Windows Store Codex v26.623: Computer Use plugin/cache/runtime valid after EFS workaround, but session tools are not injected and node_repl is never started

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 Home China
• Codex Store app: v26.623.13972.0
• Install method: Microsoft Store
• Account: ChatGPT Plus
• Model: gpt-5.5 medium
• Clean .codex was tested after a full reset. The old .codex was backed up and not restored.

Summary

Computer Use is visible in Settings, but tools are never injected into a new thread.

This started as a bundled plugin/EFS issue similar to #25220. I manually worked around the EFS copy failure and rebuilt the bundled plugin cache/latest junctions. After that, DiagnoseOnly reports the plugin cache and Computer Use client as valid.

The CUA runtime also validates successfully: node.exe, node_repl.exe, node_modules, and codex-computer-use.exe exist, and CodexSandboxUsers has RX permissions on the runtime binaries.

However, invoking @Computer still returns no computer use tools injected, and no node_repl.exe or codex-computer-use.exe process is ever started.

What initially failed

In a clean .codex state:

• Settings → Computer Use page is present.
• Clicking Install fails with:

Failed to load plugin connection

The Store app bundled plugin source under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\... appears to be EFS-protected. Copying from that source fails with:

ERROR 6000 (0x00001770): The specified file could not be encrypted.

This looks related to #25220.

Manual EFS workaround performed

I created an unencrypted user-space mirror of the bundled openai-bundled marketplace and configured Codex to use it:

[marketplaces.openai-bundled]
source = '%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\sources\openai-bundled'

[plugins."computer-use@openai-bundled"]
enabled = true

[plugins."chrome@openai-bundled"]
enabled = true

[plugins."browser@openai-bundled"]
enabled = true

Then I manually rebuilt the plugin cache/latest junctions.

Plugin/cache diagnostic result

Before the workaround, these were false. After the workaround, they became true:

• browserLatest=true
• browserClient=true
• chromeLatest=true
• chromeBrowserClient=true
• chromeExtensionHost=true
• computerUseLatest=true
• computerUseLatestTargetExists=true
• computerUseClient=true
• marketplaceMirrorManifest=true

No more ERROR 6000 appears during DiagnoseOnly after the manual mirror/cache rebuild.

CUA runtime validation

The CUA runtime exists under %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\Codex\runtimes\cua_node\a89897d3d9baa117\bin\.

These files exist: node.exe, node_repl.exe, setup.ps1, node_modules\@oai\sky\bin\windows\codex-computer-use.exe.

setup.ps1 validates successfully.

CodexSandboxUsers has RX permission on node.exe and node_repl.exe.

This seems related to #28943, but the runtime ACL part appears to be valid on my machine.

Actual behavior

In a new thread:

@Computer Open Calculator using Computer Use. Do not use PowerShell, SendKeys,
Start-Process, shell, command line, scripts, or fallback automation. If Computer
Use tools are not injected in this thread, say exactly: "no computer use tools
injected".

Response: no computer use tools injected

• No blue border
• No app approval prompt
• No screenshot/click/type tools
• No Browser/Chrome tools
• No node_repl / JS tool
• No node_repl.exe process (checked before and after @Computer)
• No codex-computer-use.exe process (checked before and after @Computer)

Expected behavior

After the plugin cache, Computer Use client, CUA runtime, and runtime ACLs are validated, invoking @Computer should start the native helper / node_repl connection and inject Computer Use tools into the current session.

At minimum, Codex should expose a clear product-level reason if Computer Use cannot be injected into the current thread.

Related

• #25220 — Bundled plugins fail because copyfile fails on EFS-encrypted WindowsApps files
• #25391 — Computer Use client exists but native pipe path/helper context is unavailable
• #28943 — Runtime ACL fix for runtimes directory
• #25488 / #25012 — node_repl / Windows sandbox startup failures