`codex app` fails to detect the unified ChatGPT.app and downloads the installer (CLI still looks for Codex.app)

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.144.1 (latest release at time of filing, installed via Homebrew cask codex)

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm (macOS, Apple Silicon)

What happened?

Since the July 9 merge of the Codex desktop app into the unified ChatGPT app (changelog: "Codex is now part of the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows"), codex app . no longer detects the installed desktop app and instead tries to download the installer:

$ codex app .
Codex Desktop not found; downloading installer...
Downloading installer...

This happens even though the unified app is installed and up to date:

• /Applications/ChatGPT.app — bundle ID com.openai.codex, version 26.707.51957 (this is the renamed Codex app)
• /Applications/ChatGPT Classic.app — bundle ID com.openai.chat (the old chat app)

Root cause

The CLI binary hard-codes the old app name. Strings in the 0.144.1 binary show it checks Applications directories for the literal Codex.app and falls back to downloading https://persistent.oaistatic.com/codex-app-prod/Codex.dmg:

failed to install Codex.app to any applications directory
Codex Desktop not found; downloading installer...

Since the migration renamed the bundle to ChatGPT.app (keeping bundle ID com.openai.codex), the name-based lookup can never succeed on a migrated machine. Detection by bundle ID (com.openai.codex) instead of bundle name would fix this.

Expected behavior

codex app . opens the current directory as a workspace in the installed unified ChatGPT app, as documented:

• CLI reference still says: "On macOS, Codex can open a workspace path" via codex app /path/to/workspace
• ChatGPT desktop app docs have no migration note about codex app breaking

If the fix will take a while, a docs note on those pages would help — right now users who manage the app via Homebrew (or any means other than the CLI's own installer) get an unwanted second install path.

Workaround

open -a ChatGPT . works, because ChatGPT.app declares public.folder in its document types.

Related

Possibly related migration fallout: #31866, #32022