Remote Computer Use for Codex

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A Codex plugin based on OpenAI's Computer Use sample. It replaces local desktop input with RDP and VNC while keeping persistent Python execution: variables survive between calls, and one call can combine screenshots, actions and loops. Each named connection has its own worker and input state.

Install

Install Codex, Python 3.12 and uv, with uv on PATH. Download remote-computer-use-1.0.0.zip from Assets on the Releases page. In Codex, open Customize from the sidebar, select Plugins → Add → Upload plugin ZIP, and choose the archive without extracting it. The Plugins page reached through Settings may not show the upload option.

Codex starts the bundled remote_computer MCP server using uv and the project's lockfile. The first start may download dependencies; current startup compatibility results are tracked in release compatibility.

Related MCP server: lowlevel-computer-use-mcp

Configure

Create config.json yourself at the following location. The plugin does not create or migrate configuration files.

{
  "version": 1,
  "profiles": [
    {"name": "vm-dev", "type": "rdp", "host": "192.0.2.10", "username": "alice", "password": "<your-password>"},
    {"name": "vm-test", "type": "vnc", "host": "192.0.2.11", "passwdenv": "VM_TEST_PASSWORD"}
  ]
}

Use unique profile names and either password or passwdenv. The latter names an existing MCP-process environment variable; it does not request forwarding from Codex. RDP requires host and username and defaults to port 3389 with a 1440×900 screen. VNC requires host and defaults to port 5900; only shared sessions are supported. Use a hostname or IP address, with the port in a separate field.

Profiles are reread for each connection; edits do not change existing sessions. Existing REMOTE_COMPUTER_* connections remain supported without profile. The runtime does not load .env or set UV_* defaults. See configuration reference for optional fields, environment variables and Labs setup.

Use

Start a Codex conversation and ask it to use a configured remote computer. The basic tool flow is:

computer_list_profiles()
computer_connect(profile="vm-dev", name="work")
computer_exec_py(session="work", code="display(computer.screenshot())")
computer_disconnect(session="work")

profile selects saved settings; name identifies the running session. Only the first connection may omit name (it becomes default). Operations may omit session when exactly one computer is connected. Use computer_list() and computer_status() to inspect sessions.

Inside computer_exec_py, the globals computer, pyautogui, Image, log and display are available. For example:

display(computer.screenshot())
computer.click(420, 300)
computer.write("Hello")
display(computer.screenshot())

import pyautogui uses the remote facade. Screenshots return Pillow images in the input coordinate space. Atomic tools such as computer_click, computer_screenshot and computer_run_actions use the same connection. Supported calls, scroll conventions and backend limitations are documented in the compatibility contract.

Security and recovery

computer_exec_py runs full Python under the MCP server's OS account; it is not a sandbox. RDP/VNC input targets the remote desktop, but Python can access host files, processes and networks. Plaintext profile passwords are therefore readable by same-account code. Keep configuration outside the repository and ZIP, restrict its permissions, and use an isolated account or VM for untrusted code. Passwords are not tool arguments.

VNC supports RFB 3.8 with Raw encoding and None/VNC-password authentication, without TLS; use a protected network or tunnel. Interrupted input triggers bounded release attempts. If cleanup fails, recover the remote input state and restart the plugin server before reusing the blocked session name.

Development

Build an upload ZIP with python scripts/package_plugin.py (Python 3.12+, standard library only) or pnpm plugin:pack. Output defaults to dist/remote-computer-use-1.0.0.zip; pass --output <path>.zip to choose another destination. The archive includes the bundled MCP runtime and docs, excludes local configuration and development artifacts, and uses fixed ZIP metadata for repeatable builds.

Run pnpm check for Python, Console, contracts, Labs and build checks. pnpm dev:python starts the retained runner and Console; pnpm start:python uses the built Console. The old JavaScript/Playwright backend is retired.

License

MIT, Copyright (c) 2026 Napreth. The inherited OpenAI license and sample README are retained.