Codex Desktop Browser Use forces uncontrollable Picture-in-Picture and leaves orphan Computer Use mascot overlay

Summary

In the updated Codex Desktop interface, asking Codex to show a local in-app Browser tab beside the chat repeatedly forces the Browser surface into a Computer Use → Picture in Picture output. The PIP cannot be reliably controlled or disabled, then disappears after the Browser action times out. An orphan blue Computer Use mascot and green numeric badge can remain floating over the desktop afterward.

This makes browser-based UI/design work unusable because the normal side-by-side browser pane is replaced by an uncontrollable floating surface.

Environment

• Codex Desktop / Browser runtime: 26.707.41301
• macOS: 26.5.2 (25F84)
• Local target: 127.0.0.1 web app
• Occurred immediately after the new interface update on 2026-07-11

Reproduction

1. Open a Codex project task.
2. Ask Codex to open a localhost admin URL in the normal in-app Browser pane beside the chat.
3. The full side-by-side pane may appear briefly.
4. Browser control then switches to an Outputs entry labeled Computer Use → Picture in Picture.
5. Right-clicking the PIP produces no menu. The visible X and adjacent icon do not provide a reliable disable/persist-normal-pane control.
6. The Browser webview may time out attaching, after which the PIP disappears and the user is left with only the chat.
7. A blue Computer Use mascot overlay and green 1 badge may remain on the desktop without a working interaction surface.

Configuration test

The bundled Computer Use plugin was explicitly disabled in ~/.codex/config.toml:

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

Codex was fully quit and reopened. The PIP behavior still occurred, showing that Browser presentation bypasses or ignores the disabled Computer Use plugin setting.

The orphan helper process remained running after the overlay failure:

~/.codex/computer-use/Codex Computer Use.app/Contents/MacOS/SkyComputerUseService

Stopping that helper process removed the orphan mascot.

Expected behavior

• Show local should keep the requested localhost page in the normal full in-app Browser pane beside the chat.
• Browser operations should not force Picture-in-Picture unless the user explicitly enables it.
• There should be a durable global setting to disable PIP.
• Disabling the Computer Use plugin should prevent all Computer Use/PIP presentation.
• Failed or timed-out Browser actions must clean up helper overlays and processes.

Impact

This repeatedly interrupts every browser-based handoff and UI/design session, consumes substantial time, and prevents the user from reliably seeing the interface being worked on.