codex-mobile-remote-control-vm

name

codex-mobile-remote-control-vm

description

Set up, repair, or verify an Ubuntu/Linux desktop VM that lets the ChatGPT/Codex mobile app remotely control Codex Desktop. Use when Codex needs to create a Proxmox or SSH-accessible Ubuntu VM, install a desktop session, run the Linux Codex Desktop port, configure remote_connections/remote_control, pair or troubleshoot mobile remote control, handle disappearing Connections rows, or document a third-party handoff.

Codex Mobile Remote Control VM

Workflow

Use this skill to take a fresh or existing Ubuntu VM from SSH-only to a usable Codex Desktop host that can be controlled from the ChatGPT/Codex mobile app.

1. Establish access and inventory.

   • Confirm Proxmox VM id/name/IP when applicable.
   • Confirm SSH works before changing the VM.
   • Record the GUI username/password handoff only if the user explicitly wants it stored.
   • If using Proxmox UI or noVNC, use Computer Use for browser/GUI verification.

2. Install or repair the desktop layer.

   • Prefer a light desktop such as XFCE with LightDM.
   • Ensure qemu-guest-agent is active on Proxmox VMs.
   • Ensure xrdp only when the user wants RDP access.
   • Verify noVNC shows a GUI login or desktop, not only tty1.

3. Install or launch Codex Desktop.

   • Use the local Linux-compatible Codex Desktop port already chosen by the user or repo.
   • Create a stable launcher such as ~/.local/bin/codex-desktop-launch.
   • If the port's launcher assumes a NixOS-only path, wrap it so it directly executes the app's start.sh with a normal shell.
   • Create a desktop shortcut for the GUI user that points to the stable launcher.
   • Launch from the GUI session with:

DISPLAY=:0 XAUTHORITY=$HOME/.Xauthority XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000 ~/.local/bin/codex-desktop-launch

4. Configure mobile remote control.
   • Ensure ~/.codex/config.toml contains:

[features]
remote_connections = true
remote_control = true
workspace_dependencies = false

• Also check the app-server feature DB when Connections behaves inconsistently:

sqlite3 ~/.codex/sqlite/codex-dev.db 'select feature_name, enabled from local_app_server_feature_enablement order by feature_name;'

• If needed, insert remote_control and remote_connections with enabled=1, then relaunch Codex Desktop.
• Do not leave ~/.codex/config.toml immutable. Immutable config can block future app settings writes.

5. Sign in and pair mobile.

   • Sign into Codex Desktop in the VM with the same ChatGPT account as the mobile app.
   • Have the user open the ChatGPT/Codex mobile app and refresh/open the mobile remote-control surface.
   • Treat the VM-side Connections UI carefully: on the Linux port it may show only the SSH card while mobile remote control still works.

6. Verify using three surfaces.

   • GUI: Codex Desktop reaches the home screen and Settings > Connections opens.
   • Local state: ~/.codex/state_5.sqlite has a remote_control_enrollments row.
   • User proof: mobile app can open and control the VM Codex session.
   • Convenience: the GUI desktop has a trusted Codex Desktop.desktop shortcut.

For detailed command sequences and known failure modes, read references/runbook.md. For a read-only health check, run scripts/audit-codex-remote-vm.sh.

Troubleshooting Priorities

• If the user says the row appeared and disappeared, check logs before reinstalling.
• connectionCount=0 in ~/.cache/codex-desktop/launcher.log means the Connections UI list is empty, but not necessarily that mobile remote control is broken.
• A valid enrollment looks like one row in remote_control_enrollments with server_name, environment_id, and updated_at.
• If the app removes remote_control = true at startup, re-add it after the app is open and verify again; avoid making the file immutable except for short diagnosis.
• If Proxmox noVNC shows a TTY after reboot, GUI login may still be required before launching Codex Desktop.
• If mobile control works, report that as the primary success criterion even if Settings > Connections does not show a device row.

Handoff

Always leave a short repo or note with:

• VM host, VM id, VM name, guest IP, SSH alias, and GUI login method.
• Exact launcher path and restart command.
• Desktop shortcut path and whether it is trusted/executable.
• The config.toml feature block.
• How to verify enrollment and logs.
• Whether mobile control was personally verified by the user.