codex-windows-computer-use

name

codex-windows-computer-use

description

Set up, diagnose, or repair Codex Desktop Computer Use on Windows. Use when Codex on Windows cannot show or use the Chrome / Computer Use plugins, reports os error 6000 from WindowsApps-protected plugin files, has a missing or broken openai-bundled marketplace, needs chrome@openai-bundled or computer-use@openai-bundled installed and enabled, or needs the bundled plugin source mirrored into the user Codex plugin cache.

Codex Windows Computer Use

Overview

Use this skill to restore Codex Desktop Computer Use support on Windows when the UI says the plugin is unavailable or the plugin marketplace/cache is incomplete.

The common failure mode is:

• openai-bundled is not registered correctly in the Codex plugin marketplace.
• chrome@openai-bundled or computer-use@openai-bundled is not installed and enabled.
• The Codex app package lives under WindowsApps, where protected files can trigger os error 6000 if installed directly.
• The fix is to mirror app/resources/plugins/openai-bundled into the user's Codex directory, register that mirror as the marketplace, then install the Chrome and Computer Use plugins.

Quick Workflow

1. Inspect the current state:

   codex plugin marketplace list
   codex plugin list --marketplace openai-bundled
   codex plugin list
   

2. Prefer the bundled repair script for the standard WindowsApps problem:

   powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <skill>/scripts/repair-codex-windows-computer-use.ps1
   

   Review the printed plan. To apply changes:

   powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <skill>/scripts/repair-codex-windows-computer-use.ps1 -Apply
   

3. Restart Codex Desktop after a successful repair.

4. Verify that both plugins are listed as installed and enabled:

   codex plugin list --marketplace openai-bundled
   

Manual Repair

Use the manual path when the script cannot locate the Codex Desktop executable or when a user provides a custom install path.

Back up user Codex state:

$backup = Join-Path $HOME ".codex\backups\plugin-repair-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss)"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
Copy-Item (Join-Path $HOME ".codex\config.toml") $backup -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Copy-Item (Join-Path $HOME ".codex\codex-global-state.json") $backup -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Find the bundled plugin source:

Get-Process Codex -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Path

From the Codex app directory, locate:

app\resources\plugins\openai-bundled

Mirror that directory outside WindowsApps:

$src = "D:\WindowsApps\OpenAI.Codex_<version>\app\resources\plugins\openai-bundled"
$dst = Join-Path $HOME ".codex\plugins\sources\openai-bundled-fixed"

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $dst | Out-Null
Get-ChildItem $src -Recurse -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  $relative = $_.FullName.Substring($src.Length).TrimStart('\')
  New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Join-Path $dst $relative) | Out-Null
}
Get-ChildItem $src -Recurse -File | ForEach-Object {
  $relative = $_.FullName.Substring($src.Length).TrimStart('\')
  $target = Join-Path $dst $relative
  New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $target) | Out-Null
  [IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($target, [IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($_.FullName))
}

Register the mirrored marketplace and install the plugins:

codex plugin marketplace remove openai-bundled
codex plugin marketplace add $dst
codex plugin add chrome@openai-bundled
codex plugin add computer-use@openai-bundled

Validation Checklist

• codex plugin list --marketplace openai-bundled includes chrome@openai-bundled.
• codex plugin list --marketplace openai-bundled includes computer-use@openai-bundled.
• The installed plugin cache contains Chrome files such as scripts/browser-client.mjs and extension-host.exe.
• Codex Desktop has been restarted after repair.
• The Codex settings UI shows Chrome / Computer Use as available.

Notes

• Do not try to fix os error 6000 by changing permissions on WindowsApps.
• Prefer copying with byte APIs ([IO.File]::ReadAllBytes / WriteAllBytes) when mirroring protected app package files.
• If plugin commands fail because the CLI is too old or missing plugin support, update Codex Desktop first, then rerun the workflow.
• Source workflow reference: https://www.autoxb.com/article/112216