Chrome extension silently withholds bookmark management despite permission

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.831.2377.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro ($200/month)

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Codex Desktop is connected to the official ChatGPT Chrome extension and can control normal Chrome tabs. However, when the user explicitly asks Codex to create bookmark folders or bookmarks, requesting the browser-scoped management capability fails with:

Capability is not available: management

This is not a missing Chrome permission. The installed extension manifest declares the "bookmarks" permission, and the shipped extension bundle contains browser-management handlers that call chrome.bookmarks. The extension advertises that management capability only when the Statsig gate "codex-app-chrome-extension-browser-management" is enabled. For this connection the gate is false, so getInfo() omits the capability even though Chrome and the installed extension support the operation.

The practical result is that an explicitly authorized, ordinary bookmark-organization request cannot be completed, while broader browser-control functionality remains available. The product reports only that the capability is unavailable and gives the user no setting, eligibility explanation, or actionable diagnostic.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Install and connect the official ChatGPT Chrome extension to Codex Desktop.
2. Verify that Codex can list and control ordinary tabs in the current Chrome profile.
3. Explicitly ask Codex to create bookmark folders or bookmarks in that profile.
4. Request the backend's management capability, for example with browser.capabilities.get("management").
5. Observe: "Capability is not available: management".

The failure reproduced with both bundled Chrome/browser client versions available in the current Codex installation.

What is the expected behavior?

When the user explicitly requests bookmark organization and the connected extension already has Chrome's "bookmarks" permission, Codex should expose the bookmark-management capability and allow creating folders and bookmarks.

If the capability is intentionally limited to a staged rollout, Codex should document the eligibility rules, provide a user-controlled setting where appropriate, and report that a feature gate—not Chrome permission or user authorization—is disabling the operation.

Additional information

Environment:

• Codex Desktop: 26.831.2377.0
• Chrome: 152.0.7977.65
• ChatGPT Chrome extension: 1.26.827.12125
• Extension ID: hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg

Chrome's documented Bookmarks API supports creating folders and bookmarks through chrome.bookmarks.create():
https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/bookmarks

I searched the existing openai/codex issues before filing. #34042 asks for bookmarks in Codex's built-in browser, while this report concerns an already-shipped capability in the official external-Chrome extension being silently withheld by a runtime feature gate. #21670 concerns bridge instability and setup hangs, which are not occurring here.

Start at browser.capabilities.get("management") and the extension's getInfo() path, then trace the Statsig gate "codex-app-chrome-extension-browser-management". Compare the advertised capability with the shipped handlers that call chrome.bookmarks, and verify that bookmark folders and bookmarks become available or that the gate-disabled response explains the restriction.