[Bug] Codex macOS app has broken UI rendering on Intel Macs #21689

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1. ljt7560868

   added

   appIssues related to the Codex desktop appIssues related to the Codex desktop app

   on May 8, 2026
2. github-actions

   added

   bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working

   skillsIssues related to skillsIssues related to skills

   on May 8, 2026
3. github-actions commented on May 8, 2026

   

   github-actionsbot

   on May 8, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

   Contributor

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

   • Codex Desktop Plugins page renders broken on Intel Mac #20105
   • Codex Desktop plugins page layout renders incorrectly until zoom is changed #21491
   • Codex desktop app renders Plugins and Skills pages with a full-page blank overlay on macOS Intel #21133
   • Codex Desktop: blank overlay covers Plugins and Skills at certain window widths/display scaling on macOS #21077
   • Codex Mac (intel) desktop Plugins/Skills page is covered by a large white block #21403

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4. Tofilmjc commented on May 8, 2026

   

   Tofilmjc

   on May 8, 2026 – with ChatGPT Codex Connector

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   I’m seeing what appears to be the same issue on Codex Desktop 26.506.21252 on macOS.

   Symptoms:

   • Plugins page renders clipped/partially blank.
   • Plugin cards and text are cut off or only partially visible.
   • The search/plugins area appears to block or misalign the page.
   • Reinstalling Codex did not fix it.
   • Clearing cache/local storage did not fix it.

   Additional diagnostics from the affected machine:

   App: Codex Desktop
   Version: 26.506.21252
   Bundle identifier: com.openai.codex
   Executable: Codex
   

   codesign / spctl diagnostics:

   /Applications/Codex.app: invalid signature (code or signature have been modified)
   In architecture: x86_64
   
   /Applications/Codex.app: internal error in Code Signing subsystem
   

   Current app preferences included:

   AppleTextDirection = 1;
   NSForceRightToLeftWritingDirection = 0;
   

   Troubleshooting already tried without resolving the Plugins rendering issue:

   • Updated Codex.
   • Uninstalled/reinstalled Codex.
   • Cleared temporary rendering caches: Cache, Code Cache, GPUCache, DawnGraphiteCache, DawnWebGPUCache, and ~/Library/Caches/com.openai.codex.
   • Attempted local UI state reset: Local Storage, Session Storage, and Preferences.
   • Attempted to clear app text-direction preference.

   Related issues that may be connected:

   • Codex Desktop: blank overlay covers Plugins and Skills at certain window widths/display scaling on macOS #21077
   • Codex.app on macOS fails code signature verification across versions #18523
5. Batista99 commented on May 8, 2026

   

   Batista99

   on May 8, 2026

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   “Electron may have compatibility issues with Intel integrated graphics on Intel-based MacBooks, which can lead to rendering glitches or performance problems.

   On macOS, you can force the application to use the discrete GPU to work around this issue. For example:

   open -a "Codex" --args --force_high_performance_gpu

   Most Chrome/Electron-based applications can be launched this way, which helps avoid rendering errors or lag caused by Intel integrated graphics.”

   👍React with 👍5Reacted by ljt7560868, weike, Zheng Jiang, AlexAnder and KelvinMario

   😄React with 😄1Reacted by Interzekt
6. ljt7560868 commented on May 9, 2026

   

   ljt7560868

   on May 9, 2026

   Author

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   “Electron may have compatibility issues with Intel integrated graphics on Intel-based MacBooks, which can lead to rendering glitches or performance problems.

   On macOS, you can force the application to use the discrete GPU to work around this issue. For example:

   open -a "Codex" --args --force_high_performance_gpu

   Most Chrome/Electron-based applications can be launched this way, which helps avoid rendering errors or lag caused by Intel integrated graphics.”

   This solution worked perfectly for me! Thank you for sharing.
7. Uncle-Gao commented on May 19, 2026

   

   Uncle-Gao

   on May 19, 2026

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   This is the broader Intel-Mac rendering issue tracked in #18341; root cause is CSS backdrop-filter triggering an IOSurface transfer that silently fails on Intel HD/UHD GPU drivers under macOS — see #23458 for the detailed analysis.

   A drop-in fix that keeps Metal on and doesn't need any launch flags: https://github.com/Uncle-Gao/codex-gpu-fix