← OpenClaw Mac AI Workstation Setup

Codex "Computer Use plugin unavailable" on macOS

If you see Computer Use plugin unavailable in Codex on macOS even though the bundled plugin files exist on disk, the file's existence is not the right signal. The active Codex profile has to register the plugin, hydrate its cache, and run a binary that matches your CPU and macOS version. Below are the four causes that account for almost every report.

$19 quick read: send your error, get the likely root cause $49 same-day triage

The exact error

Common variants users paste into search:

1. The plugin is bundled but never registered

The bundled plugin lives in the Codex app bundle, but the active profile has to register it. If codex mcp list does not show computer-use, the cache was never hydrated.

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

After the second list, computer-use should appear. If it still does not, see the next sections — the registration succeeded but the runtime cannot run the binary.

2. The cache is hydrated for a different macOS user

Codex stores its plugin cache under ~/.codex/plugins/cache. If the app was installed and registered under macOS user A but you are now running as macOS user B, B's cache is empty even though A's is fine. The same skew happens when Codex is updated by an admin under /Applications but used by a non-admin account.

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

If both paths are missing for the current user, re-run codex plugin marketplace add while logged in as that user.

3. The bundled binary does not match your CPU

On Intel Macs the bundled SkyComputerUseClient may be arm64-only, so registration succeeds but launch fails silently and Codex reports the plugin unavailable. Inspect the binary:

file /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/computer-use/*/SkyComputerUseClient
# look for: Mach-O universal binary with 2 architectures
# or:       Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64

If the binary is arm64 only, Intel Macs cannot launch it. The fix is a universal or x86_64 build, or a different runtime; this is not something a permission grant can resolve.

4. The bundled client requires a newer macOS

If the bundled SkyComputerUseClient was built for macOS 15.0, running it on macOS 14.x will crash on launch and Codex will surface the plugin as unavailable. Confirm with:

/usr/bin/otool -l /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/plugins/openai-bundled/computer-use/*/SkyComputerUseClient \
  | grep -A 2 LC_BUILD_VERSION
# minos = the minimum macOS your current build requires

If minos is higher than your current macOS, you either upgrade macOS or use a Codex version whose bundled client targets your OS.

5. Permissions are granted to the wrong host

Screen Recording and Accessibility have to apply to the process that actually executes Computer Use, not just to Codex. After granting, you should be able to call a Computer Use tool and get a real response, not an unavailable plugin notice. A working smoke test on macOS:

# From within the Codex harness:
computer-use.list_apps
# Expected: ACTIVE_APP=<something>; APP_COUNT=<number>

If the tool answers in text instead of returning structured app data, the runtime is not the Computer Use runtime — the active model or routing is wrong, not the plugin.

If you want this resolved today instead of debugging: the $49 triage covers root cause and the exact next move. Send your Codex version, codex mcp list output, and the crashing log; you get a same-day reply.

$99 diagnostic $497 done-for-you setup

Related guides