Linux app leaks ~147 `.org.chromium.Chromium.*` temporary files into `/tmp` on every launch

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

26.803.81509

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS

What issue are you seeing?

On Ubuntu, every launch of the Codex/ChatGPT desktop app creates approximately 147 files named .org.chromium.Chromium.* directly in /tmp. These files are not removed when the application exits and therefore accumulate across launches.

The files appear to be temporary copies of application frontend resources. For example, their contents reference files such as:

app-initial-Bd3Z1bES.js
custom-avatars-query-Dft9LEdO.js
rolldown-runtime-DAXXjFlN.js

I initially noticed several hundred of these files accumulating in /tmp. I then reproduced the behavior while monitoring the directory: a single application launch created exactly 147 new files within the same minute.

After fully exiting the application (and, for verification, all other Chromium/Electron applications), the files remain. No ChatGPT, Chromium, or Electron processes are running and the files are not held open.

I also reproduced the problem using a clean user data directory (via chatgpt --user-data-dir /tmp/test_user_dir/), so it does not appear to be related to my existing profile.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Ensure the Codex/ChatGPT desktop app is not running.
2. Count the existing files:

find /tmp -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '.org.chromium.Chromium.*' | wc -l

3. Launch the application normally.
4. Run the same command again.
5. Fully exit the application and verify that the newly created files remain.

On my system, one launch consistently creates approximately 147 new files.

I also reproduced this with a fresh user data directory:

chatgpt --user-data-dir /tmp/test_user_dir/

This still created 147 new .org.chromium.Chromium.* files in /tmp.

Setting TMPDIR to a dedicated directory redirects the leaked files there:

TMPDIR=/tmp/chatgpt-$USER /usr/lib/chatgpt/ChatGPT

This provides an effective workaround and further confirms that these are temporary files created during application startup.

Feedback ID: no-active-thread-01a00208-2c41-7fb1-9713-a8df8297bd67

What is the expected behavior?

Temporary files created during application startup should be removed when they are no longer needed, or at minimum when the application exits. Repeated launches should not cause an ever-growing collection of .org.chromium.Chromium.* files in /tmp.

Additional information

Package information:

ii  chatgpt  26.803.81509  amd64  ChatGPT by OpenAI

The embedded Chromium version appears to be 151.0.7922.76.

After several launches while investigating this issue, I had 810 .org.chromium.Chromium.* files accumulated in /tmp. After exiting ChatGPT and all other Chromium/Electron applications:

$ ps aux | egrep -i 'chatgpt|chromium|electron'
kevin    1970255  0.0  0.0   9292  2048 pts/33   S+   13:37   0:00 grep -E --color=auto -i chatgpt|chromium|electron

$ ls -lh /tmp/.org.chromium.Chromium.* | grep -c .
810

The issue is primarily filesystem clutter rather than the size of any individual file, but because roughly 147 files are leaked per launch, the number grows quickly.

Start by reproducing the leak with the provided find command, a clean --user-data-dir, and the TMPDIR workaround, then inspect the desktop app startup path and its embedded Chromium temporary-file handling. Done means repeated launches no longer leave the .org.chromium.Chromium.* files in /tmp, including after the application exits.