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appIssues related to the Codex desktop appIssues related to the Codex desktop app
bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working
Description #
Summary #
On macOS, the Codex desktop app (Electron) accumulates a massive code_sign_clone
directory in the system temp folder that is never cleaned up. Over time this can consume 62 GB or more of disk space without the user realizing it.
Environment #
macOS: 26.6 (25G5028f)** Codex version**: 26.608.12217 (build 3722)** Architecture**: Apple Silicon (aarch64)
Location #
/private/var/folders/<hash>/X/com.openai.codex.code_sign_clone
Root Cause #
macOS creates a code signing clone under /private/var/folders/.../X/
for signed Electron apps. When the app auto-updates frequently (as Codex does), macOS retains old signing data but does not aggressively prune it. Because Codex.app is ~1 GB and updates are frequent, this directory grows to tens of gigabytes over weeks of normal use.
Reproduction #
-
Use Codex desktop for several weeks with auto-update enabled.
-
Run:
du -sh /private/var/folders/*/X/com.openai.codex.code_sign_clone -
Observe 10-60+ GB consumed.
Suggested Fix #
- On app startup or after a successful update, remove or invalidate stale entries in the code_sign_clone directory.
- Alternatively, reduce the frequency of full app binary replacements during updates (e.g., use delta updates or a stable binary wrapper that loads updated JS bundles without replacing the signed executable).
Workaround #
Users can safely delete the directory:
rm -rf /private/var/folders/*/X/com.openai.codex.code_sign_clone
macOS will regenerate the current version's signing data on next launch (~few hundred MB).
Impact #
This is a silent disk space leak. Users see "Codex: 75 GB" in macOS Storage settings but cannot find where the space is consumed because the path is hidden in system temp folders. Users with smaller SSDs may hit disk-full conditions without understanding the cause.
Metadata #
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appIssues related to the Codex desktop appIssues related to the Codex desktop app
bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working