1# Chronicle
2
3Chronicle is in an **opt-in research preview**. It is only available for
4 ChatGPT Pro subscribers on macOS, and is not yet available in the EU, UK and
5 Switzerland. Please review the [Privacy and Security](#privacy-and-security)
6 section for details and to understand the current risks before enabling.
7
8Chronicle augments Codex memories with context from your screen. When you prompt
9Codex, those memories can help it understand what you’ve been working on with
10less need for you to restate context.
11
12Chronicle is available as an opt-in research preview in the Codex app on macOS.
13It requires macOS Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions. Before
14enabling, be aware that Chronicle uses rate limits quickly, increases risk of
15prompt injection, and stores memories unencrypted on your device.
16
17## How Chronicle helps
18
19We’ve designed Chronicle to reduce the amount of context you have to restate
20when you work with Codex. By using recent screen context to improve memory
21building, Chronicle can help Codex understand what you’re referring to, identify
22the right source to use, and pick up on the tools and workflows you rely on.
23
24### Use what’s on screen
25
26With Chronicle Codex can understand what you are currently looking at, saving
27you time and context switching.
28
29### Fill in missing context
30
31No need to carefully craft your context and start from zero. Chronicle lets
32Codex fill in the gaps in your context.
33
34### Remember tools and workflows
35
36No need to explain to Codex which tools to use to perform your work. Codex
37learns as you work to save you time in the long run.
38
39In these cases, Codex uses Chronicle to provide additional context. When another
40source is better for the job, such as reading the specific file, Slack thread,
41Google Doc, dashboard, or pull request, Codex uses Chronicle to identify the
42source and then use that source directly.
43
44## Enable Chronicle
45
461. Open Settings in the Codex app.
472. Go to **Personalization** and make sure **Memories** is enabled.
483. Turn on **Chronicle** below the Memories setting.
494. Review the consent dialog and choose **Continue**.
505. Grant macOS Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions when prompted.
516. When setup completes, choose **Try it out** or start a new thread.
52
53If macOS reports that Screen Recording or Accessibility permission is denied,
54open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording or
55Accessibility and enable Codex. If a permission is restricted by macOS or your
56organization, Chronicle will start after the restriction is removed and Codex
57receives the required permission.
58
59## Pause or disable Chronicle at any time
60
61You control when Chronicle generates memories using screen context. Use the
62Codex menu bar icon to choose **Pause Chronicle** or **Resume Chronicle**. Pause
63Chronicle before meetings or when viewing sensitive content that you do not want
64Codex to use as context. To disable Chronicle, return to **Settings >
65Personalization > Memories** and turn off **Chronicle**.
66
67You can also control whether memories are used in a given thread. [Learn
68more](https://developers.openai.com/codex/memories#control-memories-per-thread).
69
70## Rate limits
71
72Chronicle works by running sandboxed agents in the background to generate
73memories from captured screen images. These agents currently consume rate limits
74quickly.
75
76## Privacy and security
77
78Chronicle uses screen captures, which can include sensitive information visible
79on your screen. It does not have access to your microphone or system audio.
80Don’t use Chronicle to record meetings or communications with others without
81their consent. Pause Chronicle when viewing content you do not want remembered
82in memories.
83
84### Where does Chronicle store my data?
85
86Screen captures are ephemeral and will only be saved temporarily on your
87computer. Temporary screen capture files may appear under
88`$TMPDIR/chronicle/screen_recording/` while Chronicle is running. Screen captures
89that are older than 6 hours will be deleted while Chronicle is running.
90
91The memories that Chronicle generates are just like other Codex memories:
92unencrypted markdown files that you can read and modify if needed. You can also
93ask Codex to search them. If you want to have Codex forget something you can
94delete the respective file inside the folder or selectively edit the markdown
95files to remove the information you’d like to remove. You should not manually
96add new information. The generated Chronicle memories are stored locally on your
97computer under `$CODEX_HOME/memories_extensions/chronicle/` (typically
98`~/.codex/memories_extensions/chronicle`).
99
100Both directories for your screen captures and memories might contain sensitive information. Make sure you do not share content with others, and be aware that other programs on your computer can also access these files.
101
102### What data gets shared with OpenAI?
103
104Chronicle captures screen context locally, then periodically uses Codex to
105summarize recent activity into memories. To generate those memories, Chronicle
106starts an ephemeral Codex session with access to this screen context. That
107session may process selected screenshot frames, OCR text extracted from
108screenshots, timing information, and local file paths for the relevant time
109window.
110
111Screen captures used for memory generation are stored temporarily on your device. They are processed on our
112servers to generate memories, which are then stored locally on device. We do not
113store the screenshots on our servers after processing unless required by law,
114and do not use them for training.
115
116The generated memories are Markdown files stored locally under
117`$CODEX_HOME/memories_extensions/chronicle/`. When Codex uses memories in a
118future session, relevant memory contents may be included as context for that
119session, and may be used to improve our models if allowed in your ChatGPT
120settings. [Learn more](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7730893-data-controls-faq).
121
122## Prompt injection risk
123
124Using Chronicle increases risk to prompt injection attacks from screen content.
125For instance, if you browse a site with malicious agent instructions, Codex may
126follow those instructions.
127
128## Troubleshooting
129
130### How do I enable Chronicle?
131
132If you do not see the Chronicle setting, make sure you are using a Codex app
133build that includes Chronicle and that you have Memories enabled inside Settings
134> Personalization.
135
136Chronicle is currently only available for ChatGPT Pro subscribers on macOS.
137Chronicle is not available in the EU, UK and Switzerland.
138
139If setup does not complete:
140
1411. Confirm that Codex has Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions.
1422. Quit and reopen the Codex app.
1433. Open **Settings > Personalization** and check the Chronicle status.
144
145### Which model is used for generating the Chronicle memories?
146
147Chronicle uses the same model as your other [Memories](https://developers.openai.com/codex/memories). If you
148did not configure a specific model it uses your default Codex model. To choose a
149specific model, update the `consolidation_model` in your
150[configuration](https://developers.openai.com/codex/config-basic).
151
152```toml
153[memories]
154consolidation_model = "gpt-5.4-mini"
155```
