Remote plugin keeps removed MCP tools after cache purge and process-dead restart

What version of Codex is running?

• Bundled Codex CLI: 0.150.0-alpha.8
• Desktop app: 26.820.80927 (build 7271)
• Platform: macOS 26.2 (25C56), arm64

What issue are you seeing?

Codex Desktop continues exposing tools that a private remote MCP plugin has removed.

The live Mission Control MCP server now exposes zero GitHub tools. Codex still injects 27 plugin tools, including 16 removed github_* tools, into every new turn.

This is not only a stale sidebar display. The removed tools remain present in the model's active callable tool inventory.

Plugin type: private, user-scoped, created-by-me remote plugin.

Expected behavior

After the plugin's MCP tool surface changes, Codex should refetch the current tool list and remove tools that are no longer returned. New turns after a process-dead restart must not receive removed tool schemas.

In this reproduction, the refreshed inventory should contain zero github_* tools.

Actual behavior

Codex repeatedly restores the same obsolete set of 27 plugin tool names, including these 16 removed GitHub tools:

• github_issues_list
• github_milestones_list
• github_wiki_get_page
• github_issues_bulk_plan
• github_wiki_propose_patch
• github_issues_create
• github_issues_update
• github_milestones_create
• github_milestones_update
• github_issues_bulk_apply
• github_wiki_apply_patch
• github_wiki_create_page
• github_code_search
• github_code_get_content
• github_issues_comments_list
• github_issues_comments_create

Reproduction and recovery attempts

1. Update the remote MCP service so its current tools/list contains zero GitHub tools.
2. Start a new Codex Desktop turn. The 16 removed GitHub tools are still injected.
3. Remove the generated schema cache under $CODEX_HOME/cache/codex_apps_tools/.
4. Remove the plugin's local materialized bundle and remote catalog cache.
5. Delete the persisted mcp-extension-sidebar-catalog atom from the desktop global state and its backup.
6. Fully quit Codex.
7. After the process is dead, remove the regenerated tool-schema cache again.
8. Relaunch Codex and start a new turn.

Observed: Codex regenerates the obsolete 27-tool inventory.

The sorted tool-name set before and after the process-dead purge/restart has the identical SHA-256:

cea4a4b70623a541fb553de351bd9292a05e2ec8281aa6ddce16bd7d851e0db5

The containing cache file is rewritten, but the obsolete plugin tool-name set remains unchanged.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the plugin has historically forced a refresh, but users should not have to uninstall/reinstall a development plugin after every tool-surface update.

Why this appears to be a registry invalidation bug

The local generated schema and persisted sidebar catalog were removed while Codex was not running. The obsolete inventory was nevertheless rebuilt after relaunch, indicating that a higher-level remote app/tool registry or discovery cache is serving the old schemas.

This may be related to #33266, but that report concerns notifications/tools/list_changed for stdio MCP servers. This reproduction affects a private remote ChatGPT/Codex plugin and persists through a full desktop restart plus post-exit cache purge.

Privacy

No application logs, session transcript, repository content, credentials, or account identifiers are attached.

Start by tracing remote plugin discovery and refresh from the remote MCP tools/list entry point, then inspect regeneration of $CODEX_HOME/cache/codex_apps_tools/ and the mcp-extension-sidebar-catalog state. Done means a changed remote tool surface is reflected in new turns, with removed tools absent after cache purge and process-dead restart.