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Codex Issues / #40394

Computer Use and Chrome control suddenly stopped working

Open 💬 4 comments Opened Aug 24, 2026 by MIREY0103
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

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

26.816.41509

What subscription do you have?

ChatGpt Pro

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

Computer Use and Chrome control suddenly stopped working after functioning correctly earlier the same day

I am using the latest combined ChatGPT/Codex desktop app on an Apple Silicon Mac with a ChatGPT Pro account. My installed app version is ChatGPT 26.816.41509, and the app confirms this is the newest available version.

Earlier today, while working on Nathaniel’s app, Codex successfully controlled my actual Google Chrome browser through general Computer Use. The Chrome extension was not installed or enabled at that time. Codex opened and operated my real Chrome window and displayed that ChatGPT was controlling Chrome.

Later, this functionality suddenly stopped working without an intentional configuration change.

Current errors include:

  • “I couldn’t access Chrome control in this session.”
  • “The Chrome control connection isn’t available.”
  • “I can’t open a new Chrome window because the Codex Chrome native host is out of date.”
  • “Local app control is currently unavailable in this task.”
  • When testing Safari through generic Computer Use: “I couldn’t open Safari because local app control is currently unavailable in this task.”
  • During one attempted self-diagnostic, Codex also reported that the task’s command runner was failing and that the local skill file was unreachable.

Troubleshooting already completed:

  1. Completely quit and restarted Chrome and the ChatGPT/Codex desktop app multiple times.
  2. Restarted the Mac.
  3. Confirmed the ChatGPT desktop app is fully updated.
  4. Removed and reinstalled the Chrome plugin.
  5. Removed and reinstalled the official ChatGPT Chrome extension.
  6. Confirmed the Chrome side panel loads.
  7. Confirmed I am using the correct Chrome profile.
  8. Enabled macOS Accessibility and Screen Recording/Screenshot permissions for ChatGPT Computer Use.
  9. Confirmed “Any App” is enabled under Settings → Computer Use.
  10. Confirmed Google Chrome was enabled under Computer Use.
  11. Installed and enabled the Computer Use plugin.
  12. Confirmed both the Computer-use MCP server and the Computer Use skill were enabled.
  13. Confirmed websites were not blocked and relevant site permissions were allowed.
  14. Started multiple completely new Codex chats after enabling the plugins and permissions.
  15. Completely deleted and cleanly reinstalled the latest combined ChatGPT/Codex desktop application using the official Apple Silicon installer.
  16. Confirmed there was no duplicate Codex application installed. Only the current ChatGPT application was present.
  17. Retested generic Computer Use with Safari to rule out a Chrome-only problem. Safari failed because local app control was unavailable.
  18. The built-in ChatGPT browser still opens, but Codex cannot control my actual Chrome browser or other local Mac applications.

This appears to be a regression or compatibility problem involving the local Computer Use service and/or the Codex Chrome native host. The Chrome extension is not the original issue because general Computer Use controlled my actual Chrome successfully earlier without the extension.

Please review the attached session diagnostics and screenshots. I need Codex to regain control of my actual Chrome profile and signed-in browser sessions, as it did earlier. Please confirm whether this is a known issue, whether the Chrome native-host version is incompatible with the current desktop app, and what is required to restore general local Computer Use.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: 01a02678-1185-7033-b026-e01256eaf7c3

What is the expected behavior?

Codex should be able to use general Computer Use to open and operate my actual local Chrome or Safari application after I grant the required macOS permissions.

Earlier the same day, general Computer Use successfully controlled my actual Chrome browser without the Chrome extension. It should continue operating local Mac applications instead of reporting that local app control is unavailable.

Additional information

App version: ChatGPT/Codex 26.816.41509
Subscription: ChatGPT Pro
Platform: Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

This began suddenly after Computer Use had worked correctly earlier the same day while I was building an application.

Troubleshooting already completed:

  • Restarted Chrome, ChatGPT/Codex, and the Mac multiple times.
  • Confirmed the desktop application is fully updated.
  • Enabled macOS Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions.
  • Enabled Any App, the Computer Use skill, and its MCP server.
  • Tested multiple completely new chats.
  • Removed and reinstalled the Chrome extension/plugin.
  • Completely removed and reinstalled the latest desktop application.
  • Tested Safari through generic Computer Use to rule out a Chrome-only issue.

