[macOS][Codex app] Chrome tabs retain computer-use control indicator after task completes

Summary

After a Codex computer-use/browser task finishes, Codex sometimes fails to fully release its Google Chrome control session. Chrome tabs that were involved continue to show the mouse/cursor control badge in the tab strip even though Codex reports the task as complete.

Steps to reproduce

1. Launch the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS.
2. Run a Codex task that uses browser control / Chrome to inspect or interact with a website.
3. Wait for the task to finish normally.
4. Switch back to Chrome and inspect the tabs that were controlled.

Actual behavior

• One or more Chrome tabs continue to display the mouse/control indicator after the task has ended.
• The UI therefore appears to show that Codex is still attached to or controlling those tabs.
• The stale indicator remains instead of being cleaned up when the task completes.

Expected behavior

When a Codex task reaches a terminal state (completed, cancelled, or failed), the app should:

• detach from every controlled Chrome tab;
• terminate or release the browser-control session;
• clear the mouse/control indicator from the tab strip; and
• leave Chrome in a normal user-controlled state.

Impact

This makes it unclear whether browser automation is still active and whether Codex continues to have control of the affected tabs. It also leaves the browser in a visibly stale state and may interfere with later browser tasks or normal browser interaction.

Environment

• ChatGPT desktop version: 26.825.51511
• Release date shown in app: August 29, 2026
• Runtime: Powered by Codex & OWL
• macOS: Tahoe 26.6.2
• Hardware: 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple M5 Max, 128 GB memory
• Browser: Google Chrome
• Observed: August 31, 2026

Feedback ID

Unavailable. The in-app feedback upload failed, so a usable Feedback ID could not be provided.

Additional note

The Codex task itself had already completed successfully when this occurred. This appears to be a browser-control cleanup/lifecycle issue rather than a failure of the website task itself.

The report names the macOS Codex app and its Chrome computer-use session, but no repository files or tests. Start by locating the browser-control session lifecycle and terminal-state cleanup for completed, cancelled, and failed tasks. Done means all controlled tabs detach, the session is released, and Chrome's control indicator clears.