What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
Version 26.422.30944 (2080)
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Plus
What platform is your computer?
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) Apple M1 Pro 16 GB RAM macOS Tahoe 26.2
What issue are you seeing?
🧾 Issue Description
Codex Desktop App is effectively unusable due to severe UI instability and performance issues, despite confirmed successful backend initialization.
Observed behavior:
App launches successfully
Backend initializes and connects (verified via logs)
UI loads but:
extremely slow response times
intermittent freezing / hanging
delayed or no response to prompts
App feels non-functional for real work
Backend logs clearly show:
initialize_handshake_result outcome=success
Codex CLI initialized
state_changed ... next=connected
This confirms:
👉 Backend is working correctly
👉 Issue is isolated to UI / Electron / rendering layer
🧪 Steps to Reproduce
Install latest Codex Desktop App
Launch application
Open workspace (~/Desktop/auraboros)
Attempt to send any prompt (even simple ones)
Observe:
extreme latency OR
UI hang / freeze
🧪 Troubleshooting Performed (Extensive)
Full uninstall + clean reinstall
Cleared all local state:
~/Library/Application Support/Codex
~/Library/Caches/Codex
~/Library/Preferences/com.openai.codex.plist
System restart
Reset macOS permissions:
tccutil reset All com.openai.codex
Verified CLI functionality:
codex
→ Works perfectly
Direct binary launch:
/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/MacOS/Codex
→ Backend initializes successfully
Tested different models + reduced access scope
🔥 Impact
This issue is blocking production work.
Desktop app cannot be used reliably
Forces fallback to CLI
Prevents normal workflow for project development
🔗 Related Issues (CONFIRMED SIMILAR CASES)
These issues appear to describe the same failure pattern:
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/13869
→ Desktop hangs while CLI works
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/10786
→ App spins indefinitely even on simple prompts
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/11303
→ macOS app deadlocks during startup
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/11016
→ MacBook Pro crashes / instability during usage
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/12852
→ Threads stuck in “Thinking” state
🧠 Additional Context
Issue persists across clean installs
Occurs on Apple Silicon + latest macOS
CLI consistently works → not environment issue
Suggests UI-layer deadlock, rendering bottleneck, or Electron performance issue
🚨 Severity
High / Critical
Blocks core functionality
Reproducible
Not resolved via standard troubleshooting
Affects real-world production workflows
What steps can reproduce the bug?
🧪 Steps to Reproduce
Install latest Codex Desktop App
Launch application
Open workspace (~/Desktop/auraboros)
Attempt to send any prompt (even simple ones)
Observe:
extreme latency OR
UI hang / freeze
🧪 Troubleshooting Performed (Extensive)
Full uninstall + clean reinstall
Cleared all local state:
~/Library/Application Support/Codex
~/Library/Caches/Codex
~/Library/Preferences/com.openai.codex.plist
System restart
What is the expected behavior?
No response
Additional information
No response
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
Version 26.422.30944 (2080)
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Plus
What platform is your computer?
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) Apple M1 Pro 16 GB RAM macOS Tahoe 26.2
What issue are you seeing?
🧾 Issue Description
Codex Desktop App is effectively unusable due to severe UI instability and performance issues, despite confirmed successful backend initialization.
Observed behavior:
App launches successfully
Backend initializes and connects (verified via logs)
UI loads but:
extremely slow response times
intermittent freezing / hanging
delayed or no response to prompts
App feels non-functional for real work
Backend logs clearly show:
initialize_handshake_result outcome=success
Codex CLI initialized
state_changed ... next=connected
This confirms:
👉 Backend is working correctly
👉 Issue is isolated to UI / Electron / rendering layer
🧪 Steps to Reproduce
Install latest Codex Desktop App
Launch application
Open workspace (~/Desktop/auraboros)
Attempt to send any prompt (even simple ones)
Observe:
extreme latency OR
UI hang / freeze
🧪 Troubleshooting Performed (Extensive)
Full uninstall + clean reinstall
Cleared all local state:
~/Library/Application Support/Codex
~/Library/Caches/Codex
~/Library/Preferences/com.openai.codex.plist
System restart
Reset macOS permissions:
tccutil reset All com.openai.codex
Verified CLI functionality:
codex
→ Works perfectly
Direct binary launch:
/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/MacOS/Codex
→ Backend initializes successfully
Tested different models + reduced access scope
🔥 Impact
This issue is blocking production work.
Desktop app cannot be used reliably
Forces fallback to CLI
Prevents normal workflow for project development
🔗 Related Issues (CONFIRMED SIMILAR CASES)
These issues appear to describe the same failure pattern:
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/13869
→ Desktop hangs while CLI works
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/10786
→ App spins indefinitely even on simple prompts
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/11303
→ macOS app deadlocks during startup
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/11016
→ MacBook Pro crashes / instability during usage
https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/12852
→ Threads stuck in “Thinking” state
🧠 Additional Context
Issue persists across clean installs
Occurs on Apple Silicon + latest macOS
CLI consistently works → not environment issue
Suggests UI-layer deadlock, rendering bottleneck, or Electron performance issue
🚨 Severity
High / Critical
Blocks core functionality
Reproducible
Not resolved via standard troubleshooting
Affects real-world production workflows
What steps can reproduce the bug?
🧪 Steps to Reproduce
Install latest Codex Desktop App
Launch application
Open workspace (~/Desktop/auraboros)
Attempt to send any prompt (even simple ones)
Observe:
extreme latency OR
UI hang / freeze
🧪 Troubleshooting Performed (Extensive)
Full uninstall + clean reinstall
Cleared all local state:
~/Library/Application Support/Codex
~/Library/Caches/Codex
~/Library/Preferences/com.openai.codex.plist
System restart
What is the expected behavior?
No response
Additional information
No response