macOS: Cmd+, crashes ChatGPT 26.810.52044 on CrBrowserMain before Settings renders

Summary

Opening Settings with Cmd+, causes ChatGPT for macOS to crash immediately on the main Chromium thread. The Settings window does not render.

The crash has been reproduced 6/6 times with the same EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP) signature and byte-identical top frames inside Codex Framework.

A fresh, notarized installation of the current build after a clean system restart produced the same crash.

Environment

• ChatGPT version: 26.810.52044
• Build: 6662
• Codex Framework: 151.0.7922.137
• Installation: official OpenAI DMG, installed to /Applications using Finder
• Notarization: valid
• Team ID: 2DC432GLL2
• App translocation: none

Steps to reproduce

1. Start the Mac from a clean boot.
2. Launch /Applications/ChatGPT.app.
3. Leave the application untouched; it remains stable.
4. Press Cmd+, once.
5. Provide no other keyboard or mouse input.

Expected result

The Settings window opens and remains usable.

Actual result

The application crashes immediately and the Settings window never renders.

• Exception: EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
• Termination: Trace/BPT trap: 5
• Crashed thread: Thread 0, CrBrowserMain
• Latest crash report filename: ChatGPT-2026-08-15-170533.ips

During the fresh-install test, the application ran normally for 113 seconds before Cmd+, was pressed, with 12 healthy helper processes. The crash occurred immediately after the shortcut.

Isolation performed

• Reset the com.openai.codex macOS preferences domain: no effect.
• Checked saved application state: none existed.
• Removed Local State: a new file was generated, but Settings crashed even earlier.
• Removed the Default profile: Settings rendered once, then crashed approximately five seconds later.
• Downloaded and installed a fresh notarized app bundle: identical crash.
• Restarted the Mac before testing the fresh installation: identical crash.
• Confirmed only Codex Framework 151.0.7922.137 was installed and loaded after the clean boot.
• Confirmed the app launched from /Applications without app translocation.
• Confirmed no additional clicks or keyboard input occurred after pressing Cmd+,.

User projects, ~/.codex, documents, Claude/Cowork data, and unrelated application data were not modified.

Notes

The clean reinstall rules out corruption of the local application bundle. The clean boot and single loaded framework version rule out stale helper processes and the previously observed mixed-framework condition.

This establishes a reproducible crash in build 26.810.52044 on this Mac. Raw crash files and logs have not been uploaded publicly because they may contain private machine information; redacted diagnostics can be provided if requested.

Reproduce the issue by launching /Applications/ChatGPT.app from a clean boot and pressing Cmd+, once. Start with the reported crash signature, crashed thread, and ChatGPT-2026-08-15-170533.ips; redacted diagnostics can be requested from the reporter. Done means Settings opens and remains usable without the EXC_BREAKPOINT crash.