[app] Computer Use Picture in Picture cannot open the active browser session and double-click wakes the pet

Open 💬 1 comment Opened Jul 14, 2026 by e-zubak

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.707.72221 (5307)

What subscription do you have?

Pro 5x

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

When Computer Use or the in-app browser is active, a Picture in Picture preview appears near the top of the ChatGPT/Codex interface while the pet is closed

The preview does not provide a working or discoverable way to open the exact browser surface where the agent is working

A single click on the preview does nothing
Double-clicking the preview unexpectedly wakes or shows the pet
The apparent expand/collapse arrow does not produce an obvious visible result
The apparent hide/close arrow does not help reveal the active work surface
Opening the browser from the right sidebar creates a new tab instead of revealing the already active hidden browser tab or session

As a result, I can see that browser work is happening but cannot enlarge the preview, inspect the complete page, or interact with the exact tab represented by the preview

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Open the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS
Start a task that uses Computer Use or the in-app browser
Keep the pet closed and observe the Picture in Picture preview near the top of the app interface
Single-click the preview and observe that nothing happens
Use the apparent expand/collapse control and observe that there is no obvious visible response
Double-click the preview and observe that the pet appears instead of the active browser surface
Open the browser from the right sidebar and observe that a new tab is created instead of revealing the active hidden tab

What is the expected behavior?

A single click or a clearly labelled open/expand control should reveal the exact Computer Use or in-app browser tab represented by the preview
Expand/collapse should have an obvious visible effect, or the control should be labelled more clearly
Double-clicking the Picture in Picture preview should not wake the pet
The browser sidebar should expose or reconnect to the active browser session instead of creating an unrelated new tab
The user should be able to inspect and interact with the full browser surface whenever action is required

Additional information

Device context: MacBook Pro with Apple M5 and 32 GB RAM, macOS 26.5.2 build 25F84

Read-only inspection of the installed app build found these diagnostic clues

The installed app calls this feature Computer Use Picture in Picture and includes an "Always hide picture in picture" setting
Picture in Picture placement is linked to the same native presentation infrastructure as the pet/avatar overlay
The main process registers a pet wake request handler for Picture in Picture placement, which makes the unexpected pet activation plausible, although this is not a confirmed root cause
Picture in Picture browser content is internally associated with a thread, browser, and tab identifier, so the app appears to know which exact active tab the preview represents

No exact duplicate was found on 2026-07-14

Related but distinct reports

I can provide a short screen recording showing the ineffective controls and unexpected pet activation

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