[app][macOS][26.803.41515] Codex desktop crashes on startup — V8 JavaScript heap out of memory (data-independent, org-wide)

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

26.803.41515 (6321) — bundled Codex app-server 0.147.0-alpha.6.5, Codex runtime offered 26.805.11740

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro (also reproduced with a second account in the same organization)

What platform is your computer?

macOS, Apple Silicon (arm64)

What issue are you seeing?

Summary

The new unified ChatGPT/Codex desktop app for macOS crashes with a V8 "JavaScript heap out of memory" error ~5–20 s after launch/login, making it completely unusable. Reproducible on two different Macs and two different accounts on the same organization/domain. It started on Aug 9, 2026 with no client build change, which points to a server-side rollout / feature flag. The crash is independent of user data (see Ruled out below). ChatGPT Classic and Codex CLI both work fine; only the new unified desktop app crashes.

Crash signature

<--- Last few GCs --->
Mark-Compact (reduce) 3552.4 (3592.9) -> 3552.4 (3588.9) MB
FATAL ERROR: CALL_AND_RETRY_LAST Allocation failed - JavaScript heap out of memory

EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP) on CrBrowserMain; heap tops out ~3.55 GB. A higher-RAM Mac renders the session list then crashes ~20 s in; a lower-RAM Mac crashes before the UI renders (blank white window).

Ruled out (this is NOT local / user data)

• Moved ~/.codex/sessions (25 GB) and ~/.codex/archived_sessions (9.6 GB) out of the way -> still crashes.
• The app's own store ~/Library/Application Support/com.openai.codex is only ~20 MB.
• The Codex Cloud account is empty (no tasks, no archived tasks) -> nothing large to load.
• Launching with --js-flags="--max-old-space-size=8192" -> crashes EARLIER (unbounded allocation, not a bounded one-time spike).
• Re-auth, second account, second machine, launch from Terminal -> all still crash.
• Reproduces with an essentially empty account -> the crash is independent of user data.

Suspected cause

A memory leak in the startup/init path (unbounded growth), likely gated by a server-side flag rolled out around Aug 9. Startup logs show repeated thread/list, thread/read and thread resume, plus these warnings:

WARN [Statsig] Creating multiple Statsig clients with the same SDK key can lead to unexpected behavior.
MaxListenersExceededWarning: Possible EventEmitter memory leak detected. 11 destroyed listeners added to [WebContents].

This looks like repeated provider mount/unmount creating Statsig clients / listeners until the heap is exhausted.

Impact

The new desktop app is unusable org-wide since Aug 9, 2026; we are forced onto Codex CLI + ChatGPT Classic.

Related: #33582 (macOS app grows to tens of GB and freezes), #33483 (crash after migrating to the new ChatGPT app).

Requested: bound/stream startup loads; fix the repeated-mount / Statsig / EventEmitter listener leak; if a server-side flag rolled out around Aug 9 triggered this, roll it back for affected organizations; add a safe-start that does not auto-load history. Full desktop logs and macOS crash reports available on request.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Repro (happens on every launch):

Launch the new unified ChatGPT/Codex desktop app (build 26.803.41515) on macOS Apple Silicon and sign in. The app starts loading the session/thread list and memory climbs rapidly; within ~5–20 s the process dies with a V8 "JavaScript heap out of memory" error (SIGTRAP on CrBrowserMain), heap ~3.55 GB.

Reproduces on two different Macs and two different accounts in the same organization, continuously since Aug 9, 2026. Also reproduces with an essentially empty Codex Cloud account (local ~/.codex/sessions moved away; the app's own store is only ~20 MB). ChatGPT Classic and Codex CLI 0.147.0 are unaffected. It crashes during startup before any prompt is sent, so no specific session id / token usage applies.

What is the expected behavior?

The app should open and load the session/thread list without exhausting the V8 heap or crashing — i.e. bounded / streamed startup loading, with oversized or numerous items lazy-loaded rather than fully read into memory on launch.

Additional information

_No response_