Browser Use hardcodes chatgpt.com site_status policy endpoint and breaks/leaks metadata with custom model providers

[snussik]

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

26.429.20946

What subscription do you have?

pro

What platform is your computer?

No response

What issue are you seeing?

Summary

The bundled Codex Desktop Browser Use plugin appears to perform external URL policy checks against a hardcoded OpenAI/ChatGPT endpoint:

https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/aura/site_status

This happens even when Codex is configured with a custom/non-OpenAI model provider. In that configuration, Browser Use attempts to send the target site_url and turn/session identifiers to a third-party endpoint that is not the configured provider. The endpoint returns 403 Forbidden, so Browser Use also fails to open otherwise allowed external URLs.

Environment

• Product: Codex Desktop app
• OS: Windows
• Plugin: browser-use@openai-bundled, 0.1.0-alpha1
• Model provider: custom provider, not ChatGPT/OpenAI
• Browser config:

approval_mode = "never_ask"
history_approval_mode = "never_ask"

[origins]
allowed = ["https://*", "http://*"]
denied = []

Observed behavior

When Browser Use tries to navigate to an external URL such as:

https://example.com/

it performs a policy check similar to:

GET https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/aura/site_status
  ?site_url=https://example.com/
  &url_request_source=codex_browser_use
  &conversation_id=<session identifier>
  &turn_id=<turn identifier>

In a custom-provider configuration, this request returns:

HTTP 403 Forbidden

Browser Use then fails closed with an error like:

Browser Use cannot determine if https://example.com is allowed.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Change OAuth to api with different provider

What is the expected behavior?

Browser Use should not hardcode chatgpt.com as the external URL policy service when Codex is configured with a custom model provider.

Expected alternatives:

1. Codex host performs the URL policy check and exposes only the result to Browser Use.
2. Codex host passes a provider-neutral/configured Browser Use policy endpoint to the plugin.
3. If no policy endpoint is available, Browser Use fails closed with a clear diagnostic and does not send target URLs or turn/session identifiers to an unrelated hardcoded endpoint.

Additional information

Privacy/security concern

In custom-provider deployments, the current behavior creates unexpected egress to chatgpt.com, including:

• the external URL being opened (site_url);
• url_request_source;
• turn/session identifiers when present in runtime metadata.

This is surprising because the configured model provider is not ChatGPT/OpenAI, and local Browser Use origin configuration does not indicate that target URLs and turn identifiers may be sent to chatgpt.com.

Impact:

• Unexpected third-party egress in custom-provider deployments.
• Target URLs and turn/session identifiers are sent to a domain that is not the configured model provider.
• The request currently returns 403 Forbidden in this setup, causing Browser Use to fail closed, but the egress attempt still occurs.
• Local Browser Use origin allowlist configuration does not make this behavior clear.

Root-cause evidence

The installed bundle contains logic equivalent to:

const policyBase = "https://chatgpt.com/backend-api";
// ...
site_status?site_url=...&url_request_source=codex_browser_use&conversation_id=...&turn_id=...

The plugin package metadata points to:

https://github.com/openai/openai/tree/master/lib/browser_use/plugin

but the installed local plugin contains only the bundled scripts/browser-client.mjs, not the original source files, so users cannot rebuild a provider-neutral patch locally.

Suggested fix

Make the Browser Use URL policy service provider-neutral and host-configured:

Browser Use -> Codex host/provider-neutral policy service -> allow/deny result

Do not silently default to chatgpt.com in custom-provider configurations.

Suggested design:

• Remove the hardcoded https://chatgpt.com/backend-api default from the Browser Use plugin.
• Let Codex host pass an explicit policy endpoint, e.g. x-codex-browser-use-policy-endpoint.
• Keep fail-closed behavior if no endpoint is available.
• Do not send conversation_id / turn_id to the external policy service unless the host explicitly opts in.
• Document how [origins].allowed relates to any remote policy check.

Acceptance criteria

• With standard OpenAI/Codex auth, Browser Use continues to enforce URL policy.
• With a custom model provider, Browser Use does not send target URLs or turn/session identifiers to chatgpt.com.
• External navigation either:
  • uses a configured provider-neutral policy endpoint, or
  • fails closed with a clear local diagnostic.
• localhost, 127.0.0.1, ::1, and file:// behavior remains unchanged.

[github-actions]

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

• Browser Use blocks external and custom-host URLs with "cannot determine if ... is allowed" on macOS app #19270

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[Reflyer823]

+1，can we turn this check off when using custom model providers ?