chrome:control-chrome skill conflicts with other dev tools

What issue are you seeing?

When the chrome:control-chrome is installed, the wording of the skill prevents codex from using other tools to interact with the browser.

Only the Node REPL js tool (mcp__node_repl__js) can be used to control the selected browser. Do not use external MCP browser-control tools, separate browser automation servers, or other browser skills for this surface. References to Playwright mean the documented tab.playwright API.

This results in codex refusing to use chrome-devtools-mcp outright. I had to rewrite and reload the skill to get it to comply.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. With chrome:control-chrome is installed (for example, via Codex for Desktop), start a browser control task.
2. Close the Chrome instance being debugged.
3. Install chrome-devtools-mcp, restart, resume the session. Or ask codex to do it.
4. Ask codex to use chrome-devtools-mcp to control a new Chrome instance.

Codex will refuse to comply in steps 3 and 4. Step 3 can be forced, but not step 4. In my case, it was:

There’s a restriction in this session: my Chrome tooling instructions explicitly prohibit switching to an external browser-control MCP server. I can’t install or use DevTools MCP here.

What is the expected behavior?

Codex should follow the instructions.

Additional information

Versions:

• chrome:control-chrome: 26.825.32147
• codex-cli: 0.153.4
• model: gpt-6-astra medium

Start by locating the chrome:control-chrome skill and reviewing the instruction that restricts browser-control tools. Reproduce the scenario with chrome-devtools-mcp after closing the original Chrome instance and restarting; done means Codex can follow a request to use the newly installed tool without refusing because of the skill wording.