Windows Store Codex: Chrome backend not registered and Computer Use native pipe missing

Summary

On Windows Store Codex, both bundled Chrome control and Computer Use are installed/enabled but do not become available inside Codex sessions.

• Chrome extension is installed and enabled.
• Native messaging manifest is valid.
• extension-host.exe starts.
• agent.browsers.list() returns an empty array.
• Computer Use plugin is installed/enabled in Codex UI, but the session receives no native pipe (nodeRepl.nativePipe is absent, SKY_CUA_NATIVE_PIPE_DIRECTORY is absent).
• setupComputerUseRuntime() fails with native pipe missing / os error 2.

This looks like bundled plugin/native helper activation is broken for this Windows Store install.

Environment

• OS: Windows
• Codex app: Microsoft Store / WindowsApps package
• Codex package path: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.609.3341.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\Codex.exe
• Codex AppID: OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0!App
• OpenAI bundled plugin version: 26.609.30741
• Chrome plugin version: 26.609.30741
• Computer Use plugin version: 26.609.30741
• Codex Chrome Extension: 1.1.5_0
• Chrome extension ID: hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg
• Chrome profile: Default

Chrome diagnostics

check-extension-installed.js --json reports:

{
  "extensionId": "hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg",
  "selectedProfileDirectory": "Default",
  "installed": true,
  "enabled": true,
  "profiles": [
    {
      "profileDirectory": "Default",
      "installed": true,
      "registered": true,
      "enabled": true,
      "disabled": false,
      "versions": ["1.1.5_0"],
      "selected": true
    }
  ],
  "exitCode": 0
}

check-native-host-manifest.js --json reports:

{
  "expectedHostName": "com.openai.codexextension",
  "actualHostName": "com.openai.codexextension",
  "expectedExtensionId": "hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg",
  "expectedOrigin": "chrome-extension://hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg/",
  "exists": true,
  "nameMatches": true,
  "hasExpectedOrigin": true,
  "registryMatchesManifestPath": true,
  "correct": true,
  "problem": null
}

The manifest points to:

C:\Users\<user>\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\latest\extension-host\windows\x64\extension-host.exe

extension-host.exe has been observed running and responding.

However, from the Chrome browser client runtime:

{
  "chrome": {
    "browsers": []
  }
}

So agent.browsers.list() returns [], and agent.browsers.get("extension") is unavailable.

Computer Use diagnostics

Computer Use is shown as installed/enabled in the Codex UI ("Control Windows apps from Codex", version 26.609.30741), but the current session receives no native pipe:

{
  "nodeReplKeys": [
    "cwd",
    "emitImage",
    "env",
    "homeDir",
    "requestMeta",
    "setResponseMeta",
    "tmpDir",
    "write"
  ],
  "hasNativePipe": false,
  "envKeys": [],
  "skyPipe": null,
  "hasConfig": false
}

Calling Computer Use runtime fails:

Computer Use native pipe is unavailable: Error: failed to connect native pipe:
Не удается найти указанный файл. (os error 2)

Earlier, before applying a local workaround, computer-use-client.mjs also failed with:

Error [ERR_PACKAGE_PATH_NOT_EXPORTED]: Package subpath
'./dist/project/cua/sky_js/src/targets/windows/internal/computer_use_client_base.js'
is not defined by "exports" in ...\node_modules\@oai\sky\package.json

The file exists physically, but the package exports only ".". I locally patched the import to a direct file:///... URL to continue diagnostics; after that, the failure moved to missing native pipe.

Reproduction steps

1. Install Codex from Microsoft Store on Windows.
2. Enable/install bundled Chrome and Computer Use.
3. Install and enable the Codex Chrome Extension in Chrome profile Default.
4. Start/restart Codex and Chrome.
5. In a Codex session, run Chrome browser client setup and call agent.browsers.list().
6. In the same session, inspect nodeRepl.nativePipe / nodeRepl.env.SKY_CUA_NATIVE_PIPE_DIRECTORY, then try setupComputerUseRuntime().

Expected

• Chrome backend should register and appear in agent.browsers.list().
• Computer Use session should have nodeRepl.nativePipe or a valid SKY_CUA_NATIVE_PIPE_DIRECTORY.
• sky.list_apps() should work and list Windows apps.

Actual

• agent.browsers.list() returns [].
• nodeRepl.nativePipe is absent.
• SKY_CUA_NATIVE_PIPE_DIRECTORY is absent.
• setupComputerUseRuntime() fails with native pipe os error 2.

Workarounds attempted

• Reinstalled / re-enabled Codex Chrome Extension.
• Verified Chrome extension is installed and enabled.
• Verified native messaging manifest is valid.
• Fully restarted Codex and Chrome multiple times.
• Killed/restarted extension-host.exe.
• Reset bundled plugin cache by renaming .codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled.
• Let Codex rebuild bundled marketplace/cache.
• Copied Store/WindowsApps helper binaries into %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\bin and restarted.
• Repaired a broken chrome\latest junction/cache target manually.
• Confirmed Computer Use appears enabled in Codex UI.

None of these made Chrome or Computer Use available inside the session.

Notes

This resembles other recent Windows issues where:

• Chrome extension/native host is installed but no browser backend registers.
• Computer Use is enabled but the session lacks native pipe metadata.
• Windows Store / WindowsApps packaging appears to interact badly with native helper discovery or pipe injection.