[Bug] Windows Codex Desktop: Computer Use plugin missing from UI and native pipe fails with missing-helper-path

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

• #25780
• #25665
• #25507
• #25571
• #25220

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Confirming the same Computer Use failure on another Windows installation with the same Codex Desktop build.

Environment

• Codex Windows app: 26.527.7698.0
• Bundled/local CLI: 0.136.0-alpha.2
• OS: Windows 11 Core x64, version 10.0.26200
• Locale: zh-TW
• MSIX package status: Ok

Observed behavior

The bundled Computer Use plugin files and native helper binary exist inside the installed package, including the Windows codex-computer-use.exe helper. However, Codex Desktop repeatedly fails to initialize the native pipe.

Redacted app log excerpt:

[computer-use-native-pipe] computer-use notify config ensure finished platform=win32 reason=missing-helper-path status=skipped
[computer-use-native-pipe] computer-use native pipe startup failed errorMessage="Windows Computer Use helper paths are unavailable" platform=win32

The same failure repeats during the app session. Windows app repair and uninstall/reinstall did not resolve it.

Expected behavior: when the bundled helper exists, Codex Desktop should resolve its stable helper path and initialize the native Computer Use pipe.

Additional current-build evidence from Windows + WSL mode, sanitized. This may be the same class of Computer Use / Chrome availability regression, but on a newer package than the original report.

Environment:

Codex Desktop Windows package: OpenAI.Codex_26.601.2237.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
Active WSL CLI: codex-cli 0.136.0-alpha.2
OS: Windows 11 + WSL2 Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS
Kernel: 6.6.114.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2
Chrome executable: C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
Chrome version: 148.0.7778.179
Mode: runCodexInWindowsSubsystemForLinux = true, integratedTerminalShell = "wsl"

Observed user-visible behavior:

• Settings > Computer Control / Computer Use shows controls greyed out with text equivalent to: "disabled by your organization, or unavailable in your region".
• User is on a personal account and physically located in France.
• Chrome/Browser/Computer Use cannot control Chrome.

Read-only evidence collected:

codex features list:
browser_use          stable true
browser_use_external stable true
computer_use         stable true
in_app_browser       stable true
apps                 stable true
plugins              stable true

~/.codex/computer-use/config.json exists and contains only UI strings/theme-like settings.
Windows process list shows both chrome.exe and Codex.exe processes running.
Chrome user-data root exists under the Windows user profile.

Plugin/config observations:

codex mcp list: no MCP servers configured
codex plugin list: current openai-bundled marketplace showed latex only in CLI output; current user config did not list chrome@openai-bundled or computer-use@openai-bundled as enabled plugins.
Older cache entries exist for openai-bundled/browser 26.519.41501, suggesting prior bundled browser/chrome-related artifacts existed, but the current visible plugin marketplace/config state does not expose an enabled Chrome/Computer Use plugin path from the WSL CLI.

Interpretation:

On this current Windows + WSL build, feature flags say browser/computer use are enabled, Chrome is installed/running, and Codex is running, but the Desktop UI still gates Computer Control and the CLI plugin surface does not expose a usable Chrome/Computer Use plugin. This looks like a product gating/availability or plugin registration/bridge problem rather than Chrome not being installed or WSL being unable to see Windows processes.

Observed user-visible behavior: Settings > Computer Control / Computer Use shows controls greyed out with text equivalent to: "disabled by your organization, or unavailable in your region". User is on a personal account and physically located in France. * Chrome/Browser/Computer Use cannot control Chrome.

1. I'm in Taiwan, my pc update to 0.137.0, computer use broken. My pc is not in any organiztion.
2. My nb not update to 0.137.0, keep on 0.136.0, computer use is properly work.

So, It's not region fails. Also no relation with region or organization.

I think is App or Plugin support version validation fail.

I maintain WinBridge Recovery, an independent Windows Codex Desktop local recovery/diagnostic tool: https://github.com/zemeng5208/winbridge-recovery

One of the reproductions in this thread is a good match for the local helper-resolution layer WinBridge is intended to diagnose: on Windows 11 / zh-TW, the current MSIX package is healthy and the bundled Computer Use files, including codex-computer-use.exe, exist in the installed package, but Desktop repeatedly reports reason=missing-helper-path / Windows Computer Use helper paths are unavailable. Windows App Repair and reinstall do not repair that user/runtime state.

WinBridge v3.1.1 resolves the currently installed OpenAI.Codex AppX first, reads the bundled plugin/CUA manifests, verifies the official runtime/helper resources, and compares them with the generated marketplace, versioned Computer Use cache, CUA/Node REPL runtime, CODEX_CLI_PATH, NODE_REPL_NODE_PATH, and helper paths actually configured in the user profile. When those local layers are stale, missing, or split across versions, it can rebuild the user-owned state through verified staging, SHA-256 checks, backups and rollback.

That is different from the other reports in this thread where the UI is intentionally gated by WSL mode, organization/region availability, or where the helper/runtime is healthy but the native-pipe capability is never injected into the active thread. WinBridge cannot and should not bypass those product/runtime gates; it should report them as upstream once the local state validates.

It does not modify WindowsApps ownership/ACLs, decrypt the Store package, or patch OpenAI binaries.