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codex-app-ref-refresh

Refresh the local ChatGPT app reference source from the installed macOS ChatGPT.app asar. Use when Codex needs to get the latest installed ChatGPT app code, recreate ./ref from /Applications/ChatGPT.app/Contents/Resources/app.asar, or format extracted JavaScript and CSS while excluding ref/node_modules.

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JimLiu/decode-codex
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July 10, 2026 at 22:34
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English
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name
codex-app-ref-refresh
description
Refresh the local ChatGPT app reference source from the installed macOS ChatGPT.app asar. Use when Codex needs to get the latest installed ChatGPT app code, recreate ./ref from /Applications/ChatGPT.app/Contents/Resources/app.asar, or format extracted JavaScript and CSS while excluding ref/node_modules.
# ChatGPT App Ref Refresh ## Workflow Use this skill from the repository root that should receive `./ref`. 1. Verify the current working directory is the intended workspace. 2. Run the bundled script: ```bash node .agents/skills/codex-app-ref-refresh/scripts/refresh-codex-ref.mjs ``` The script runs three steps in order: 1. **Sync** — deletes only `<cwd>/ref`, then extracts `/Applications/ChatGPT.app/Contents/Resources/app.asar` into a fresh `ref` directory. 2. **Format** — runs Prettier (`--write --ignore-path /dev/null`) over every extracted `.js` and `.css` file, skipping any `node_modules` directory under `ref`. This intentionally bypasses `.gitignore` and `.prettierignore` so an ignored `ref/` directory is still formatted. After writing, the script verifies JavaScript files with `--list-different --ignore-path /dev/null` and reruns Prettier on any remaining JS files. CSS is formatted but not used as a hard verification gate because bundled Tailwind CSS can be non-idempotent under Prettier. This step is **always on** by default; do not skip it unless the user explicitly asks. 3. **Report** — prints the count of formatted files and a completion line. Formatting the synced JS and CSS with Prettier is a required part of the refresh, not an optional extra. The minified asar output is unreadable until formatted, so always let the Prettier step run. Only pass `--skip-format` when the user explicitly wants raw, unformatted extraction. ## Verify After the run, confirm formatting actually completed before reporting success: - The script logs `Formatting N JS/CSS file(s) with Prettier, ignoring git/prettier ignore files...`, `Prettier verification complete.`, and then `ChatGPT app ref refresh complete.` - If the script logs `Prettier verification found N file(s) needing another pass; reformatting...`, that is acceptable only when it is followed by `Prettier verification complete.` - If formatting was skipped, the script logs `Skipping Prettier formatting.` instead — treat that as an incomplete refresh unless `--skip-format` was intentional. - Spot-check that a known JS or CSS file under `ref` is multi-line (Prettier-formatted), not a single minified line. - If running a manual Prettier verification against `ref`, include `--ignore-path /dev/null`; otherwise Prettier may skip files because `ref/` is git-ignored. Prefer strict manual checks for JS files only. ## Options - Set `CHATGPT_APP_ASAR=/path/to/app.asar` before running when the ChatGPT app bundle lives somewhere else. The legacy `CODEX_APP_ASAR` variable remains supported for compatibility. - Pass `--skip-format` only when the user explicitly wants extraction without Prettier formatting. - Pass `--dry-run` to inspect the resolved paths without deleting or extracting anything. ## Safety - Do not run the script from the wrong directory; it intentionally replaces `./ref`. - Prefer the script over manually chaining `rm`, `npx @electron/asar`, and `prettier`, because the script guards the target path and consistently excludes `ref/node_modules`. - After running, report the extracted `ref` path and whether formatting completed.
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