[macOS desktop] Chrome native-host manifest missing; Computer use settings cannot open repair controls

Summary

The Chrome extension opens but cannot connect to the desktop app. Settings > Computer use reports “Browser extension not installed,” and clicking the Google Chrome row does not open the repair controls. The bundled diagnostic confirms that the Chrome native-host manifest is missing.

Environment

• macOS (exact OS version not collected)
• Installed app: /Applications/ChatGPT.app
• App version: 26.908.70816 (build 9275), read from the installed app's Info.plist
• Bundle identifier: com.openai.codex
• Google Chrome extension ID observed in the open sidebar: hehggadaopoacecdllhhajmbjkdcmajg
• Session ID supplied for investigation: 01a0abe7-6d97-7f51-adfd-c8edbd8cc6fa

Observed behavior

1. With the desktop app running, open the ChatGPT extension sidebar in Chrome.
2. The sidebar says “Install the app to use ChatGPT in Chrome,” with Download ChatGPT and “open the app if already installed” controls.
3. Desktop Settings > Computer use shows “Google Chrome — Browser extension not installed.”
4. Clicking the Google Chrome row does not respond, so the user cannot reach reinstall controls. An earlier Chrome detail screen showed Reinstall extension, but that repair flow is currently inaccessible.
5. Chrome is absent from the available extension-backed browser connections.

This describes the affected installation; reproduction on a clean installation has not been tested.

Verified diagnostic

Running the diagnostic bundled in the installed app:

node /Applications/ChatGPT.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/plugins/chrome/scripts/check-native-host-manifest.js --browser chrome --json

returned exit code 1 with:

{
  "browserFamily": "chrome",
  "expectedHostName": "com.openai.codexextension",
  "exists": false,
  "correct": false,
  "problem": "Native host manifest does not exist: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/com.openai.codexextension.json"
}

The path above is normalized to omit the local username. Direct directory inspection also found no OpenAI manifest in the user's Chrome NativeMessagingHosts directory.

Troubleshooting already attempted

• Quit and reopen the desktop app, opening the installed copy from Applications.
• Restart the Mac; user reports the same issue afterward.
• Multiple installer downloads did not resolve the problem. These downloads alone are not evidence of successful reinstalls.
• No manual native-host installation or manifest editing was performed.

Several ChatGPT installer disk images were mounted during diagnosis; whether that is related is unknown.

Expected behavior

The supported browser setup should register the native host, or show an actionable error and an accessible repair flow. An installed Chrome extension should be distinguished from a missing native-host registration.

Please investigate the missing registration and nonresponsive settings row, and provide a supported recovery method when the in-app repair controls cannot be opened.

Potentially related Windows report: #43849. This report concerns macOS, and a shared root cause has not been established.

OpenAI's help-center automated support directed the user to file a Codex GitHub issue with the session ID. No raw logs or unrelated personal data are attached.

Start with the bundled check-native-host-manifest.js diagnostic and the Chrome NativeMessagingHosts path shown in the report, then trace the macOS desktop Settings > Computer use row and its repair flow. Done means an installed Chrome extension is correctly distinguished from missing native-host registration and the user can access an actionable recovery path.