Codex Windows voice companion loses transparency after restart and blocks desktop input

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

26.901.5280.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT paid account using Codex; exact subscription tier is not displayed in the About dialog

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

After restarting the Codex Windows app while voice mode is in use, the floating voice companion loses its alpha transparency. The companion's large borderless surface renders as an opaque black rectangle that can cover much of the right side of the display. In some occurrences that invisible or black surface also wins hit testing, so left-click and right-click stop working on desktop icons and application controls beneath that region. Moving the main Codex window away does not remove the blocked region.

This is more disruptive than a cosmetic transparency glitch because it can make a large section of the desktop unusable until the overlay is repaired or the responsible process exits.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Start a realtime voice conversation in the Codex Windows app so the floating voice companion/orb is present.
2. Move or background the Codex window and continue using the floating companion.
3. Restart the Codex app, then resume or start voice mode again.
4. Move the main Codex window away from the companion's former screen region.
5. Observe that the companion's transparent background is now rendered as a large opaque black rectangle. In affected runs, try left-clicking or right-clicking desktop items beneath that region; input is intercepted.

The issue has reproduced across multiple Codex restarts. The orb itself may remain visible and voice may continue working, but the surrounding companion surface loses alpha.

What is the expected behavior?

The voice companion should remain a transparent, draggable overlay across app restarts and foreground/background transitions. Only the intended orb and controls should receive pointer input; transparent pixels must not paint black or block the desktop beneath them.

Additional information

Environment:

• Codex app: 26.901.5280.0
• Chromium runtime reported by ChatGPT.exe: 152.0.7977.64
• Windows: Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64
• Primary GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, driver 32.0.16.1656
• Virtual display adapters are also installed.

Temporary workaround: a local Win32 keeper reapplies WS_EX_LAYERED and SetLayeredWindowAttributes with alpha 82 to the borderless full-height companion surface. This restores usability for the current process, but Codex loses the transparency again after a restart, so it is not a durable fix.

Related but not identical to reports about transparent sidebars or maximized-window borders. This report is specifically about the voice companion surface becoming opaque black after restart and sometimes intercepting desktop input.

Start by reproducing the restart sequence on Windows with the floating voice companion, then inspect the desktop overlay and its Win32 window behavior; the report mentions a borderless companion surface and a Chromium runtime. Done means the companion remains transparent and draggable after restart, while only the orb and controls receive pointer input and desktop interaction beneath transparent pixels is preserved.