Prepare before recovery
Save work and note which Codex windows are open, which launcher began the session, and what remains styled. Close unrelated helper copies and terminals so the restore action has a clear target. Locate the source commit or installed files used during setup and compare current instructions before running a command. If the problem appeared after an update, record whether Codex, Windows or macOS, or the upstream project changed. Do not begin by deleting state, images, shortcuts, or logs. The recorded session and saved appearance values are evidence the documented restore process may need.
- Save active work.
- Identify launcher and affected windows.
- Record source and update timeline.
- Preserve state until restore runs.
Use the documented platform restore entry
On Windows, use the Restore shortcut or the reviewed restore PowerShell script and understand whether optional flags restore appearance, remove shortcuts, or uninstall user-level helper files. On macOS, use Codex Dream Skin - Restore.command or the installed restore script described by the current source. Do not substitute a generic process killer or delete the official application. The intended restore targets the recorded helper and matching themed Codex session, returns saved appearance state where documented, and reopens official Codex. If the command differs from the source version you installed, stop instead of combining old state with guessed new arguments.
- Choose the entry matching your platform and source.
- Read optional flags before using them.
- Do not remove or modify official Codex.
- Stop when source and installed version disagree.
Verify a clean official launch twice
Open Codex from its ordinary Start menu, Applications folder, Dock, or official shortcut rather than a theme launcher. Confirm custom background and accent treatment are absent on both home and task views. Verify projects, threads, authentication, provider settings, navigation, and composer remain available. Use verify or doctor output to confirm the recorded local styling session is no longer active. Then quit and open official Codex again. A result that survives a second clean launch is stronger evidence than one window that happened to lose its style while another helper remains active.
- Use only the official app entry.
- Check home and task appearance.
- Confirm data and controls remain intact.
- Quit and repeat one clean launch.
Interpret residual files and shortcuts correctly
Restoration and uninstall are different goals. A clean official appearance can coexist with a user-selected image, log, state backup, or convenience shortcut left on disk. Those files do not prove that runtime styling is active. Identify each residual item from current upstream documentation before removing it. Keep sanitized logs until the restored state is stable. If you no longer want the helper, use a documented uninstall option where available and verify the scope before confirmation. Do not run broad cleanup commands copied from comments, and never delete official Codex data, authentication, projects, or configuration merely to remove a visual background.
- Distinguish inactive files from active processes.
- Keep logs until recovery is confirmed.
- Use documented uninstall scope.
- Protect official app data and user projects.
Diagnose a restore that appears to fail
If the background remains, confirm that you did not reopen a theme shortcut. Close old windows and try the official entry. If only one window is styled, determine whether it predates restore. If official Codex is blank or broken without the helper, reproduce that baseline issue separately. When restore cannot identify recorded state, preserve output and compare installed files with the original commit. For a local-port message, identify the listener instead of terminating unrelated tools. Change one condition at a time and write down the order of restore, quit, and relaunch so the result can be reproduced.
- Rule out the wrong shortcut.
- Separate old windows from new official launches.
- Reproduce official-app failures independently.
- Preserve ordered diagnostic steps.
Send evidence to the right maintainer
CodexSkin can fix unclear wording, broken internal links, and composition guidance. It cannot diagnose or patch the third-party scripts. For upstream restore behavior, provide operating system, architecture, official app distribution, source commit, exact restore entry and flags, sanitized output, and the observed state after two official launches. Remove usernames, paths, tokens, account details, project names, task content, and private backgrounds. Explain facts separately from guesses and list every attempted action in order. A small reproducible report is more useful than many screenshots or a claim that reinstalling everything eventually worked. Keep original timestamped output locally until resolution, but publish only the minimum excerpt that shows the failing stage and preceding successful step. Note whether normal appearance persists after a reboot only when rebooting was actually part of your controlled test.
- Route website issues to CodexSkin.
- Route script behavior to upstream.
- Sanitize logs and screenshots.
- Separate observations, actions, and hypotheses.