macOS Desktop filters computer-use out of bundled marketplace even though bundled plugin is present

Note: this issue was drafted and opened by Codex on behalf of the user, based on local diagnostics from the affected macOS machine. User restarted Codex Desktop and the issue persists.

Summary

Codex Desktop on macOS shows Computer Use as disabled/unavailable. The local app bundle contains the computer-use bundled plugin and helper app, and the computer_use feature flag is enabled, but the runtime-generated openai-bundled marketplace filters computer-use out. As a result, computer-use@openai-bundled is not visible/installable from the active marketplace.

This looks like a bundled-plugin reconciliation/runtime marketplace filtering issue, not a missing binary, macOS version issue, or config.toml feature flag being disabled.

Related: #18258. This report includes newer evidence from the current macOS Desktop runtime marketplace writer.

Environment

OS: macOS 15.6.1, arm64
Codex Desktop app: /Applications/Codex.app, production build
Bundled Codex CLI: codex-cli 0.136.0-alpha.2
Global codex on PATH: codex-cli 0.128.0
Auth mode: ChatGPT
Computer Use helper/plugin version from manifest: 1.0.799
Browser plugin release shown in logs: 26.527.60818

codex doctor reports config/auth/runtime mostly healthy:

config.toml parse: ok
auth: ChatGPT tokens configured
feature flags: loaded
sandbox: unrestricted fs + enabled network, approval Never

Doctor warnings about TERM=dumb and old session scan files do not appear related.

Expected behavior

If Computer Use is available for this account/region/platform, the runtime-generated openai-bundled marketplace should include computer-use, and Settings > Computer Use should allow install/enable/setup.

If Computer Use is intentionally unavailable, the app should show a specific reason such as region, rollout, admin policy, or account entitlement, rather than producing an active marketplace where the bundled plugin is simply missing.

Actual behavior

• Settings > Computer Use is disabled/unavailable.
• Restarting Codex Desktop does not fix it.
• The current Codex thread exposes Browser-related tooling only; no Computer Use tool is available.
• The active openai-bundled marketplace lists only browser and latex.
• Installing Computer Use from the active marketplace fails because it is not listed.

$ /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/codex plugin add computer-use@openai-bundled
Error: plugin `computer-use` was not found in marketplace `openai-bundled`

Current plugin list for openai-bundled:

Marketplace `openai-bundled`
~/.codex/.tmp/bundled-marketplaces/openai-bundled/.agents/plugins/marketplace.json

PLUGIN                  STATUS              VERSION       PATH
browser@openai-bundled  installed, enabled  26.527.60818  ~/.codex/.tmp/bundled-marketplaces/openai-bundled/plugins/browser
latex@openai-bundled    not installed                     ~/.codex/.tmp/bundled-marketplaces/openai-bundled/plugins/latex

Local package evidence

The installed Codex app bundle contains all four bundled plugin entries:

/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/plugins/browser
/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/plugins/chrome
/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/plugins/computer-use
/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/plugins/latex

The app bundle marketplace file includes computer-use:

/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/.agents/plugins/marketplace.json

Relevant entry:

{
  "name": "computer-use",
  "source": {
    "source": "local",
    "path": "./plugins/computer-use"
  },
  "policy": {
    "installation": "AVAILABLE",
    "authentication": "ON_INSTALL"
  },
  "category": "Productivity"
}

The plugin manifest also appears valid:

{
  "name": "computer-use",
  "version": "1.0.799",
  "description": "Control desktop apps on macOS from Codex through Computer Use.",
  "mcpServers": "./.mcp.json",
  "skills": "./skills/"
}

The MCP command in the plugin is:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "computer-use": {
      "command": "./Codex Computer Use.app/Contents/SharedSupport/SkyComputerUseClient.app/Contents/MacOS/SkyComputerUseClient",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "cwd": "."
    }
  }
}

Helper app evidence

The Computer Use helper app exists under both the Codex app bundle and the local Codex home helper install path:

/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/plugins/computer-use/Codex Computer Use.app
~/.codex/computer-use/Codex Computer Use.app

The helper executable runs and prints help:

$ /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/plugins/computer-use/Codex\ Computer\ Use.app/Contents/SharedSupport/SkyComputerUseClient.app/Contents/MacOS/SkyComputerUseClient --help
USAGE: cua <subcommand>

SUBCOMMANDS:
  mcp                     Runs the Computer Use client as an MCP server
  turn-ended              Handles a Codex turn-ended notification

The helper is signed/notarized by OpenAI:

Identifier=com.openai.sky.CUAService
Authority=Developer ID Application: OpenAI OpCo, LLC (2DC432GLL2)
Notarization Ticket=stapled
TeamIdentifier=2DC432GLL2

The helper declares LSMinimumSystemVersion = 14.4; affected system is macOS 15.6.1.