The built-in ChatGPT browser opens, but Codex can no longer control my actual Chrome, Safari, or other local Mac applications. This appears to be a broader local Computer Use service failure, with a possible additional Chrome native-host compatibility problem.

View original on GitHub ↗

4 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 3 days ago

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

  • #39673
  • #39427
  • #39211
  • #40228

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MIREY0103 · 3 days ago

This may resemble the Chrome native-host reports listed above, but my issue is not limited to the Chrome plugin. Generic Computer Use also cannot open Safari or other local Mac applications and reports that “the local computer-control process is unavailable in this task.” Therefore, I am keeping this issue open unless the maintainers confirm it is an exact duplicate.

MIREY0103 · 3 days ago

Seven-step result

  1. Goal: Restore reliable control of Mirell’s real Chrome profile.
  1. Blocker type: Integration/service-state issue, not prompting.
  1. Evidence reviewed: Read the complete handoff and evidence index. The referenced screenshots directory and recording were not included beside /Users/mirell/Downloads/CODEX_HANDOFF.md, so those files could not be independently inspected.
  1. Safe test selected: Open installed Chrome and navigate only to https://example.com.
  1. Test run: Configuration confirms:
  • Computer Use plugin: enabled
  • Computer Use MCP server: off
  • Intended path: general Computer Use through node_repl/@oai/sky
  • Chrome extension: not used
  • Built-in browser: not used

The required node_repl JavaScript control tool was unavailable in this task, so general Computer Use could not initiate the browser action. I did not use AppleScript, shell browser launching, the Chrome extension, or the built-in browser as a fallback.

  1. Recorded outcome:
  • Installed Chrome opened by this test: No
  • Normal profile verified: No
  • Control notice appeared: No
  • Separate working tab created: No
  • example.com loaded: No
  • Computer Use MCP server: Off
  • Selected integration: General Computer Use
  • Exact failure: the required node_repl/js Computer Use control surface was not available
  • Silent fallback: No
  1. Single literal next action: Add this exact failed-test result to GitHub issue #40394, including that the MCP server was off and the general Computer Use node_repl control surface was absent. Do not reinstall or repeat permission/restart checks.
MIREY0103 · 3 days ago

Add this comment to [issue #40394](https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/40394):

Additional diagnostic update:

I tested again with the Computer Use MCP server explicitly set to `enabled = false`, while the bundled Computer Use plugin remained enabled.

The intended test was general Computer Use—not the Chrome extension and not the in-app Browser:

> Open Chrome and navigate to https://example.com. Do not sign in, submit anything, download anything, or close any existing tabs.

The test could not begin because the required `node_repl/js` control surface was not exposed to the task. Therefore:

- General Computer Use could not initialize `@oai/sky`.
- Installed Chrome was not opened by the test.
- No working tab was created.
- `example.com` was not loaded.
- The Chrome extension was not used.
- The in-app Browser was not used as a fallback.

I also reviewed issue #35224, where an older Browser plugin fails because `node_repl` rejects a static `node:process` import. That issue is related but does not match this exact failure:

- In #35224, `node_repl/js` is available and the Browser client fails during module import.
- In this case, `node_repl/js` itself is unavailable to the task.
- The currently installed Browser/Chrome bundle is version `26.818.41705`, and its `browser-client.mjs` does not contain the older static `node:process` import.

This suggests the current failure occurs earlier, at task-level tool registration, runtime injection, or attachment of the `node_repl` control surface.

Possibly related:
- #35224 — Browser bootstrap rejected `node:process`
- #25247 — Browser runtime/native-bridge metadata not injected
- #32925 — Earlier Browser/Chrome process-shim regression

Please confirm why the configured `node_repl` MCP server is not exposing its `js` tool to Codex tasks and whether this can also prevent general Computer Use from initializing.

No further reinstalls, permission resets, or restart cycles have been performed.