Codex updates replace app files. The background theme has to be written back after that happens.
On macOS, scripts/install-macos.zsh installs a LaunchAgent that:
- runs at login,
- watches the Codex app bundle,
app.asar, andInfo.plist, - runs a 60-second fallback check,
- waits until the app bundle stops changing before patching,
- verifies the patch and app signature after writing files.
If Codex starts before the reapply step finishes, the files on disk can be fixed while the current renderer is still using the old assets. In that case the next Codex restart loads the repaired theme.
By default, the helper sends a macOS notification when this happens.
To make the helper restart Codex automatically:
zsh scripts/install-macos.zsh --image "/path/to/wallpaper.png" --auto-restartor run once:
zsh scripts/codex-background-reapply.zsh --force --auto-restartUse auto restart only on machines where an automatic Codex quit/reopen is acceptable.