[Windows] Chrome plugin cannot connect or be uninstalled in Codex App #39723

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

26.818.2441.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

On the Windows Codex desktop app, the Chrome plugin cannot connect to the browser even though Chrome is running and the ChatGPT browser extension is installed and enabled. The bundled diagnostics also report that the native messaging host manifest is correct.

Every browser initialization attempt fails with:

Trusted RPC dependency must resolve within a configured trusted code path:
file:///C:/Users/<redacted>/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/browser/26.814.41407/scripts/browser-service.mjs

After the connection failure, attempting to remove the Chrome plugin from the app's Plugins UI also fails. Restarting the Codex app and Chrome, then retrying the plugin setup, did not resolve the issue.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Install and enable the Chrome plugin in the Codex desktop app.
2. Install and enable the ChatGPT Chrome extension in the active Chrome profile.
3. Start Chrome and confirm the extension is enabled.
4. Start a Codex task with @Chrome and request inspection of an already open tab.
5. The browser connection fails before open tabs can be listed, with the trusted RPC dependency error above.
6. Open the Plugins UI and attempt to remove the Chrome plugin.
7. The plugin removal/uninstall action fails.

What is the expected behavior?

The Chrome plugin should connect to the active Chrome profile and allow Codex to inspect and interact with open tabs. The plugin should also be removable and reinstallable from the Plugins UI without errors.

Additional information

Diagnostics observed before reporting:

• Google Chrome was running.
• The ChatGPT Chrome extension was installed and enabled in the Default profile.
• The native messaging host manifest existed and matched the expected registry path and extension origins.
• Restarting the desktop app and Chrome did not clear the failure.
• The in-app slash-command feedback entry was not available, so this is being reported via GitHub.

Local user paths have been redacted.