Opening Codex in the desktop app consumes tokens and creates turns without submitting a prompt

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

26.901.51231

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.19045.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

On September 8, 2026, I performed a controlled test. I opened the ChatGPT desktop application and switched to Codex. I did not type or submit a prompt, resume a task, or intentionally start any Codex work.

Afterward, Analytics recorded 2 Codex turns for September 8: 1 gpt-5.6-luna turn and 1 gpt-5.6-terra turn. My Codex Profile also recorded 378K tokens for September 8, and Plan Usage attributes the day's usage entirely to Codex.

I observed the same behavior on September 2: I did not use Codex, but after opening the desktop Codex interface, Analytics recorded 1 Desktop turn and 337.9K tokens.

Merely opening/switching to the Codex interface should not initiate model turns or consume my plan usage without a submitted task.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Open the ChatGPT desktop application on Windows.
Switch from ChatGPT to the Codex interface.
Do not type or submit a prompt.
Do not resume an existing task or intentionally start any Codex work.
Close or leave the Codex interface.
After the Analytics/Profile data updates, check Codex usage.

On September 8, following only those steps, Analytics recorded 2 Codex turns:

1 gpt-5.6-luna turn
1 gpt-5.6-terra turn

The Codex Profile recorded 378K tokens for September 8, and Plan Usage attributed the day's usage to Codex.

Session ID: N/A — I did not submit or intentionally start a Codex session/task.

Context window usage: N/A — no prompt or task was submitted.

Token usage observed: 378K tokens on September 8.

No code snippet is applicable because this is a desktop UI/usage-accounting issue triggered by opening/switching to Codex.

What is the expected behavior?

Opening the ChatGPT desktop application or switching to the Codex interface without submitting a prompt or starting/resuming a task should not initiate model turns or consume Codex plan usage.

Codex usage should only be recorded when I intentionally submit or resume work that requires model execution.

Additional information

I reproduced this behavior more than once.

On September 2, I opened the Codex desktop interface but did not intentionally use Codex. Analytics later recorded 1 Desktop turn and 337.9K tokens for that day.

I performed the September 8 test specifically to determine whether simply opening/switching to Codex could trigger usage. It again resulted in recorded token usage and model turns despite no prompt being submitted.

I have screenshots showing:

Sep 8 — Codex Profile: 378K tokens
Sep 8 — Analytics: 2 turns (1 Luna + 1 Terra)
Sep 8 — Plan usage: Terra + Other
Sep 8 — Plan Model: Codex
Sep 2 — Codex Profile: 337.9K tokens
Sep 2 — Analytics: 1 Desktop turn

I am avoiding further reproduction attempts because each test may consume additional plan usage

The payload names no source files or tests. Start by tracing desktop Codex initialization on Windows and the path that records model turns and token usage, then reproduce the reported open-and-switch sequence without submitting a prompt. Done means opening or switching to Codex creates no model turns and consumes no plan usage.