macOS: code_sign_clone grows unbounded (62 GB+) across Codex auto-updates
Summary
On macOS, the Codex desktop app (Electron) accumulates a massive code_sign_clone directory in the system temp folder that is never cleaned up. Over time this can consume 62 GB or more of disk space without the user realizing it.
Environment
- macOS: 26.6 (25G5028f)
- Codex version: 26.608.12217 (build 3722)
- Architecture: Apple Silicon (aarch64)
Location
/private/var/folders/<hash>/X/com.openai.codex.code_sign_cloneRoot Cause
macOS creates a code signing clone under /private/var/folders/.../X/ for signed Electron apps. When the app auto-updates frequently (as Codex does), macOS retains old signing data but does not aggressively prune it. Because Codex.app is ~1 GB and updates are frequent, this directory grows to tens of gigabytes over weeks of normal use.
Reproduction
- Use Codex desktop for several weeks with auto-update enabled.
- Run:
du -sh /private/var/folders/*/X/com.openai.codex.code_sign_clone - Observe 10-60+ GB consumed.
Suggested Fix
- On app startup or after a successful update, remove or invalidate stale entries in the code_sign_clone directory.
- Alternatively, reduce the frequency of full app binary replacements during updates (e.g., use delta updates or a stable binary wrapper that loads updated JS bundles without replacing the signed executable).
Workaround
Users can safely delete the directory:
rm -rf /private/var/folders/*/X/com.openai.codex.code_sign_clonemacOS will regenerate the current version's signing data on next launch (~few hundred MB).
Impact
This is a silent disk space leak. Users see "Codex: 75 GB" in macOS Storage settings but cannot find where the space is consumed because the path is hidden in system temp folders. Users with smaller SSDs may hit disk-full conditions without understanding the cause.
10 Comments
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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This happens to me, too! Can I delete them?
Same here. I deleted them manually and nothing weird happened, so it seems safe.
But it is not only on auto-updates, but also by just closing and reopening the app, without any update in between.
Yes, you can delete them by codex safety, but only should keep latest.
Got it, I will close it.
Another day, another discovery of a multi-gigabyte shit that Codex took on my drive. Absolutely outrageous.
I feel like two people reported this issue, @polhenarejos and @VincentAdamNemessisX , and then both of them closed their issues thinking the other issue was live. Is there no longer an active issue tracking this? I just found a 30GB code signing bundle today, so it doesn't seem to be resolved.
Hi @jakintosh, I just found the app hasn't created anything since yesterday. Can you update it to the latest version to see if it's the same for you? Like version 26.623.41415?
@singularitti Actually, yes, I just opened it now and saw I was on Jun 23rd version, opened/closed twice and it generated the files, then updated, and it stopped. The latest version between 6/23 and today did actually seem to fix this.
So it's not just me, great! I actually saw this since version 26.623.31921, but I was unsure. I appreciate their efforts, since this is not specific to the Codex app; other apps have this issue, too.