macOS: bundled Chrome plugin fails with `Cannot redefine property: process` in browser-client.mjs

What issue are you seeing?

The bundled Chrome plugin fails before it can connect to Chrome. Importing the plugin's supported browser runtime from the Codex/ChatGPT Desktop Node REPL throws:

TypeError: Cannot redefine property: process
    at /Users/<user>/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/chrome/26.707.71524/scripts/browser-client.mjs:33:22
    at SourceTextModule.evaluate (node:internal/vm/module:233:26)
    at importResolved (.../node_repl/.../kernel.js:905:27)
    at async importModuleDynamicallyWrapper (node:internal/vm/module:525:15)

The failure occurs on this documented bootstrap import:

const { setupBrowserRuntime } = await import(
  "/Users/<user>/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/chrome/26.707.71524/scripts/browser-client.mjs"
);
await setupBrowserRuntime({ globals: globalThis });

Inspection shows line 33 assigns a process shim to globalThis.process. In the current Node REPL runtime, process appears to be non-configurable, so module evaluation fails before setupBrowserRuntime can run.

Steps to reproduce

1. Run ChatGPT Desktop on macOS.
2. Enable/use the bundled @Chrome plugin.
3. In a workspace task, ask Codex to connect to an existing Chrome tab.
4. Codex initializes the Node REPL and imports the bundled scripts/browser-client.mjs.
5. Observe TypeError: Cannot redefine property: process.

Expected behavior

The bundled browser client should initialize successfully and expose agent.browsers.get("extension"), allowing the Chrome plugin to connect to the existing Chrome session.

Actual behavior

The module fails during evaluation at line 33, before Chrome discovery, extension communication, permission checks, or CDP access.

Environment

• OS: macOS
• Desktop app: ChatGPT 26.707.71524
• Bundled Codex CLI: codex-cli 0.144.2
• Bundled Chrome plugin: chrome@26.707.71524
• Plugin path: ~/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/chrome/26.707.71524
• Date reproduced: 2026-07-14

Troubleshooting already attempted

• Fully restarted ChatGPT Desktop.
• Moved the bundled Chrome plugin cache aside and restarted the app.
• Confirmed the app rebuilt/restored the Chrome plugin cache.
• Retried from a clean Node REPL session.
• Confirmed ChatGPT Desktop reports itself as the latest version.
• Reinstalling/rebuilding the same plugin version did not change the error.

No browser cookies, local storage, credentials, or page data were accessed. The error occurs before the browser connection is established.

Related reports

There are other Chrome/browser runtime failures, although I did not find this exact error:

• #25361
• #23884
• #21672