Codex Desktop spawns powershell.exe every second, causing high CPU usage.
Codex Desktop spawns powershell.exe every second, causing high CPU usage.
Problem statement normalized from the linked evidence
CANDIDATE VIEW · NOT A PUBLISHED OPPORTUNITY
01
Qualification checklist
Gate decision: Aug 15, 2026
×
At least 3 independent users2 / 3
NOT MET
×
At least 2 independent discussions1 / 2
NOT MET
✓
At least 1 supporting signal1 Workarounds · 1 Blocked workflows · Persistence
MET
02
Observed signals
Users2
Discussions1
Mentions2
Active days2
Source coverageGitHub
TrendUNKNOWN
First seenMay 31, 2026
Last seenJul 26, 2026
Why the gate is holding
Fewer than 3 independent users
Fewer than 2 independent discussions
Competition research, commercial scoring, and Build Gap analysis do not run until this gate passes.
03
Source evidence
2 evidence records
github · HIGH · Jul 26, 2026
openai/codex
## Confirmed on current Windows Codex Desktop I can reproduce this on Windows 11 with: - **Codex Desktop MSIX:** `OpenAI.Codex_26.721.4979.0` - **Desktop host:** packaged `ChatGPT.exe` After a full Windows reboot and a full Codex restart, Codex repeatedly creates short-lived `powershell.exe` and `conhost.exe` children at roughly **once per second**. The `conhost.exe` windows visibly flash on screen, which is extremely disruptive during normal work. ## What I captured The repeated processes are direct descendants of…
Windows Codex Desktop spawns powershell.exe every second for full process polling, causing high CPU usage
### What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)? 26.527.31326 ### What subscription do you have? Pro ### What platform is your computer? Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64 ### What issue are you seeing? Codex Desktop repeatedly spawns short-lived powershell.exe children under the Codex.exe GUI process to run full-machine CIM/WMI scans over Win32_Process and Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_Process. In a fresh 30.05s measurement, I observed 23 PowerShell/pwsh processes, approximately 0…