updater.pid (missing)"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "auth.credentials": {
      "id": "auth.credentials",
      "category": "auth",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "auth is configured",
      "details": {
        "auth file": "/Users/warui1/.codex/auth.json",
        "auth storage mode": "File",
        "stored API key": "false",
        "stored ChatGPT tokens": "true",
        "stored agent identity": "false",
        "stored auth mode": "chatgpt"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "config.load": {
      "id": "config.load",
      "category": "config",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "config loaded",
      "details": {
        "CODEX_HOME": "/Users/warui1/.codex",
        "config.toml": "/Users/warui1/.codex/config.toml",
        "config.toml parse": "ok",
        "cwd": "/Users/warui1/projects/coachhaven-local",
        "enabled feature flags": "shell_tool, unified_exec, shell_snapshot, terminal_resize_reflow, sqlite, memories, hooks, enable_request_compression, multi_agent, apps, tool_suggest, plugins, plugin_hooks, in_app_browser, browser_use, browser_use_external, computer_use, plugin_sharing, image_generation, skill_mcp_dependency_install, steer, guardian_approval, goals, collaboration_modes, tool_call_mcp_elicitation, personality, fast_mode, realtime_conversation, tui_app_server, prevent_idle_sleep, workspace_dependencies",
        "feature flag overrides": "memories=true, realtime_conversation=true, prevent_idle_sleep=true",
        "feature flags enabled": "31",
        "log dir": "/Users/warui1/.codex/log",
        "mcp servers": "8",
        "model": "gpt-5.5",
        "model provider": "openai",
        "sqlite home": "/Users/warui1/.codex"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "installation": {
      "id": "installation",
      "category": "install",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "installation looks consistent",
      "details": {
        "PATH codex #1": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "current executable": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "install context": "brew",
        "managed by bun": "false",
        "managed by npm": "false",
        "managed package root": "not set"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 2
    },
    "mcp.config": {
      "id": "mcp.config",
      "category": "mcp",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "MCP configuration is locally consistent",
      "details": {
        "configured servers": "8",
        "disabled servers": "4",
        "stdio servers": "5",
        "streamable_http servers": "3"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 3669
    },
    "network.env": {
      "id": "network.env",
      "category": "network",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "network-related environment looks readable",
      "details": {
        "proxy env vars": "none"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "network.provider_reachability": {
      "id": "network.provider_reachability",
      "category": "reachability",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "active provider endpoints are reachable over HTTP",
      "details": {
        "ChatGPT base URL": "https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/ reachable (HTTP 403)",
        "reachability mode": "ChatGPT auth"
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    "network.websocket_reachability": {
      "id": "network.websocket_reachability",
      "category": "websocket",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "Responses WebSocket handshake succeeded",
      "details": {
        "DNS": "2 IPv4, 2 IPv6, first IPv4",
        "auth mode": "chatgpt",
        "connect timeout": "15000 ms",
        "endpoint": "wss://chatgpt.com/backend-api/<redacted>",
        "handshake result": "HTTP 101 Switching Protocols",
        "model provider": "openai",
        "models etag present": "true",
        "provider name": "OpenAI",
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      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "running brew on macos-aarch64",
      "details": {
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      "status": "ok",
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        "search provider": "system"
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    "sandbox.helpers": {
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      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "sandbox configuration is readable",
      "details": {
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        "codex-linux-sandbox helper": "none",
        "execve wrapper helper": "/Users/warui1/.codex/tmp/arg0/codex-arg0yk5M9O/codex-execve-wrapper",
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        "effective locale": "en_US.UTF-8",
        "stderr is terminal": "true",
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    "updates.status": {
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      "status": "ok",
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      "details": {
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        "check for update on startup": "true",
        "last checked at": "2026-05-22T12:53:39.886729Z",
        "latest version": "0.133.0",
        "latest version status": "current version is not older",
        "update action": "brew upgrade --cask codex",
        "version cache": "/Users/warui1/.codex/version.json"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 206
    }
  }
}

What issue are you seeing?

A million irrelevant plugins are bloating my CLI's dollar sign menu and impeding my workflow.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Type "$" into the input area and scroll or search.

What is the expected behavior?

Codex only shows the skills I've curated and installed myself.

Additional information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

7 Comments

yui-stingray · 1 month ago

I took a quick look at the current code path I checked. I have not reproduced this on macOS/Warp, so this is only a code pointer, not a confirmed diagnosis.

