[Windows][Desktop 26.721.4979.0] Blank console flashes during tool activity: ChatGPT.exe spawns PowerShell/conhost process snapshots

Start by tracing the Windows-native agent or desktop code that launches the two PowerShell snapshot commands shown in the report. Reproduce the tool activity while observing ChatGPT.exe descendants, then verify that process-tree and CPU sampling no longer create a visible conhost.exe window.

Summary

On Windows, Codex Desktop briefly flashes an empty black console window during active local tool work. Process tracing shows that the window is a conhost.exe child of short-lived powershell.exe processes spawned directly by ChatGPT.exe.

This is user-visible even though the PowerShell commands are invoked with -NoProfile -NonInteractive.

Environment

• Windows 11, Windows-native agent
• Codex Desktop MSIX: OpenAI.Codex_26.721.4979.0_x64__2p2nqsd0c76g0
• ChatGPT.exe is the direct parent of the short-lived PowerShell processes
• Microsoft Store reported no newer package version available

Symptom

An empty black console window flashes for a fraction of a second while working in Codex, approximately every 11–14 seconds during the observed task.

Observed user timestamps:

• 23:36:07–08
• 23:36:19
• 23:36:30
• 23:38:40
• 23:38:54

Process evidence

A 50 ms local process-creation trace captured the following chain during later active tool activity:

ChatGPT.exe
  -> powershell.exe -NoProfile -NonInteractive -Command
       Get-CimInstance Win32_Process |
         Select-Object ProcessId,ParentProcessId |
         ConvertTo-Json -Depth 2
  -> conhost.exe

ChatGPT.exe
  -> powershell.exe -NoProfile -NonInteractive -Command
       Get-CimInstance Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_Process ...
       Get-CimInstance Win32_Process -Filter "ProcessId = ..." ...
  -> conhost.exe

The trace recorded the parent as the packaged ChatGPT.exe process for both PowerShell commands. The paired conhost.exe creation coincides with the visible blank console flash.

Expected behavior

Background process-tree and CPU sampling should not create visible console windows. Those subprocesses should be launched without a visible console or be replaced with a non-console process-inspection mechanism.

Reproduction

1. Open Codex Desktop on Windows with the Windows-native agent.
2. Work in a local task that invokes shell/tool calls.
3. Observe short-lived blank black console windows during tool activity.
4. Inspect descendants of ChatGPT.exe; short-lived powershell.exe and conhost.exe processes appear for the process-tree and CPU snapshot queries.

Related report

This appears related to #33776, which also reports Windows Codex Desktop descendants and conhost.exe process churn. This report focuses on the immediately visible console-window symptom and the direct PowerShell snapshot commands.