ChatGPT Chrome sidebar is read-only and falsely reports an outdated native host

Summary

The official ChatGPT Chrome sidebar can read the active page and describe visible elements, but it cannot click, type, or navigate. It repeatedly claims that the Codex native host is outdated, even though all native-host diagnostics pass.

Browser control from a separate Codex desktop task can successfully claim the same Chrome tab and execute clicks. The failure is specific to the control interface exposed to sidebar conversations.

Environment

• macOS on Apple Silicon
• Google Chrome: 151.0.7922.174
• ChatGPT Chrome extension: 1.2.27268.51612
• Bundled Chrome plugin/native host: 26.818.41705
• Extension ID: hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg

Actual behavior

The sidebar can read the active page but refuses interactive operations with messages such as:

• “The native component of the Codex extension is outdated.”
• “This session only exposes page reading, without browser control.”
• “I cannot execute clicks or navigate in Meta Business.”

Reinstalling or updating the extension does not resolve the issue.

Diagnostics performed

• Chrome extension is installed and enabled in the Default profile.
• Native Messaging manifest exists and validates successfully.
• Manifest name, path, and allowed extension origins are correct.
• Native-host executable exists, is executable, ARM64, and signed by OpenAI.
• The native-host process was restarted after the plugin updated.
• A fresh extension connection was established.
• A separate Codex desktop task successfully claimed the same Meta Business tab and executed a test click.
• New sidebar conversations still receive only read access and incorrectly report that the native host is outdated.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install and enable the official ChatGPT Chrome extension.
2. Confirm that the native host and extension are connected.
3. Open an authenticated website such as Meta Business Suite.
4. Open the ChatGPT Chrome sidebar.
5. Ask it to click a visible link or button.
6. Observe that it reads the page correctly but refuses to interact, claiming the native component is outdated.
7. Start a new sidebar conversation and retry; the problem persists.

Expected behavior

When the extension and native host are connected and valid, sidebar conversations should receive the interactive Chrome-control interface and be able to click, type, and navigate.

If the control interface cannot be attached, the UI should report the actual backend or permission failure instead of incorrectly instructing the user to reinstall an already valid native host.

Workarounds attempted

• Reinstalled and re-enabled the Chrome extension.
• Restarted the native-host process.
• Restarted the sidebar.
• Created new conversations.
• Enabled browser control from the sidebar toolbar.
• Verified the latest bundled plugin and native-host versions.

Related issues

• #22264
• #25811
• #37307
• #39211

Privacy

No account email, phone number, Meta account information, private URLs, screenshots, or authentication data are included.

Start by tracing how the Chrome sidebar attaches the interactive browser-control interface and how native-host status failures are reported. Compare that path with the separate Codex desktop task that can claim the same tab; done means valid connected hosts expose click, typing, and navigation, while attachment failures report the actual cause rather than an outdated-host message.