macOS Dock helper crashes recursively in CodexDockTilePlugin setDockTile after app update

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.609.30741 (3808)

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro / Pro 20x

What platform is your computer?

macOS 26.5.1 25F80, arm64 uname -mpr: 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

After a recent Codex Mac app update, macOS Dock and application launching behavior became unstable.

This is not a generic "Codex will not open" issue. Crash reports for com.apple.dock.external.extra.arm64 show the Dock helper crashing inside:

-[CodexDockTilePlugin_com_openai_codex setDockTile:]

The crash shows massive recursive stack frames and ends in EXC_BAD_ACCESS. This suggests the Codex Dock tile plugin is repeatedly calling itself and crashing Apple's Dock helper.

To stop the Dock helper from repeatedly crashing, the Codex Dock tile plugin was disabled/removed. After that, the Codex app bundle signature became invalid because Info.plist still declares:

NSDockTilePlugIn = CodexDockTilePlugin.plugin

while the plugin is missing. macOS then started logging AppleSystemPolicy blocks against Codex. After this, app launch behavior across the Mac became unreliable, with Dock launches bouncing, hanging, or being blocked.

Observed behavior:

• Dock helper crash reports reference CodexDockTilePlugin_com_openai_codex setDockTile:
• Large recursive stack in the Dock helper
• Final crash: EXC_BAD_ACCESS
• Removing/disabling the plugin stops the Dock helper crash loop
• Removing the plugin invalidates the Codex app bundle signature
• macOS logs AppleSystemPolicy blocks against Codex
• Dock / LaunchServices behavior becomes unreliable after the broken app state

Expected behavior:

• Codex should not install a Dock tile plugin that can recursively crash Apple's Dock helper
• Codex updates should never leave the user with a broken or invalidly signed app bundle
• If a Dock tile plugin is faulty, Codex should have a safe fallback build or recovery path

Requested follow-up:

1. Provide a clean signed Codex build without the crashing Dock tile plugin.
2. Document a recovery path for users whose Dock / LaunchServices state was destabilized.
3. Confirm that the Codex Mac app update mechanism will not leave users with a broken signed bundle.
4. Investigate the CodexDockTilePlugin_com_openai_codex setDockTile: recursion/crash in Apple's Dock helper.

This issue disrupted my local development workflow and made other app launches appear unreliable. Please route this to the Mac app engineering team rather than treating it as a generic reinstall issue.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

I cannot reliably reproduce the original update path now because this happened immediately after a Codex Mac app update, but the observed failure sequence was:

1. Install or update to Codex Mac app version 26.609.30741 (3808).
2. Launch Codex from the macOS Dock.
3. Observe repeated Dock helper crashes in crash reports for com.apple.dock.external.extra.arm64.
4. The crash report points to:

-[CodexDockTilePlugin_com_openai_codex setDockTile:]

1. The stack contains massive recursive frames and ends in EXC_BAD_ACCESS.
2. Disabling/removing CodexDockTilePlugin.plugin stops the Dock helper crash loop.
3. Because Info.plist still declares NSDockTilePlugIn = CodexDockTilePlugin.plugin, the app bundle signature becomes invalid when the plugin is missing.
4. macOS then logs AppleSystemPolicy blocks against Codex.
5. After this, launching apps from the Dock becomes unreliable, with apps bouncing, hanging, or being blocked.

No code snippet is available because this is a signed macOS app bundle / Dock tile plugin issue, not an API or CLI reproduction.

What is the expected behavior?

Codex should launch normally from the macOS Dock after an update.

The Dock tile plugin should not recursively call setDockTile: or crash Apple's Dock helper. A Codex update should not leave the app in a state where removing a crashing plugin invalidates the signed bundle. If the Dock tile plugin fails, Codex should fail safely without destabilizing Dock, LaunchServices, or app launching across macOS.

Additional information

_No response_