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Codex Issues / #25874

Chrome plugin missing after reinstall; local plugin cache points to incomplete latest folder

Open 💬 3 comments Opened Jun 2, 2026 by miketech-code
💡 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 (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.527.60818

What subscription do you have?

Paid

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64 , Windows 11 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Title: Chrome plugin missing after reinstall; local plugin cache points to incomplete latest folder

Environment:

  • Windows 11
  • Codex desktop app from Microsoft Store
  • Microsoft Store shows Codex 4.3 installed
  • Chrome extension installed from Chrome Web Store:

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

  • Chrome extension popup says "Connected"

Problem:
The Chrome plugin disappeared from Codex after I disabled/removed/reinstalled pieces while troubleshooting. It no longer appears under installed plugins or marketplace search. Reinstalling Codex from the Microsoft Store did not restore the Chrome plugin.

Observed behavior:

  • In Codex → Plugins → Manage, installed plugins show Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, and GitHub only.
  • Searching marketplace for Chrome shows no Chrome plugin.
  • The Chrome Web Store extension is installed and says Connected, but Codex cannot control Chrome.

Diagnostics:
The local Chrome plugin cache exists, but the latest folder appears incomplete.

Existing complete versioned folders:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\26.519.81530
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\26.527.31326

Incomplete latest folder:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\latest

The file expected by the Chrome native-host config is missing:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\latest\scripts\browser-client.mjs

But the file exists in the versioned folder:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\26.527.31326\scripts\browser-client.mjs

Native host diagnostic reports missing registry key and manifest:
HKCU\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.openai.codexextension
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\OpenAI\extension\com.openai.codexextension.json

Relevant config file exists:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\chrome-native-hosts.json

It points browserClientPath to:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\latest\scripts\browser-client.mjs

Expected behavior:
Reinstalling Codex or reinstalling/enabling the Chrome plugin should restore the bundled Chrome plugin, recreate a complete latest plugin folder, register the native host, and allow Codex to control Chrome through the installed Codex Chrome extension.

Impact:
I need Chrome plugin support for authenticated browser sessions. Playwright-launched Chrome is blocked by sites such as FlexJobs and Indeed.

<img width="1928" height="1040" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/03b60a27-37e9-4aab-ba1f-143f697ba338" />

<img width="1920" height="1032" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c3c6fdfd-0e17-4d2d-97b0-e9fe424bc342" />

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Install Codex desktop from the Microsoft Store.
  2. Install the Codex Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store.
  3. Confirm the Chrome extension popup says "Connected".
  4. Open Codex → Plugins → Manage.
  5. Disable or remove the Chrome plugin while troubleshooting.
  6. Reinstall Codex from the Microsoft Store.
  7. Open Codex → Plugins → Manage again.
  8. Search for Chrome in installed plugins and marketplace search.

Actual result:
The Chrome plugin does not appear in installed plugins or marketplace search. Codex cannot control Chrome even though the Chrome extension is installed and says "Connected".

Expected result:
The Chrome plugin should reappear or be reinstallable, and Codex should recreate the native host registration needed to control Chrome.

What is the expected behavior?

Expected behavior:
After reinstalling Codex or reinstalling/enabling the Chrome plugin, Codex should restore the bundled Chrome plugin, recreate a complete latest plugin folder, register the Chrome native host, and show Chrome as an available plugin in Codex.

Once the Codex Chrome extension is installed and connected in Chrome, Codex should be able to control the user’s Chrome browser.

Additional information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

3 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 2 months ago

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

  • #25780
  • #24720
  • #25809
  • #25869

Powered by Codex Action

miketech-code · 2 months ago

I reviewed the suggested duplicates. This looks related to #25780 and #24720, but I do not think it is an exact duplicate.

My issue is specifically on Windows 11 / Microsoft Store Codex 4.3 where:

  • The Chrome plugin no longer appears in installed plugins or marketplace search.
  • The Chrome Web Store extension says "Connected".
  • %USERPROFILE%\.codex\chrome-native-hosts.json points to:

%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\latest\scripts\browser-client.mjs

  • But that file is missing because the latest folder appears incomplete.
  • The same file does exist under the versioned cache folder.

#25780 seems closest because it describes incomplete bundled marketplace/cache contents. #24720 is also close because it describes Chrome plugin disappearance / failed reset on Windows. I’m leaving this open unless maintainers prefer consolidating it into one of those issues.

From: github-actions[bot] @.*>
Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 11:43 AM
To: openai/codex @.*>
Cc: miketech-code @.>; Author @.>
Subject: Re: [openai/codex] Chrome plugin missing after reinstall; local plugin cache points to incomplete latest folder (Issue #25874)

[https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/15368?s=20&v=4]github-actions[bot] left a comment (openai/codex#25874)<https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25874#issuecomment-4604057900>

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

  • #25780<https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25780>
  • #24720<https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/24720>
  • #25809<https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25809>
  • #25869<https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25869>

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zemeng5208 · 16 days ago

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

This is a very direct match for the local consistency failures WinBridge is designed to repair. The important part here is not simply that Chrome disappeared from the UI: complete versioned Chrome plugin directories still exist, while chrome\latest is incomplete and the paths consumed by the Native Host point through that incomplete alias. At the same time, the user-level Native Messaging manifest/registry state is missing.

WinBridge v3.1.1 validates these layers together rather than treating any one of them as authoritative:

  • current Store AppX bundled Chrome version/source
  • managed openai-bundled marketplace
  • versioned Chrome plugin cache
  • chrome\latest target and required files such as scripts\browser-client.mjs / extension host
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\extension\com.openai.codexextension.json
  • Chrome/Edge HKCU NativeMessagingHosts registration
  • chrome-native-hosts-v2.json paths

When the official source is present and those user-owned layers are split/incomplete, WinBridge stages a verified replacement, checks source/destination hashes, backs up the old state, and switches atomically with rollback data. It also tries to avoid replacing cache state while known Chrome/Codex helper processes are still holding it open.

It does not modify WindowsApps ownership/ACLs or bundle patched OpenAI files. If the cache/latest/Native Host layers validate after recovery but Codex still does not expose the Chrome backend to a fresh task, that remaining part is an upstream Desktop/tool-provisioning issue rather than something WinBridge should force.