OpenAI's Codex App Is Quietly Hiding 1.7GB of Python, Node, and Poppler
OpenAI's Codex desktop app, now rebranded into ChatGPT, bundles a 1.7GB hidden runtime folder containing a full Python installation, a full Node.js installation, and native Poppler and git binaries.
What it is
A discovery by Simon Willison, made while running OmniDiskSweeper over his `~/.cache/` folder, of a `codex-primary-runtime` directory left by the OpenAI Codex desktop app after its rebrand to ChatGPT desktop.
What it does
The folder holds 1.7GB including a complete Python installation, a complete Node.js installation, and native binaries for Poppler, git, and other tools, all bundled locally rather than fetched at runtime.
Why it matters
This is the kind of thing that quietly eats disk space and update bandwidth on every user's machine, and it's a reminder that a desktop AI agent client may be shipping a full toolchain you never explicitly installed, worth a look with your own disk-usage tool if you run these apps.
How to use it
Check `~/.cache/` (or the equivalent on your OS) for a `codex-primary-runtime` folder if you use the Codex or ChatGPT desktop app and want to see what it's bundling.
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