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Performance: Code Helper (Renderer) exceeds 100% when Codex applies a code patch in VS Code #15764

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Performance: Code Helper (Renderer) exceeds 100% when Codex applies a code patch in VS Code#15764
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bugSomething isn't workingextensionIssues related to the VS Code extensionregressionBehaviors that worked in previous versions but were broken due to an update

Description

@snz2
snz2
opened on Mar 25, 2026

What version of the IDE extension are you using?

All versions later than 26.313.41514 are affected.

What subscription do you have?

yes

Which IDE are you using?

VS Code

What platform is your computer?

macos

What issue are you seeing?

On any version newer than 26.313.41514, CPU usage spikes above 100% whenever Codex modifies code by applying a patch / code edit.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

  1. Install any Codex IDE extension version newer than 26.313.41514.
  2. Open VS Code.
  3. Open any workspace/project.
  4. Start a Codex session.
  5. Ask Codex to modify code.
  6. Let Codex apply the patch.
  7. Check CPU usage in Activity Monitor / system monitor.

This reproduces consistently whenever Codex applies a code change.

What is the expected behavior?

CPU usage may increase briefly while the patch is being applied, but it should quickly return to normal and should not stay above 100%.

Additional information

26.313.41514 is the last known good version on my machine.

All newer versions are affected.

The issue is specifically triggered when Codex applies a code change. It is reproducible every time.

I also tried disabling GPU acceleration, but that did not fix the issue. It only made the UI slower while the CPU spike still happened.

Activity

  1. snz2
    added
    extensionIssues related to the VS Code extension
    on Mar 25, 2026
  2. github-actions
    added
    bugSomething isn't working
    tool-callsIssues related to tool calling
    on Mar 25, 2026

  3. github-actions commented on Mar 25, 2026

    @github-actions
    github-actionsBot
    on Mar 25, 2026 – with GitHub Actions
    Contributor

    Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

    Powered by Codex Action

  4. Ralayax commented on Mar 25, 2026

    @Ralayax
    Ralayax
    on Mar 25, 2026

    Same issue for me

  5. pshenychnyi-maks commented on Mar 25, 2026

    @pshenychnyi-maks
    pshenychnyi-maks
    on Mar 25, 2026

    the same

  6. etraut-openai
    added
    regressionBehaviors that worked in previous versions but were broken due to an update
    appIssues related to the Codex desktop app
    extensionIssues related to the VS Code extension
    and removed
    appIssues related to the Codex desktop app
    extensionIssues related to the VS Code extension
    tool-callsIssues related to tool calling
    on Mar 25, 2026

  7. jeremiahodom commented on Mar 26, 2026

    @jeremiahodom
    jeremiahodom
    on Mar 26, 2026

    Same issue

  8. 8 remaining items

  9. Sheng-Charles commented on Mar 30, 2026

    @Sheng-Charles
    Sheng-Charles
    on Mar 30, 2026

    Codex app same here, the CPU hits 100% during coding and thinking. but the CLI runs perfectly smooth.

  10. hello-nico-chan commented on Mar 31, 2026

    @hello-nico-chan
    hello-nico-chan
    on Mar 31, 2026

    Same issue for me

  11. mousehaozi commented on Apr 1, 2026

    @mousehaozi
    mousehaozi
    on Apr 1, 2026

    I’ve also encountered the same issue. The resource usage remains very high, and even after the conversation has ended, the related process continues to stay at a high level. In most cases, disabling the extension or restarting the application is necessary to restore things to normal.

    Image

  12. sylvio-cavalcanti commented on Apr 1, 2026

    @sylvio-cavalcanti
    sylvio-cavalcanti
    on Apr 1, 2026

    Been having the same issue with the overheating a macbook air m4 using codex on vs code. The only workaround I've found was to use the official codex app for mac. It's not overheating when using the app, but now I have to keep switch apps between the Codex app and Vs code app.

  13. mousehaozi commented on Apr 2, 2026

    @mousehaozi
    mousehaozi
    on Apr 2, 2026

    Been having the same issue with the overheating a macbook air m4 using codex on vs code. The only workaround I've found was to use the official codex app for mac. It's not overheating when using the app, but now I have to keep switch apps between the Codex app and Vs code app.

    Yes, the desktop app of codex doesn't get hot

  14. AmShaegar13 commented on Apr 2, 2026

    @AmShaegar13
    AmShaegar13
    on Apr 2, 2026

    This is not limited to MacOS. Arch Linux here with high load after changing a file using the VS Code extension.

