[macOS] ChatGPT 26.810.52044 respawns SkyComputerUseService and crashes despite Computer Use disabled

Summary

The ChatGPT macOS desktop app repeatedly respawns SkyComputerUseService and then crashes, even when Computer Use and Remote Connections are disabled in the user configuration.

This is a new reproduction on ChatGPT desktop 26.810.52044 (build 6662) and appears related to the existing Computer Use / Node-V8 crash and helper-process reports.

Environment

• ChatGPT desktop: 26.810.52044 (build 6662)
• macOS: 26.5.2
• Bundle ID: com.openai.codex
• Computer Use runtime: 26.812.1000717
• Apple Silicon Mac

Reproduction

1. Fully quit ChatGPT and Computer Use helper processes.
2. Set the effective app-server configuration to:
   • computer_use = false
   • remote_connections = false
   • no Computer Use notify hook
3. Disable persisted remote-control state (remoteControl/disable returned status=disabled) and clear the selected remote host / auto-connect map.
4. Launch ChatGPT desktop without invoking Computer Use.
5. Observe the process tree.

Observed on a clean launch:

• ~8 seconds: 10 SkyComputerUseService processes
• ~23 seconds: 149 SkyComputerUseService processes
• ChatGPT then becomes unstable and crashes.

On launch, the desktop frontend also rewrites the Computer Use notify hook and re-selects a persisted remote-control:env_* host, despite the disabled effective app-server state.

Crash evidence

The latest ChatGPT crash report has:

• EXC_CRASH
• SIGABRT / Abort trap 6
• V8Worker
• computer-use
• node::OOMErrorHandler

The crash report was generated by ChatGPT desktop 26.810.52044 (build 6662). Full .ips data is available privately if needed; it is not attached here because it contains local paths and identifiers.

Expected behavior

When Computer Use and Remote Connections are disabled, ChatGPT should not launch or respawn SkyComputerUseService, and the desktop app should remain usable.

Actual behavior

The frontend calls the remote-control enable path and respawns many native Computer Use helper processes. Disabling the visible configuration, calling the app-server disable method, clearing persisted remote-host selection, and killing the helpers do not prevent the next launch from recreating them.

Impact

The desktop UI becomes unusable, helper processes consume substantial memory and process slots, and the main ChatGPT process exits. The current safe workaround is to keep the desktop app closed and use the web client.

Related reports

• #26079 - repeated Node/V8 OOM crashes in the desktop app
• #26458 - repeated Computer Use crashes and node::OOMErrorHandler
• #28244 - macOS helper/zombie process explosion at startup
• #25269 - multiple SkyComputerUseService instances respawn after being killed

Please route this to the ChatGPT desktop / Computer Use / remote-control owners. The key regression is that the frontend appears to re-enable and respawn Computer Use despite the disabled effective configuration.

Start by tracing the desktop frontend's remote-control enable path and launch-time persistence of the selected remote host and notify hook. Then inspect how SkyComputerUseService is spawned and respawned; done means disabled Computer Use and Remote Connections prevent helper launches and the desktop app remains usable without the crash.