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codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Codex Desktop on macOS cannot trigger Calendar/Reminders TCC prompts for EventKit CLIs [1 participants]

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openai/codex#21228•Fetched 2026-05-06 06:24:33
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Codex Desktop on macOS cannot trigger or obtain Calendar/Reminders TCC permissions for EventKit-based CLI tools launched from the Codex app terminal/tool context.

The same third-party CLIs work from iTerm after macOS prompts for access, but fail from Codex with immediate access-denied errors and no permission prompt.

Error Message

Error: failed to initialize Reminders access: reminders: access denied: reminders access denied

Root Cause

Codex Desktop on macOS cannot trigger or obtain Calendar/Reminders TCC permissions for EventKit-based CLI tools launched from the Codex app terminal/tool context.

The same third-party CLIs work from iTerm after macOS prompts for access, but fail from Codex with immediate access-denied errors and no permission prompt.

Code Example

brew tap BRO3886/tap
   brew install rem-cli ical

---

rem lists
   ical today

---

rem lists
   ical today

---

Error: failed to initialize Reminders access: reminders: access denied: reminders access denied

---

Calendar access denied. Grant access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Calendars

---

tccutil reset Reminders com.openai.codex
tccutil reset Calendar com.openai.codex

---

NSCalendarsUsageDescription: not present
NSRemindersUsageDescription: not present
NSCalendarsFullAccessUsageDescription: not present
NSRemindersFullAccessUsageDescription: not present

---

com.apple.security.app-sandbox = false
com.apple.security.automation.apple-events = true
com.apple.security.cs.allow-jit = true
com.apple.security.cs.allow-unsigned-executable-memory = true
com.apple.security.device.audio-input = true
com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-write = true
com.apple.security.network.client = true
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Summary

Codex Desktop on macOS cannot trigger or obtain Calendar/Reminders TCC permissions for EventKit-based CLI tools launched from the Codex app terminal/tool context.

The same third-party CLIs work from iTerm after macOS prompts for access, but fail from Codex with immediate access-denied errors and no permission prompt.

Environment

  • Codex Desktop app: 26.429.61741 (CFBundleIdentifier = com.openai.codex)
  • Codex CLI: codex-cli 0.128.0-alpha.1
  • macOS: 26.4.1 (25E253)
  • EventKit CLIs:
    • rem-cli 0.10.2
    • ical 0.9.0
  • Codex.app path: /Applications/Codex.app

Reproduction

  1. Install EventKit-based Calendar/Reminders CLIs:

    brew tap BRO3886/tap
brew install rem-cli ical

  2. From iTerm, run the tools:

    rem lists
ical today

    macOS prompts for Reminders/Calendar access and the tools can be authorized.

  3. From Codex Desktop's app terminal/tool context, run:

    rem lists
ical today

Actual behavior

rem lists fails immediately:

Error: failed to initialize Reminders access: reminders: access denied: reminders access denied

ical today fails immediately:

Calendar access denied. Grant access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Calendars

No macOS permission prompt appears for Codex.

Resetting Codex's TCC entries does not change the behavior:

tccutil reset Reminders com.openai.codex
tccutil reset Calendar com.openai.codex

Running with broader Codex filesystem sandbox permissions also does not change the behavior, so this does not appear to be the Codex workspace/filesystem sandbox.

Expected behavior

When an EventKit-based child process launched by Codex requests Calendar or Reminders access, macOS should either:

  • show a TCC prompt for Codex so the user can grant access, or
  • allow Codex Desktop to declare/support the required Calendar/Reminders usage descriptions so EventKit tools can be authorized like they can under Terminal/iTerm.

Local app metadata

/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Info.plist contains usage descriptions for Apple Events, audio, camera, and microphone, but does not appear to contain Calendar/Reminders usage descriptions:

NSCalendarsUsageDescription: not present
NSRemindersUsageDescription: not present
NSCalendarsFullAccessUsageDescription: not present
NSRemindersFullAccessUsageDescription: not present

codesign -d --entitlements - /Applications/Codex.app shows:

com.apple.security.app-sandbox = false
com.apple.security.automation.apple-events = true
com.apple.security.cs.allow-jit = true
com.apple.security.cs.allow-unsigned-executable-memory = true
com.apple.security.device.audio-input = true
com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-write = true
com.apple.security.network.client = true

Notes

This seems related in class to other macOS TCC/entitlement issues, but I could not find an existing Calendar/Reminders/EventKit-specific issue in openai/codex.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The most likely fix is to add Calendar and Reminders usage descriptions to Codex's Info.plist file.

Guidance

  • Add NSCalendarsUsageDescription and NSRemindersUsageDescription keys to /Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Info.plist to declare the required usage descriptions.
  • Verify that the Info.plist file is correctly formatted and that the usage descriptions are properly set.
  • After updating the Info.plist file, reset the TCC entries for Codex using tccutil reset to ensure the changes take effect.
  • Test the EventKit-based CLIs from Codex's terminal/tool context to see if the permission prompt appears and access is granted.

Example

<key>NSCalendarsUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app needs access to your calendar to function properly</string>
<key>NSRemindersUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app needs access to your reminders to function properly</string>

Notes

The absence of Calendar and Reminders usage descriptions in Codex's Info.plist file is likely the cause of the issue. Adding these descriptions should allow macOS to prompt the user for access and grant permission to the EventKit-based CLIs.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by adding the usage descriptions to the Info.plist file, as this is a specific and targeted solution to the issue at hand.

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FAQ

Expected behavior

When an EventKit-based child process launched by Codex requests Calendar or Reminders access, macOS should either:

  • show a TCC prompt for Codex so the user can grant access, or
  • allow Codex Desktop to declare/support the required Calendar/Reminders usage descriptions so EventKit tools can be authorized like they can under Terminal/iTerm.
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