Executive Synopsis & Strategic Shift
Architectural evolution from visual screenshot scraping to semantic event stream logging.
Event Stream vs Screenshots
Replaces the legacy Chronicle visual capture preview. Computer History avoids recording screens, video, or microphone audio, instead listening directly to structured macOS accessibility and window events.
48h Ephemeral Retention
Raw interaction logs are isolated within Apple macOS App Group containers and permanently deleted after 48 hours. OpenAI processes event files without training models on them.
Markdown Memory Generation
Periodic background sessions summarize interaction logs into structured Markdown files in $CODEX_HOME/memories/extensions/skysight/.
Core Interaction Workflows & Scenarios
Four primary user workflows enabled by continuous accessibility event context.
1. Pick Up Where You Left Off
Workflow ResumeEliminates cognitive overhead when returning to work by asking the assistant to reconstruct prior state without opening every open app manually.
↳ Assistant recalls open Google Doc, Figma layout, and last terminal compile command.
2. Fuzzy Memory Document Retrieval
Fuzzy RecallResolves human memory descriptions into exact file paths, URLs, or chat channels by tracing active window history and interaction sequences.
↳ Identifies Safari tab URL and Slack thread referencing the PDF document.
3. Proactive Skill & Automation Suggestions
Auto-SkillDetects multi-step repetitive tasks across apps and surfaces actionable suggestion pills in the History timeline for instant Codex automation.
↳ User clicks "Create Skill" to generate a Python automation in Codex.
4. Daily Standup & Activity Compilation
Standup SummaryAggregates complex cross-tool engineering activities (Git commits, PR reviews, documentation edits) into concise, professional standup bullet points.
↳ Emits structured bullet list categorized by project, commits, and tickets.
Architectural & Security Comparison Matrix
Evaluating Computer History against traditional screen scrapers and the legacy Chronicle preview.
| Evaluation Dimension | Legacy Chronicle Preview | Computer History (Current) | Traditional OS Recorders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capture Modality | Periodic desktop screenshots | Accessibility & UI interaction stream | Continuous video / audio stream |
| Screen Recording Permission | Required | Not Required (Accessibility only) | Required |
| Private Browsing Handling | Captured visually unless paused | Strictly Excluded automatically | Captured unless manually excluded |
| Temporary Data Retention | Variable image cache | 48 Hours max in App Group container | Indefinite local video store |
| Memory Output Format | Vector visual embeddings | Plain-text Markdown files ($CODEX_HOME) | Proprietary video indexes |
| Enterprise Administration | No workspace-level gates | Admin Role Enablement + User Opt-In | MDM / Enterprise policy only |
Security Governance & Threat Vectors
Critical threat models, administrative control gates, and compliance boundaries.
Indirect Prompt Injection
Malicious instructions embedded on web pages or in third-party app text can enter the interaction stream and attempt to manipulate ChatGPT or Codex execution reasoning.
Unencrypted Local Storage
Generated Markdown memories are stored unencrypted under ~/.codex/memories/extensions/skysight/ and are accessible by any local user process.
Enterprise Access Governance
Business and Enterprise workspaces default to disabled. Administrators control which workspace roles have access before users can choose to opt in.
Knowledge Graph Explorer
Interactive D3.js force-directed topology of entities, security boundaries, and governance protocols.
Multi-Query SPARQL Workbench
Execute live graph queries against the companion RDF dataset.
HowTo Implementation & Governance Guide
Seven procedural steps for workspace admin approval, personal setup, filtering, and troubleshooting.
Workspace Administrator Enablement
For Business or Enterprise accounts, an admin must navigate to Workspace Settings > Permissions & roles and toggle 'Enable Computer History' for target roles.
Open App Settings & Select Computer History
Launch ChatGPT desktop app on macOS. Navigate to Settings > Integrations > Computer history and click 'Turn on'.
Verify and Enable Memories Subsystem
When prompted, confirm that Memories is enabled. Computer History requires Memories to store markdown context.
Configure App and Website Filter Rules
Under Settings > Computer history > Permissions, define 'Exclude these apps/websites' or 'Include only these apps/websites'.
