Its theme's rank, 14 days: 119 on the Codex sheet
9 people reported
All time, since Oct 7, including 4 thumbs-up on GitHub.
Lingering MCP helper processes
“The PC became sluggish; fully quitting ChatGPT removed the tree and the system was immediately responsive again.”
Is this your bug? What gets counted gets fixed. Pile on.
Paste this into your agent. It files your report, with your error and version.
I hit this bug: rapsheet.dev/sheets/codex/issues/13373/file Follow it to file my report. Show me the text before you send.
No install. No account. Public and anonymous. The link asks your agent for one report, nothing else. What it sends
Idle MCP and Node helper processes accumulate under one app-server on Windows. Helper processes such as node_repl and MCP servers stay alive after threads or background forks finish, making the PC sluggish until the app is quit.
Is this your bug?
File my report- Where
- Windows desktop app
- Versions
- 0.162.1 to 26.1007.21434
- Platforms
- Windows
- How bad
- Breaks a normal workflow.
Part of: Desktop backend memory and process buildup3 bugs
- App-server memory balloons2 people
- Helper processes accumulate4 people
Not quite your bug?
- CLOSE_WAIT socket leak3 people
Original reports5, newest first
- [Windows Desktop 26.1029.7803.0] One codex.exe app-server accumulates ~140 idle helpers (39 node_repl, 20 app-tools MCP, 20 computer-use node) over 42 hoursOn GitHub#59757
- [Windows] Background forks after turn completion retain MCP Node process pools (14 verified lingering processes)On GitHub#56482
- Windows desktop app: app-server starts a new set of stdio MCP servers for every thread it loads and never stops themOn GitHub#56335
- [Windows 26.1007] One stdio MCP process set per thread; 13 sets / 353 processes / ~9.6 GiB under a single app-server, reclamation lags creationOn GitHub#53285
- [Windows 26.1002.6548.0] Codex Desktop accumulates repeated MCP/CUA/node_repl process batches, reaching 200 Node helpers and ~11.6 GB private memoryOn GitHub#51649