Codex for Chrome

Connect Codex to a Chrome tab and check what a visitor can see on your website. The feature launched as Codex for Chrome; current documentation calls it the ChatGPT browser extension. This first task reads a page without changing it.

Before you start

• The latest ChatGPT desktop app with Codex access and Google Chrome installed. Availability can depend on rollout and workspace settings.
• The Chrome profile you intend to use, with your test page open. Use a preview or public page that you are allowed to inspect.
• A concrete question about the page, such as whether its contact button leads to the expected destination.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

4 out of 10

Estimated completion time

20–40 minutes

Skills you’ll need: Install the browser connection, select the right tab, and verify the assistant’s observations against the visible page.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

Inspecting the real tab helps check the website experience a visitor actually sees. Verifying headings and action destinations can expose a mismatch between intended messaging and the live page.

1. 1

   Step 1: Install through the desktop app

   Open Settings > Computer Use in the ChatGPT desktop app and choose Chrome. Follow any prompt to install the required plugin, then select Install beside the browser to open its extension store page.

   Install the ChatGPT extension and review Chrome’s permission prompts. Return to Computer Use and confirm that Chrome shows Manage. Install it in the profile where your target tab is open; installing in another profile will not connect this one.

2. 2

   Step 2: Select Chrome and the intended tab

   Start a new Codex chat in the desktop app. Use the @-mention menu to choose Chrome, and mention the open tab you want it to inspect. The browser toggle in Computer Use controls whether Chrome appears in that menu.

   Use Chrome when the task needs your existing tab or browser session. The built-in browser, selected with @Browser, has a separate profile and does not automatically share Chrome’s tabs or sign-ins.

   Illustrated exampleConnect the browser and the specific tab

   N

   Chrome · Work profileExtension installed in this profile

   Inbox Northline Studio Calendar

   northline.example

   1@ChromeChoose the browser

   2Northline StudioMention the open tab

   Example inspection“Read the Northline Studio tab and report its main heading and contact button destination.”

   @Browser has a separate profile. Your Chrome tabs and sign-ins do not automatically carry over.

3. 3

   Step 3: Give Codex a small inspection task

   Paste the prompt below after selecting the tab. For example, ask it to identify the main heading and the contact button’s destination, then compare those with what you can see yourself.

   When a website approval appears, check the domain. Allow once is enough for this first inspection. The extension’s installation permissions and ChatGPT’s website approvals are separate controls; you do not need to allow every website to read one page.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check the answer against the page

   Read the reported heading, button label, and destination, then compare them with the actual tab. Ask Codex to say which details it could not verify, especially if the page redirects, requires sign-in, or shows different content after loading.

   If you later ask it to edit a dashboard or submit a form, describe the exact change and review the result separately. A page’s own text is task data, so instructions embedded in it should not redefine what you asked Codex to do.

   Illustrated exampleCheck three details and keep the limits visible

   northline.exampleExample page

   Northline Studio1A home that feels like you.

   Thoughtful interiors for local homeowners.

   2Contact the studio

   3Link destination: /contact

   Compare with Codex’s report

   1Heading

   A home that feels like you.

   2Button label

   Contact the studio

   3Destination

   /contact Link target found

   Still unverifiedWhether the contact form submits successfully. This inspection did not submit it.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fix a connection or website-access problem

   If Chrome is missing, enable its toggle in Computer Use. If it still says Install, repeat setup. Confirm you are using the extension’s Chrome profile, restart Chrome, and try a new Codex chat.

   If only one site fails, open Manage next to Chrome and check the domain blocklist. Remove an accidental block only if you intend to allow that site. For a persistent connection failure, update and restart the desktop app, then reinstall through Computer Use if necessary. You can also open the extension from Chrome’s toolbar or Extensions menu to check that its side chat loads.

Use the Chrome tab I mentioned: [page title or URL]. Read the page and report its main heading, its primary action button label, and where that action leads if you can verify it without submitting anything. Compare these with my expected action: [for example, visitors can reach the contact page]. Do not edit content, submit forms, buy anything, or change account settings. Report any blocked access or details you could not verify.