Computer Use plugin is unavailable in Codex Desktop on Windows
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
26.602.30954
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Pro
What platform is your computer?
Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64
What issue are you seeing?
Computer Use is unavailable in my Codex Desktop app on Windows.
In Settings > Computer Use, the page shows:
"Computer Use plugin is unavailable"
Also, when I type @ in the composer, I cannot find @Computer or @电脑. I used to be able to use Computer Use before, but now the entry is missing and the plugin cannot be installed or enabled.
I would like to know whether this is caused by my account entitlement, subscription, workspace policy, region availability, or a client-side plugin issue.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Steps to reproduce:
- Open Codex Desktop on Windows.
- Go to Settings > Computer Use.
- The page shows "Computer Use plugin is unavailable".
- Go back to a thread and type @ in the composer.
- @Computer / @电脑 does not appear in the app list.
Expected behavior:
Computer Use should be available or there should be an Install button in Settings > Computer Use. @Computer should also appear in the composer when typing @.
Actual behavior:
Computer Use is unavailable, and @Computer / @电脑 is missing.
<img width="750" height="409" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3db3db40-8d91-4f22-a714-2e007b962f80" />
What is the expected behavior?
_No response_
Additional information
_No response_
20 Comments
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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转人工
我与楼主的问题一样,但我是用过computer use的,用了几天后就不能用了,并且@[$computer-use:computer-use]是可以的,对应skill文件也存在(C:\\Users\\xxxx\\.codex\\plugins\\cache\\openai-bundled\\computer-use\\26.527.31326\\skills\\computer-use\\SKILL.md) ,就是不可用了。
Title:
Computer Use plugin is unavailable in Codex Desktop on Windows
Environment:
Problem:
In Codex App Settings > Computer Use, it shows:
"Computer Use 插件不可用" / "Computer Use plugin unavailable"
I previously used Computer Use successfully on this machine. The allowed apps config still shows a previous allowed app:
allowed = ["QQ"]
What I tried:
Observed error:
Computer Use native pipe path is unavailable
Expected:
Computer Use should be available in Settings and should be able to request permission to control apps such as Notepad.
Screenshot:
Attached screenshot of Settings > Computer Use showing "Computer Use 插件不可用".
I am seeing the same Computer Use failure on Codex Desktop for Windows, with additional diagnostics. I am also seeing a separate maximized/fullscreen transparency issue on the same Codex install, tracked in / related to https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/25513.
Feedback ID from the Codex issue template link:
Environment
OpenAI.Codex_26.602.3474.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0codex@26.602.3095419045Symptoms
Computer Use plugin is unavailable.@in the composer does not show@computer/@电脑.Runtime error
Trying the Computer Use runtime bootstrap fails with:
Codex Desktop app log contains:
File/cache observations
The persistent plugin cache exists and contains the expected Computer Use files:
The helper executable is present in the persistent plugin cache and has size:
Relevant config marks the plugin enabled:
However, after restarting Codex, the temporary bundled marketplace path is regenerated without the Computer Use subtree:
At the same time, the temporary bundled marketplace directory does contain Chrome helper files, for example:
This seems consistent with the app log
reason=missing-helper-path.Attempted recovery
After manual copying, the files existed, but the already-running process still returned:
After restarting Codex, the temporary bundled marketplace source was regenerated without Computer Use again.
Related issue that appears similar:
yes its happening for me for both browser and computer use. the plugs are ther in the cache on my windows laptop. but they dont show up in codex windows app under plugins, and its not able to use what its not seeing. just got the latest update, and they vanished after loading. though i hadnt enabled them yet. i tried deleting the cache. and doing a repair. i didnt try windows app reset or uninstall. as it doenst seem like anyone else was having much luck fixing it from these other bug reports
soo does the maintainer just doesnt give a fuck about windows?? how the fuckk is this bug still exist
seeing the same issue
are we going to fix this or does it have to be this way forever?
I am seeing the same issue on Windows.
