Codex Computer Use not working on macOS: practical checklist

codex-computer-use-macos-checklist.md

Codex Computer Use not working on macOS: practical checklist

Codex Computer Use Not Working On macOS: Practical Checklist

If Codex Computer Use says unavailable, refuses app access, or works in one runtime but not another, verify the active runtime, not just the files on disk.

Checks

codex mcp list
codex plugin marketplace add /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled
codex mcp list

ls ~/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/computer-use/*/.codex-plugin/plugin.json
ls ~/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/computer-use/*/.mcp.json

Common Failure Layers

• macOS Screen Recording is not granted.
• macOS Accessibility is not granted.
• The app bundle has computer-use, but the active Codex home/plugin cache does not.
• A stale OAuth profile or isolated Codex home prevents the app-server runtime from running.
• OpenClaw is answering through its normal coding runner instead of the Codex runtime that owns Computer Use.
• list_apps works, but actual app control fails because per-app approval or MCP elicitation is broken.

Working Pattern

• Keep the normal coding/business agent on a token-smart route.
• Use a dedicated Codex-runtime agent for Computer Use.
• Prove it with an actual tool call, such as app listing or active UI inspection.

Same-day triage: https://buy.stripe.com/28E7sL3Ug3n0bO935V3sI0r

Paid diagnostic: https://buy.stripe.com/28EfZheyU2iW4lH35V3sI0q

Paid done-for-you setup: https://igorganapolsky.github.io/openclaw-mac-ai-workstation-setup/