  15. araydefence commented on Apr 4, 2026

    @araydefence
    araydefence
    on Apr 4, 2026

    My local VSCode installation with Codex has been behaving this way every day since I first installed Codex. I feel like its potentially shortening the life of my device, would hate for OpenAI to have a class action lawsuit related to thousands or millions of damaged work devices and associated hardware as a result of this fault; cutting 2-3 years off of a maintenance and replacement cycle is no small matter at a national or global scale.

    Windows 11, latest version of VSCode and Codex plugin, I don't use the CLI version. CPU load behaviour been happening pretty consistently for months, sometimes just opening the VSCode app is enough to do it without starting any chat with Codex, truly a bizarre use of my system resources that has been unpatched far too long.

  16. cckalen commented on Apr 4, 2026

    @cckalen
    cckalen
    on Apr 4, 2026

    My local VSCode installation with Codex has been behaving this way every day since I first installed Codex. I feel like its potentially shortening the life of my device, would hate for OpenAI to have a class action lawsuit related to thousands or millions of damaged work devices and associated hardware as a result of this fault; cutting 2-3 years off of a maintenance and replacement cycle is no small matter at a national or global scale.

    Windows 11, latest version of VSCode and Codex plugin, I don't use the CLI version. CPU load behaviour been happening pretty consistently for months, sometimes just opening the VSCode app is enough to do it without starting any chat with Codex, truly a bizarre use of my system resources that has been unpatched far too long.

    Yes, beyond frustrating.

    The class action comment made me smile, but the concern is valid. This has been going on for months now, there are many reports, and the pattern is consistent: excessive CPU, heat, fan noise, battery drain, and machines getting hammered during normal use.

    At this point the product is unusable for many people, and if teams with hundreds of engineers are hitting this too, then it is not just an annoying bug, it is a real operational and hardware-impact issue at scale.

    OpenAI needs to stop letting this sit and actually prioritize fixing it.

  17. hydrandt commented on Apr 7, 2026

    @hydrandt
    hydrandt
    on Apr 7, 2026

    Any workaround found? Debian Sid here.

    For me it is:

    • 100% (a single core) for /usr/share/code/code --type zygote
    • 25% for another process of the above
    • 25% for /proc/self/exe --type=utility --utility-sub-type=node.mojom.NodeService

  18. nrwhittle-beauhurst commented on Apr 7, 2026

    @nrwhittle-beauhurst
    nrwhittle-beauhurst
    on Apr 7, 2026

    A rather blunt-force workaround is to restart VSCode's extension host: ctrl + shift + p opens up the command palette, then you want Developer: Restart Extension Host

    That will restart all of your extensions so it might cause problems with them afterwards, but I've not found a way to properly restart just a single extension yet - but that's a VSCode problem

  19. kostiantyn-samkovskyi commented on Apr 7, 2026

    @kostiantyn-samkovskyi
    kostiantyn-samkovskyi
    on Apr 7, 2026

    Here is a trick: if you opne a new thread, it consumes back to 0%. But if you jsut reopen old thread, it is back to 100%. So there is some bug in rendering answer

  20. leonardo-r-rocha commented on Apr 13, 2026

    @leonardo-r-rocha
    leonardo-r-rocha
    on Apr 13, 2026

    I’m experiencing a similar issue

    Environment:

    • VS Code: 1.115.0
    • macOS (Apple Silicon - M5)
    • Extension version (problematic): 26.409.20454
    • Extension version (stable): 26.318.11754

    Symptoms:

    • "Code Helper (Renderer)" goes to ~100–120% CPU (sometimes higher)
    • In VS Code Process Explorer, the "window" process is the one consuming CPU (~110%)
    • The issue appears when the Codex panel/chat is open
    • "codex app-server" process remains at 0% CPU

    Downgrading to 26.318.11754 completely resolves the issue. This looks like a regression introduced after 26.318.x, specifically affecting the renderer/webview layer.

  21. Rohlik commented on Apr 15, 2026

    @Rohlik
    Rohlik
    on Apr 15, 2026

    Seeing this also on my laptop with Ubuntu 24.04.

  22. snz2 commented on Apr 22, 2026

    @snz2
    snz2
    on Apr 22, 2026
    Author

    It was resolved after installing the latest version (26.5415.20818).

  23. snz2
    closed this as completedon Apr 22, 2026
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