Use macOS Menu Bar for Quick Pause & Status
Click the ChatGPT icon in the macOS menu bar to view active capture status, click 'Pause' before sensitive tasks, or 'Resume'.
Review Timeline & Clear History Granularly
Go to Settings > Computer history > History. Reveal memory files in Finder, delete individual entries, or clear last 10m/1h/1d/all.
Troubleshoot Availability & Setup Issues
If feature fails to start, verify Memories status, click 'Finish setup' or 'Resume', or restart the ChatGPT app.
Technical Glossary
15 key technical concepts, security terms, and protocols linked to RDF entity IRIs.
Computer History
Rebuilt macOS desktop capability capturing interaction events to provide contextual activity timelines and memories.
Chronicle
Legacy research preview that recorded screen screenshots; now fully replaced by non-visual event recording.
macOS Accessibility API
System framework providing structural UI context for interaction event extraction.
App Group Container
Apple macOS sandbox security container that isolates temporary event files from other applications.
Memories Feature
Prerequisite memory persistence subsystem enabling ChatGPT and Codex to reuse past task context.
Skysight Extension Directory
Local filesystem directory ($CODEX_HOME/memories/extensions/skysight/) holding generated Markdown memory files.
Indirect Prompt Injection
Security attack vector where malicious text in captured web pages or document context manipulates LLM behavior.
Interaction Event Stream
Real-time sequence of user interaction events (clicks, typing, app switches) captured locally.
Workspace Role Permissions
Enterprise admin controls in Admin Settings granting workspace roles access to opt into Computer History.
macOS Menu Bar Controls
Status bar integration providing quick pause, resume, status inspection, and session clearing controls.
Activity Timeline
Time-grouped summary view in Settings listing activity, contributing apps, and skill recommendations.
Skill & Automation Suggestion
Automated recommendation generated when Computer History detects repeated work patterns.
Ephemeral Codex Session
Background model execution instance triggered periodically to summarize raw event files into Markdown memories.
Token Consumption
LLM context tokens consumed during background event summarization and memory retrieval.
Fuzzy Source Retrieval
Natural language discovery of open documents, tabs, and conversation threads by referencing recalled activity context.
Frequently Asked Questions
15 interactive accordion answers backed by schema:Question entities in the companion RDF.
No. Computer History is off by default for all users. Individuals must explicitly opt in, and Business or Enterprise workspace members require prior administrator permission.
No. Unlike the earlier Chronicle preview, Computer History does NOT capture screenshots, screen recordings, microphone audio, or system audio.
It requires the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and the Memories feature. It is unavailable via API keys, Amazon Bedrock, or in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland.
Temporary event files are retained locally for up to 48 hours within the isolated App Group container before automatic deletion.
Generated memory files are saved as plain-text Markdown files under $CODEX_HOME/memories/extensions/skysight/ (typically ~/.codex/memories/extensions/skysight/).
No. OpenAI processes temporary event files solely to generate summaries and memories, does not retain them post-processing, and does not use them for model training.
No. Private-mode web browsing activity is completely excluded and never captured.
Select the ChatGPT icon in the macOS menu bar to access the Computer History menu, where you can click Pause or turn off the feature entirely.
Yes. You can specify 'Exclude these apps/websites' to block specific sources or 'Include only these apps/websites' to whitelist specific sources in Settings.
You can delete individual timeline items, clear the last 10 minutes, last hour, last day, or clear all history. Menu bar controls also let you clear the last session for an app.
It increases exposure to indirect prompt injection from untrusted web pages or app content, and files are stored unencrypted on disk under your macOS user account.
Administrators must enable Computer History under Workspace Settings > Permissions & roles. Granting access allows members to opt in individually, but does not force opt-in.
When periodic summarization identifies recurring multi-step workflows across applications, it attaches a suggested skill tag to the timeline entry that Codex can instantiate as a runnable skill.
Yes. Ephemeral background sessions consume tokens when summarizing raw interaction streams into memories and when ChatGPT queries memories during chats.
Confirm Memories is enabled, verify macOS accessibility permissions, check admin role enablement in Enterprise workspaces, and select 'Finish setup' or 'Resume' in Settings.