[macOS][Chrome extension] Native host reports outdated and browser control is read-only

What version of the IDE extension are you using?

ChatGPT desktop app 26.818.21641; ChatGPT Chrome extension 1.2.27267.15375

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT plus

Which IDE are you using?

Google Chrome (ChatGPT Chrome extension/sidebar)

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 27.0.0 arm64 arm (macOS, Apple Silicon)

What issue are you seeing?

The ChatGPT Chrome sidebar can read the active page, but it cannot interact with Chrome. It reports:

"Chrome interaction is unavailable because the native host is outdated. Please update or reinstall the ChatGPT Chrome plugin, then ask me to try again."

After reinstalling and relaunching, it also reports:

"This Chrome connection is read-only, so I can't edit or save it."

ChatGPT Settings > Computer use shows Google Chrome enabled with "Browser extension installed".

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Install or update the ChatGPT desktop app and the official ChatGPT Chrome extension.
2. In ChatGPT Settings > Computer use, enable Any App and Google Chrome, and confirm that Chrome reports "Browser extension installed".
3. Open the sample inventory page at https://chatgpt.com/work/extension/installed.
4. Open the ChatGPT Chrome sidebar and ask: "I sold out of these 3 products today but ordered 5 new desk mousepads. Update the stock and save the inventory."
5. The sidebar can read the inventory but cannot click, type, edit, or save. It reports that the native host is outdated or that the Chrome connection is read-only.
6. Fully quit and relaunch both ChatGPT and Chrome, then remove and reinstall the Chrome extension/plugin and repeat the test. The issue persists.

What is the expected behavior?

With the current ChatGPT app and Chrome extension installed, the Chrome sidebar should be able to click, type, edit, and save the requested changes. If the connection is not usable, it should report the specific compatibility or permission problem instead of incorrectly presenting a current installation as outdated or read-only.

Additional information

Environment:

• ChatGPT desktop app: 26.818.21641
• Google Chrome: 151.0.7922.138
• Chrome extension: 1.2.27267.15375
• Platform: Darwin 27.0.0 arm64 arm
• Native messaging protocol: v2

This is reproduced on macOS after relaunching Chrome and reinstalling the extension/plugin. A similar open report exists as #39531, but that report is Windows-specific; this report confirms the same behavior on macOS. No private page data, credentials, tokens, or screenshots are included.

Start by reproducing the failure through Settings > Computer use, the ChatGPT Chrome sidebar, and the sample inventory page, using the reported macOS versions and native messaging protocol v2. Compare the connection state after reinstalling and relaunching; done means Chrome can click, type, edit, and save, or reports the specific compatibility or permission problem.