PiP unexpectedly activates the desktop Pet — please make Pet activation explicitly opt-in

App version

macOS ChatGPT/Codex desktop app 26.903.61454 (8378).

Subscription

Not specified.

Platform

Darwin 25.4.0 arm64 (Apple Silicon).

Issue

While the agent was operating a webpage in the right-hand panel, I clicked a control around the ongoing-operation/Picture-in-Picture UI. The desktop Pet suddenly appeared, even though I had never intentionally enabled it.

This is frustrating and interrupts my work. I did not understand that interacting with the operation preview could activate a separate desktop companion.

Observed sequence and evidence

1. The agent was operating a webpage in the right-hand panel.
2. I clicked a control around the ongoing-operation/PiP UI.
3. The Pet appeared without my intentionally selecting Wake Pet or changing Pet settings.

The exact click coordinates were not recorded, so this is an observed sequence, not a fully verified minimal reproduction; a hit-target issue has not been ruled out.

Local system logs on September 11, 2026, at 15:22 China Standard Time (UTC+8):

15:22:00.302 RemoteHostedPIPContent requesting pet wake for pending placement
15:22:01.910 RemoteHostedPIPContent requesting pet wake for pending placement
15:22:03.594 RemoteHostedPIPContent completing pending pet placement

Local inspection indicates that the “Send Picture-in-Picture to Pet” action invokes the Pet wake handler when the Pet host is unavailable. The wake path also persists the Pet's open state. This establishes a PiP-triggered activation path, but does not establish why my particular click selected it.

Expected behavior / requested changes

• Provide a persistent “Disable Pets” setting that prevents automatic activation from PiP.
• Keep browser/computer-use previews usable without activating Pets.
• Clearly communicate when an action will enable the Pet, and require explicit opt-in before first activation.
• Review the placement button's icon, tooltip, and hit area for accidental activation.

Related issue

https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/42243 describes reappearance after tucking the Pet away/reopening the app. This report supplies a specific PiP-triggered wake path in a case where the user had never intentionally enabled Pets.

Please route this report to the desktop application's product and engineering teams and provide a tracking reference.

Start by tracing the RemoteHostedPIPContent log path and the “Send Picture-in-Picture to Pet” action in the macOS desktop app. Review how the Pet wake handler persists open state and how PiP previews behave when the Pet host is unavailable. Done means PiP remains usable without unintended activation and the requested opt-in or disable behavior is covered.