LCU

Codex computer use, decoupled from the Codex app.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/bd9d0809-8a6c-4931-a51c-b98daf05cb5f

LCU exposes Codex's original computer-use runtime to your harness without requiring Codex authentication. The official ChatGPT desktop app must still be installed locally: it supplies the runtime and instructions, while LCU handles setup and harness integration.

Quick start

Copy this into your agent:

Install and configure LCU for this harness using the latest release.
Follow https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0xpolarzero/lcu/main/docs/INSTALLATION.md
Check my OS, architecture, and prerequisites, then guide me through any required permissions.

Features

Desktop apps: read windows, click, type, and take screenshots.
Chrome, when enabled: read and control tabs through the official extension, with site approval.
In your harness: adapters are currently available for Pi, Codex CLI, and Claude Code. Other harnesses can integrate through the shared JavaScript client.

Requirements

Install the official ChatGPT desktop app, Python 3.12+, and your harness first. LCU checks the installed app for compatibility and uses its original runtime. For Codex CLI, update before setup to get the required hook support.

Platform	Requirements
Linux ARM64 or x86-64	Ubuntu 24.04-compatible glibc system, an active X11 desktop, and D-Bus
macOS on Apple Silicon	The signed ChatGPT app, with Accessibility and screen-recording permissions approved during first use

Windows 11 x64 remains a candidate. Intel Macs, native Wayland, and musl Linux are unsupported. See verification and limits for tested behavior.

Install manually

Download the archive and matching .sha256 file from the latest release:

Platform	Archive
macOS on Apple Silicon	`lcu-<version>-darwin-arm64.tar.gz`
Linux ARM64	`lcu-<version>-linux-arm64.tar.gz`
Linux x86-64	`lcu-<version>-linux-x64.tar.gz`

Follow the installation guide to verify the checksum, extract the archive, and register LCU in your harness. Setup offers an agent chooser and desktop-readiness guidance. Chrome and computer-audio recording are opt-in.

For development, see building from source.

Enable Chrome

Ask your agent:

Enable Chrome control in my LCU setup using the installation guide:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0xpolarzero/lcu/main/docs/INSTALLATION.md#desktop-and-browser

Enable the official extension in your Chrome profile and restart your harness. Then ask it to use LCU to list Chrome tabs. Sites still require approval. Claude Code's Chrome support remains experimental because some interruptions do not trigger tab cleanup; see adapter limitations.

Enable computer-audio recording

Pass --audio when setting up a maintained harness, for example:

lcu setup --agent pi --audio

This enables the installed original runtime's optional computer-audio recording API and its original approval flow. LCU does not add audio-specific instructions, and a saved recording is not audio delivered to the model. See the audio opt-in verification record.

Pi commands

In interactive Pi, /lcu stop requests original Computer Use Stop for a selected app during the active LCU turn (macOS only). /lcu pick selects an original app or browser target and appends it to the editor draft while Pi is idle; review and submit the draft yourself. See adapter command behavior and limits.

Documentation

Installation: downloads, harness setup, permissions, sessions, and upgrades.
Harness adapters: custom clients, approvals, lifecycle, and result handling.
Verification: tested behavior and remaining gaps.
Development: source builds and isolated desktop tests.

LCU is MIT licensed. Release archives contain LCU and third-party setup dependencies. The OpenAI app and its instructions come from your local installation and retain their own terms; see dependency provenance.

LCU