Feature flag evidence

Both bundled and global CLIs report computer_use enabled:

$ /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/codex features list
computer_use                            stable             true
plugins                                 stable             true
apps                                    stable             true
browser_use                             stable             true
browser_use_external                    stable             true
in_app_browser                          stable             true

~/.codex/config.toml does not contain an obvious computer_use = false or disabled plugin entry. It does contain the active bundled marketplace source pointing at the runtime-generated snapshot:

[marketplaces.openai-bundled]
source_type = "local"
source = "~/.codex/.tmp/bundled-marketplaces/openai-bundled"

[plugins."browser@openai-bundled"]
enabled = true

Runtime-generated marketplace mismatch

The runtime-generated marketplace under:

~/.codex/.tmp/bundled-marketplaces/openai-bundled/.agents/plugins/marketplace.json

contains only:

browser
latex

while the app bundle source marketplace contains:

browser
chrome
computer-use
latex

Recent Codex Desktop startup logs show the runtime marketplace writer producing only two plugins:

2026-06-01T23:44:53.210Z info [BundledPluginsMarketplace] bundled_plugins_runtime_marketplace_written pluginCount=2 pluginNames=["browser","latex"] targetMarketplaceRoot=~/.codex/.tmp/bundled-marketplaces/openai-bundled

2026-06-01T23:44:56.075Z info [BundledPluginsMarketplace] bundled_plugins_marketplace_added marketplaceName=openai-bundled marketplacePluginNames=["browser","latex"] marketplaceRoot=~/.codex/.tmp/bundled-marketplaces/openai-bundled

No current startup log line showed computer-use being included in the runtime marketplace. Older logs on the machine showed a similar bundled marketplace path with computer-use skipped/missing, but the current reproducible signal is that the runtime writer outputs only browser and latex.

Isolation check with temporary CODEX_HOME

Without modifying the real ~/.codex, I tested adding the app bundle marketplace directly in a temporary CODEX_HOME:

CODEX_HOME=/tmp/tmp-codex-home /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/codex plugin marketplace add /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled

In that isolated config, codex plugin list correctly shows all four bundled plugins:

browser@openai-bundled       not installed  /Applications/Codex.app/.../plugins/browser
chrome@openai-bundled        not installed  /Applications/Codex.app/.../plugins/chrome
computer-use@openai-bundled  not installed  /Applications/Codex.app/.../plugins/computer-use
latex@openai-bundled         not installed  /Applications/Codex.app/.../plugins/latex

This supports that the source marketplace and plugin manifest are fine; the active runtime-generated marketplace is the piece filtering computer-use out.

Reproduction steps

1. Open Codex Desktop on macOS.
2. Open Settings > Computer Use.
3. Observe Computer Use is disabled/unavailable.
4. Restart Codex Desktop.
5. Observe the setting remains disabled/unavailable.
6. Run:

``text
/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/codex plugin list
``

1. Observe openai-bundled lists only browser and latex.
2. Run:

``text
/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/codex plugin add computer-use@openai-bundled
``

1. Observe plugin computer-use was not found in marketplace openai-bundled.
2. Compare the runtime marketplace with the app bundle marketplace; runtime has browser, latex, app bundle has browser, chrome, computer-use, latex.

Request

Please investigate why macOS Codex Desktop is writing an openai-bundled runtime marketplace that excludes computer-use even when:

computer_use feature flag is true
plugins/apps features are true
app bundle contains computer-use
app bundle marketplace lists computer-use
helper app exists and runs
macOS version is supported
restart does not fix the generated marketplace

It would also help if Settings > Computer Use or codex doctor exposed the resolved reason when Computer Use is filtered out, e.g. region, rollout, account entitlement, managed policy, helper missing, macOS permission missing, or runtime marketplace filtering.