OpenAI Introduces Screen Observations Memory Chronicle to Codex, Exclusive to ChatGPT Pro on macOS

According to Scout Beating monitoring, OpenAI has launched a research preview feature called Chronicle for its programming agent product Codex. Once activated, the Codex client on macOS will request screen recording and accessibility permissions, continuously capturing the screen. The backend summarizes the screenshots into local memory files, which are then invoked as context for the next new session. The feature is currently only available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers, and not yet open to the EU, UK, and Switzerland.

Chronicle targets the blind spots of the Codex memory system. Previously, memories could only be generated from the conversation itself, and actions such as switching windows, checking documents, or reading emails would not leave a trace. With each new session, users had to reiterate "what they were doing." The first example given in the official documentation is when a user only inputs "why did this fail." Codex will first scan the recent screen content, identify that the user is currently viewing a failed GitHub Actions log, and then open the log, pinpointing an unescaped> symbol in an MDX document.

Ambiguous commands can also be auto-completed. For example, a phrase like "sync the latest docs draft and then tell Romain on Slack," Chronicle will recognize from the recent screen which Google Docs draft and which Romain are being referred to, and Codex will then complete the task accordingly.

The screenshots are uploaded to OpenAI's servers to generate summaries. Once processing is complete, they are not retained and not used for training. However, the generated memories are in unencrypted Markdown format and are stored in ~/.codex/memories_extensions/chronicle/. Other programs on the same machine can also access them. If a malicious command appears on the screen (such as browsing a webpage with injected commands), Codex may execute it, increasing the risk of prompt injection. The backend sandbox agent continuously processes the screenshots, quickly depleting Codex's usage quota.

OpenAI has placed the switch in the menu bar icon. Before a meeting or viewing sensitive content, users can pause Chronicle at any time. Temporary screenshots are stored in `$TMPDIR/chronicle/screen_recording/` and are automatically deleted after 6 hours.