Codex Desktop package:
OpenAI.Codex_26.602.4764.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
Computer Use plugin files exist locally:
C:\Users\soperbp\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\computer-use\26.601.21317\scripts\computer-use-client.mjs
config.toml still has:
[plugins."computer-use@openai-bundled"]
enabled = true
But Computer Use no longer appears in the plugin/@ picker, and attempting to bootstrap it from the bundled skill fails with:
Computer Use native pipe path is unavailable
Named pipes show browser-use pipes and codex-ipc, but no codex-computer-use pipe.
This was working previously, then disappeared from the UI. It now looks like the plugin is installed/enabled in config but the desktop app is not exposing the native Computer Use backend/helper pipe to the runtime.
i see the same on macos too
same issue on my WIndows 11 26H1 28000.1836
latest update that happened earlier today, resolved the issue for me. the computer use plugin finally showup again, i clicked it install. it failed. restarted codex, on open suddenly there was non greyout options int settings for browser use and plugin. back to plugins click install again, and then it installed sucessfully.
Follow-up to my earlier diagnostics comment: after comparing this with another community repair guide/video, I think this "Computer Use plugin unavailable" symptom can have at least two different Windows-side causes. The UI symptom can look almost identical, but the logs and repair path are different.
Related community repair video / guide:
Failure mode A: Windows sandbox / node_repl elevation problem
This is the case described by the community guide/video and related reports.
Typical log/error keywords include:
A reported workaround is to change the Windows sandbox mode in
<codex-home>\\config.tomland then fully restart Codex:This appears to help when the failure is caused by the Windows sandbox setup path trying to perform an elevated setup operation.
Failure mode B: bundled marketplace rebuild fails because a temp Chrome helper directory is locked
This is the case I reproduced and fixed locally.
In my case, the important extra log line was not only
missing-helper-path, but also a bundled marketplace rebuild failure during startup:What appeared to be happening:
<codex-home>\\plugins\\cache\\openai-bundled\\computer-use\\...was intact.<codex-home>\\.tmp\\bundled-marketplaces\\openai-bundledwas incomplete after restart.extension-host.exeprocess was holding the temporary Chrome extension-host directory open, so Codex could not fully rebuild the bundled marketplace.The local workaround that restored the runtime in my session was:
extension-host.exeprocess if it is still running.<codex-home>\\.tmp\\bundled-marketplaces\\openai-bundled\\plugins\\chrome<codex-home>\\.tmp\\bundled-marketplaces\\openai-bundledincluding
.agents\\plugins\\marketplace.jsonand bundled plugin folders such asbrowser,chrome,computer-use,latex, andsites.computer-usefolder does not contain the native helper dependencies, copy/overlaynode_modulesfrom the existing persistent cache version.After doing this, the Computer Use runtime was callable again in the current Codex session. This suggests at least one failure mode is a client-side temporary bundled marketplace rebuild problem caused by a locked Chrome extension-host directory, not an account entitlement problem and not a missing persistent Computer Use cache.
So there may be at least two independent root causes behind the same Settings > Computer Use "plugin unavailable" state:
sandbox = "unelevated"may help;I would still consider both product bugs: Codex should either recover from these states on startup, or surface a clear repair action instead of leaving Settings > Computer Use in the generic unavailable state.
I can reproduce the same issue on Windows with the current Microsoft Store Codex desktop app.
What I see
OpenAI.Codex 26.623.5546.0from Microsoft Store / AppXWindows 10.0.26100, zh-CN localeComputer Use 插件不可用/Computer Use plugin unavailable@Computer/@电脑is not available as a usable app/tool in the current Codex session.Local diagnostics
codex doctorfrom the VS Code bundled CLI reports overall OK:17 ok · 1 idle · 0 warn · 0 fail0.142.5codex features listreportscomputer_use stable true[features].computer_use = false$CODEX_HOME/requirements.tomlwas presentwinget upgrade --name Codex --accept-source-agreementsreports no available upgradeOpenAI.Codex_26.623.5546.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0Notable mismatch
The CLI-side feature flag appears enabled (
computer_use stable true), and local diagnostics are healthy, but the desktop UI still says the Computer Use plugin is unavailable and does not expose any install/repair/enable action.Expected: Settings > Computer Use should either show a working install/enable path, or explain the actual blocking reason such as account/workspace eligibility, region, admin policy, rollout state, missing bundled plugin, or stale plugin cache.