What I found:

The TUI refreshes plugin mentions when the Plugins feature is enabled via ChatWidget::refresh_plugin_mentions, which sends AppEvent::RefreshPluginMentions.
fetch_plugin_mentions reads plugin/list, keeps entries where plugin.installed && plugin.enabled, then enriches them from PluginsManager::plugins_for_config(...).capability_summaries().
The composer then adds plugin mention candidates to the $ popup alongside skill candidates:
legacy path: ChatComposer::mention_items pushes [Plugin] entries with insert_text: "$<plugin_name>".
mentions-v2 path: build_search_catalog extends candidates with plugins.iter().map(plugin_candidate).
There is also a unit test named mention_items_show_plugin_owned_skill_and_app_duplicates that currently expects a Google Calendar skill, plugin wrapper, and app connector to appear as separate [Skill], [Plugin], and [App] entries.

So if the intended UX is “only locally curated/installed skills should appear after typing $”, the current implementation seems broader: installed+enabled plugins with skills/MCP/apps are first-class $ mention candidates, and the same capability can appear as separate skill/app entries alongside the plugin wrapper.

Three questions that may help narrow the fix:

Are the irrelevant entries in the screenshot installed+enabled plugins, bundled plugins, or uninstalled discoverable suggestions?
Should the bare $ popup exclude [Plugin] entries and show only skills/apps unless the user explicitly opens /plugins?
Or should plugin mentions remain, but be deduplicated/hidden when a plugin’s exposed skills/apps already cover the same capability?

mullzhang · 1 month ago

I believe #24205 is a duplicate of this issue, but it includes some additional local-state diagnostics that may help narrow down one source of the bloated $ menu.

In my repro, the unexpected $ menu entries are [App] suggestions and are present in:

~/.codex/cache/codex_app_directory/*.json

with entries like:

{
  "distributionChannel": "ECOSYSTEM_DIRECTORY",
  "isAccessible": false,
  "isEnabled": true,
  "pluginDisplayNames": []
}

The same app names do not appear in:

~/.codex/cache/codex_apps_tools/*.json

Deleting the app directory cache only removes them temporarily; it is regenerated on restart and the suggestions return.

So at least one source of the bloated $ menu appears to be inaccessible App Directory catalog entries being included in autocomplete.

esnssr · 1 month ago

this is happening to me too. it is really really annoying tbh.
the random apps seem to be coming from codex's local app directory cache:

~/.codex/cache/codex_app_directory
~/.codex/cache/codex_apps_tools

if delete them (which i shouldn't), the issue disappears, but it comes again as soon as codex regenerates them.

edit: worth mentioning i think that this only happens in the CLI.

SpyrosBou · 1 month ago

I think this is caught somewhere between being a bug and a missed edge-case in a new feature implementation. Seeing how the codex team is basically merging the functionality between the TUI and CLI, so there's one consistent model of operation - my guess is this was either intentional that these are picked up there but not properly QA-vetted, or something that should have been handled/adjusted for the TUI but was missed.

banagale · 1 month ago

Started seeing this also, it is not ideal. Just typing $ pops up 1-800-flowers.

While here I'd throw in an appeal for thumbs ups on my appeal for recognition of the easier to type and muscle-memory performant / as an option in the TUI: https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/19427

yui-stingray · 1 month ago

One narrower mentions-v2 detail I did not call out clearly above: this can still happen before fuzzy ranking has any chance to do the right thing.

For the $ picker, build_search_catalog is fed skills plus plugin capability summaries. On the plugin side, the TUI derives mention entries from plugin/list, but the mention eligibility check appears to be only installed && enabled; the row is then enriched from local PluginCapabilitySummary, including app_connector_ids. In that path I do not see connector accessibility/setup state (is_accessible / is_enabled from the app connector inventory) being used before plugin candidates are added.

The v2 filter also sorts Plugin rows ahead of Skill rows before within-rank fuzzy scoring. That means an installed/enabled plugin whose only advertised capability is app connector ids that are not currently accessible/enabled can still appear ahead of a directly usable skill.

A narrow fix shape might be: once connector inventory is available, filter app-only plugin candidates when none of their connector ids are accessible/enabled, or gate app-connector-only plugin candidates before they enter build_search_catalog. A regression test could cover one matching skill plus one app-only plugin candidate with unavailable connector state and assert the skill is not displaced.

banagale · 1 month ago

Thank you @canvrno-oai .