Restore the Default Codex Appearance

Restore on Windows

Use the Desktop Restore shortcut or run the repository script. The flag below restores only the appearance keys saved during install.

.\scripts\restore-dream-skin.ps1 -RestoreBaseTheme

Restore on macOS

Double-click Codex Dream Skin - Restore.command or run the installed restore script.

~/.codex/codex-dream-skin-studio/scripts/restore-dream-skin-macos.sh

What stays in place

• The official Codex application and signature
• Threads, projects, pets/plugins, and authentication state
• API keys, Base URLs, and model-provider settings
• User images and logs in the Dream Skin state directory unless you remove them separately

Verify the restore

Confirm that Codex reopens without the theme and that the loopback debugging session has closed. Use the platform verification or doctor script if the state is unclear.

Editorial review context

Prepare a controlled restore

Save work in Codex and note which window shows the unwanted appearance. Close unrelated terminals or helper copies so you know which process the restore action belongs to. Locate the exact source or installed launcher used for setup and compare it with current upstream instructions. If the appearance problem began after an update, record whether Codex, the operating system, or the third-party project changed. That timeline prevents an app compatibility problem from being mistaken for a failed restore.

Do not begin by deleting the state directory, shortcuts, images, or logs. The recorded session and saved appearance values can help the script target only the intended helper and themed window. Manual cleanup before the normal restore attempt removes that context and can make diagnosis harder. If a command shown here differs from the reviewed repository state you have, stop and follow current source rather than combining versions.

Verify a clean official-app state

• Launch Codex through its ordinary Start menu, Applications folder, Dock, or official shortcut rather than a Dream Skin launcher.
• Confirm the custom background, accent treatment, and runtime styling are absent on both home and task views.
• Confirm projects, threads, authentication, provider settings, and normal keyboard interaction remain available.
• Use platform verify or doctor output to confirm the recorded local styling session is no longer active.
• Quit and reopen the official app once more; a result that survives a clean relaunch is stronger than a single restored window.
• If you plan to uninstall helper files, keep a sanitized copy of relevant logs until clean state is confirmed.

A clean restore does not necessarily erase every selected image, log, or convenience shortcut. Restoration and uninstall are separate decisions. The normal restore goal is to stop the recorded visual session, return saved appearance values where documented, and open the official app normally. Remove residual user-level files only after identifying them from current upstream documentation and deciding that you no longer need the customization or diagnostic history.

Diagnose residual symptoms without guessing

If the background remains, determine whether you reopened a theme launcher instead of the official app. If only one old window remains themed, close it and perform a clean official launch. If the official app fails without the helper, reproduce that independently before changing theme files; the issue may be a Codex or operating-system update. If restore cannot identify its recorded process or state, preserve output and compare installed files with the source commit used during setup.

• Repeated styling after login can indicate that a convenience launcher or optional menu integration is still being used.
• Normal appearance with leftover shortcuts is an uninstall question, not evidence that runtime styling remains active.
• A blank official window after restore should be reproduced without the helper before being reported as a theme defect.
• An occupied local port should be traced to its owning process; do not terminate unrelated development tools.
• Differences between machines should be reported with platform, architecture, source commit, and exact launcher.

Escalate with evidence and protect private data

Send website wording, broken links, or unclear guidance to CodexSkin. Send script errors, process targeting, compatibility, and restore behavior to the original project because CodexSkin does not maintain or distribute the tool. Before posting, remove usernames, home-directory paths, tokens, account identifiers, private repository names, and task content. Share the smallest log excerpt containing the error and immediate context.

• Name Windows or macOS, operating-system version, processor architecture, and official Codex distribution source.
• Provide upstream commit or release, exact restore launcher or command, and whether setup used custom options.
• State what official Codex does when opened normally, what remains themed, and whether a second clean relaunch changes the result.
• Include sanitized verify or doctor output and the order of restore, quit, and relaunch actions.
• Do not publish the background or a task screenshot unless necessary, licensed, and fully redacted.