I also encountered the issue and resolved it by changing the installation drive to drive C
I am seeing the same failure on Windows, and local diagnostics suggest this is not simply a missing plugin installation.
Environment
[plugins."computer-use@openai-bundled"]is set toenabled = true.Observed behavior
Relevant local evidence
[computer-use-native-pipe] computer-use native pipe startup ready ... platform=win32[BundledPluginsMarketplace] bundled_plugins_marketplace_resolve_failed ... copyfile ... plugins\\chrome\\.codex-plugin\\backend-specific-skill.md -> %USERPROFILE%\\.codex\\.tmp\\bundled-marketplaces\\... ... UNKNOWN errorThis appears consistent with the situation where the cached plugin exists and the native pipe can start, but the active runtime/plugin marketplace is not rebuilt correctly, leaving Computer Use unavailable to tasks.
Expected behavior
Computer Use should be exposed in a new task after the bundled plugin is installed and enabled. If the temporary marketplace rebuild fails, the app should surface a clear diagnostic and recover or fall back safely.
I can provide a redacted full log if needed.
楼主有需要可以试试我这个方法,有可能可以解决
(For those who's encountering the same problem, feel free to try out my solution shared on github)
https://github.com/AzureSonw/codex-computer-use-windows-repair
I’m encountering the same issue in the latest version.
I reproduced the
Windows Computer Use Sky runtime is unavailablesymptom on Codex Desktop for Windows, but in my case the plugin/cache layer was already healthy after repair. The remaining failure was one layer lower: the currentcua_nodefiles had been placed under a stale content-addressed directory name.Environment and evidence from the working case:
26.727.6591.026.727.513510.0.6/20260723162306-088049353ddc03b1cdac8af3a530fb8898c05a62885eCodex derives the runtime ID from the ordered critical files
manifest.json,bin/node.exe, andbin/node_repl.exe. Copying current files into the old ID directory was not enough. The Microsoft StoreWindowsAppssource also exhibited EFS relocation behavior, so a normal copy could fail; a validatedxcopy /Gcopy into the expected ID directory worked.After fully restarting Codex and opening a new task, Computer Use successfully opened Notepad and typed text.
I packaged the diagnosis and conservative repair as a Skill/script here:
https://github.com/wwwu379-dot/codex-windows-computer-use-repair
This is a community workaround for this specific failure pattern, not an official universal fix. It defaults to read-only diagnosis and does not delete old caches, change WindowsApps ACLs, patch
app.asar, rewrite Codex configuration, or overwrite an invalid target.我维护了一个专门处理这类 Windows Codex Desktop 本地插件状态异常的独立项目 WinBridge Recovery:https://github.com/zemeng5208/winbridge-recovery
看了这个 issue 里几位用户补充的日志后,这个案例和项目的适用范围非常接近:
computer-use的持久化 cache / skill / helper 文件还在,config.toml也还是 enabled,但重启后.codex\.tmp\bundled-marketplaces\openai-bundled里的computer-use子树或.agents\plugins\marketplace.json丢失/不完整,随后出现missing-helper-path/Computer Use native pipe path is unavailable。WinBridge Recovery 会基于当前电脑已经安装的官方 Codex/ChatGPT Windows 包重新检查 bundled marketplace、版本化插件 cache、
latest指针、runtime/helper 路径以及相关注册状态,并在静态状态不一致时做恢复;修复前会做备份,也提供回滚和修复后的自检。它不会修改或取得C:\Program Files\WindowsApps的所有权,也不会打包/分发官方插件文件。需要说明边界:如果实际原因是账号/地区/Workspace 灰度,或者当前官方 Computer Use runtime 自身存在 native-pipe/feature-gate 的代码问题,这个工具不能绕过或修复服务端限制。但对于本帖已经出现的“官方文件仍在、用户侧 marketplace/cache/helper 状态被重建残缺”这一层,可以作为自动化诊断和恢复方案试一下。
项目是我个人维护的非官方、非商业学生项目,不代表 OpenAI 官方修复。