Windows Codex Desktop crashed during in-app Browser use; bundled Browser plugin cache refreshed and old path disappeared

Summary

On Windows, Codex Desktop crashed while the in-app Browser was being used to navigate public contact/outreach pages. After relaunch/recovery, the previously active bundled Browser plugin cache path no longer existed and a newer bundled plugin cache version had appeared. From the user perspective, this looked like the Browser plugin / installation had been lost or auto-uninstalled during recovery.

The crash did not appear to affect the local project files, but it did affect Codex app/browser plugin state and interrupted the workflow.

Environment

OS: Windows
Codex app package path observed:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_26.623.13972.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0\app\Codex.exe

Codex home:
%USERPROFILE%\.codex

What happened

The in-app Browser was being used for public outreach/contact pages. The last external page navigated before the failure was:

https://www.hrlc.org.au/connect-with-us/

After the application crash/restart:

• Codex Crashpad directory was touched around the same time:

%APPDATA%\Codex\web\Codex\Crashpad

• No crash report file was found under:

%APPDATA%\Codex\web\Codex\Crashpad\reports

• The old Browser plugin client path that had been used earlier in the session no longer existed:

%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\browser\26.527.31326\scripts\browser-client.mjs

• A newer bundled plugin cache existed:

%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\browser\26.623.101652\scripts\browser-client.mjs
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\chrome\26.623.101652\scripts\browser-client.mjs
%USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled\computer-use\26.623.101652\.codex-plugin\plugin.json

• config.toml still contained bundled plugin entries:

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

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

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

• config.toml also contained:

[features]
js_repl = false

while browser automation in this environment depends on the Node REPL MCP path.

Health-check baseline after recovery

A local read-only health check showed:

browser@openai-bundled       true
chrome@openai-bundled        true
computer-use@openai-bundled  true
features.js_repl             false
Trusted browser-client hashes found in node_repl env.

browser       26.623.101652    plugin.json=True  assets=True  browser-client=True
chrome        latest           plugin.json=True  assets=True  browser-client=True
chrome        26.623.101652    plugin.json=True  assets=True  browser-client=True
computer-use  26.623.101652    plugin.json=True  assets=True  browser-client=False

Crashpad reports: no crash report files found

Several Codex processes from the crash/restart time were still present afterward.

Expected behavior

Codex Desktop should not crash the whole application when the in-app Browser navigates to a normal public web page.

If the in-app Browser cannot safely load a page, it should fail gracefully and preserve plugin/cache/runtime state.

If bundled plugin caches need to be refreshed after an app update or crash recovery, the app should avoid leaving Browser/Chrome/Computer Use in a state that looks uninstalled, replaced, or unavailable without clear user-facing explanation.

Actual behavior

The app crashed or reset during in-app Browser usage. After recovery, the old bundled Browser plugin cache path was gone and a newer cache had appeared. The user experienced this as Codex losing the Browser/plugin installation.

Related reports

These look related or adjacent:

• #30178
• #30558
• #30925
• #28156
• #26133
• #22114
• #20661

Current workaround

• Avoid using the in-app Browser for arbitrary external outreach/contact-form sites.
• Use regular Chrome/Edge manually for external sites.
• Use Codex to prepare email/form text rather than drive the site.
• If Browser/Chrome/Computer Use tools disappear:

1. Fully quit Codex.
2. Ensure extension-host.exe is stopped.
3. Reopen Codex.
4. Wait 1-2 minutes for openai-bundled plugin cache to rebuild.
5. Recheck %USERPROFILE%\.codex\plugins\cache\openai-bundled.