[Windows] Chrome plugin fails: browser-client not trusted and Native Host registration missing #53246

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

26.1007.2314.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

10.0.26300.0 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Summary

On Windows, the Codex App Chrome plugin is installed and enabled, but browser initialization consistently fails with:

privileged native pipe bridge is not available; browser-client is not trusted

The failure occurs before Chrome tabs can be retrieved.

The bundled Chrome Native Messaging Host executable exists, but its manifest and registry registration are missing.

Reinstalling the Chrome plugin from the Codex plugin UI does not resolve the issue.

Environment

• OS: Windows x64
• Codex App Windows package: 26.1007.2314.0
• Internal app version reported in config: 26.1007.21434
• Chrome plugin version: 26.616.32156
• Browser plugin version: 26.616.32156
• Subscription: ChatGPT Plus

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open the Codex Windows App.
2. Enable the bundled Chrome plugin.
3. Start a new Codex session.
4. Ask Codex to list open Chrome tabs using the official Chrome plugin.
5. The Node REPL loads browser-client.mjs and attempts to initialize it.
6. Initialization fails before any Chrome tab information is retrieved.

Actual Behavior

The following error is consistently reproduced:

privileged native pipe bridge is not available; browser-client is not trusted

The official Native Host diagnostic reports:

{
  "registryManifestPath": null,
  "exists": false,
  "correct": false,
  "problem": "Windows native host registry key does not exist; Native host manifest does not exist"
}

Both the expected HKCU and HKLM Native Messaging Host registry keys are absent.

The expected manifest file is also missing:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\extension\com.openai.codexextension.json

Additional Diagnostics

• node_repl.exe exists and multiple Node REPL processes are running.
• extension-host.exe exists in the bundled Chrome plugin directory.
• The Chrome plugin's latest junction correctly points to version 26.616.32156.
• Both bundled browser-client.mjs files have the same SHA-256 hash.
• NODE_REPL_TRUSTED_SERVICES is configured with the browser service.
• The Chrome plugin remains installed and enabled.
• A fresh Codex session reproduces the failure.
• Chrome installation detection returned installed_browsers: [], but this result alone does not establish that Chrome is missing.
• The Chrome running state could not be verified because the diagnostic tasklist command failed.

Troubleshooting Already Attempted

• Reinstalled the Chrome plugin through the Codex plugin UI.
• Verified bundled plugin files and junction targets.
• Verified Node REPL executable and running processes.
• Ran the official Native Host manifest checker.
• Tested browser initialization in a new Codex session.

The issue persists.

No manual registry changes, configuration modifications, or unsupported Native Host installation attempts were performed.

Expected Behavior

The Codex Chrome plugin installation should correctly register its Native Messaging Host.

The official browser client should be trusted by the Codex runtime and receive access to the privileged Native Pipe Bridge, allowing Chrome tab enumeration and browser interaction.

Request

Please investigate:

1. Why the bundled Chrome plugin installation does not create the Native Host manifest and HKCU registry registration.
2. Why the official browser-client.mjs is not trusted by the Node REPL runtime.
3. Whether the Native Host installation failure and privileged Native Pipe Bridge failure share a common root cause.
4. Whether a supported repair procedure or application update can resolve the issue.

Related reports: #28950 and #21781.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Launch the Codex Windows App (package version 26.1007.2314.0).
2. Verify that the bundled Chrome plugin is installed, enabled, and displayed as managed.
3. Open a new Codex session.
4. Ask Codex to list the currently open Chrome tabs using the Chrome plugin.
5. Codex attempts to initialize the official browser-client.mjs through Node REPL.
6. Initialization fails with the following error:

privileged native pipe bridge is not available; browser-client is not trusted

7. The Chrome tab list cannot be retrieved.

Reproducibility: Consistently reproducible, including in new Codex sessions.

Troubleshooting already performed:

• Reinstalled the Chrome plugin from the Codex plugin UI.
• Verified that the bundled plugin files exist.
• Verified that node_repl.exe is running.
• Confirmed the same initialization error after reinstalling the plugin.

The issue persists.

What is the expected behavior?

The Codex Windows App should successfully initialize the official Chrome browser client through Node REPL.

The bundled Chrome plugin should automatically install and register its Native Messaging Host, including the required manifest file and Windows registry entry.

The browser client should be recognized as trusted and have access to the privileged Native Pipe Bridge.

Codex should then be able to retrieve open Chrome tabs and perform supported browser interactions without initialization errors.

Additional information

Environment

• Windows x64
• Codex App package: 26.1007.2314.0
• Internal app version reported in config: 26.1007.21434
• Chrome plugin: 26.616.32156
• Browser plugin: 26.616.32156
• ChatGPT Plus

Native Host diagnostics

The official check-native-host-manifest.js --json reports:

"registryManifestPath": null
"exists": false
"correct": false

Missing registry key:

HKCU\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.openai.codexextension

The equivalent HKLM key is also absent.

Missing manifest file:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenAI\extension\com.openai.codexextension.json

Plugin and runtime checks

• Bundled extension-host.exe exists.
• Bundled installManifest.mjs exists.
• Chrome plugin latest junction correctly targets version 26.616.32156.
• Both bundled browser-client.mjs files have identical SHA-256 hashes.
• Multiple node_repl.exe processes are running.
• NODE_REPL_TRUSTED_SERVICES contains a browser-service entry.
• NODE_REPL_TRUSTED_BROWSER_CLIENT_SHA256S was not found in the inspected configuration.
• Chrome installation detection returned installed_browsers: [], but Chrome installation status remains unconfirmed by that diagnostic.

The bundled troubleshooting documentation explicitly advises against manually installing or repairing the Native Host.

No unsupported manual repair or registry modification was performed.

Investigation requested

Please investigate whether the missing Native Host registration and the privileged Native Pipe Bridge trust failure originate from the same Windows Codex App initialization problem.

Related reports: #28950 and #21781.