Safety review / Core 0.3.0
Reversible does not mean risk-free.
CodeDrobe has a substantially safer architecture than patching app.asar, but it still opens a powerful local debugging surface. This page separates confirmed controls from assumptions.
Theme packages are declaration-only: manifest, CSS, copy and embedded images.
Core does not patch the Codex app bundle or app.asar.
Probe is read-only and required landmarks can block incompatible injection.
A loopback CDP port is reachable by local processes and is not an authenticated trust boundary.
Theme CSS may be fragile after app updates; non-blocking selector warnings still matter.
macOS Codex has a current published verification; Windows remains beta pending published hardware verification.
What each boundary actually protects
Package boundary
Core rejects theme JavaScript, external CSS resources and unsupported assets. This reduces supply-chain capability, but CSS can still disrupt layout and must be inspected.
Network boundary
CDP should bind to 127.0.0.1. That blocks direct LAN/internet access, not access from other software already on the machine.
Application boundary
The installed binary stays untouched. For Codex base themes, Core manages three appearance keys under [desktop] and keeps a transactional backup.
Compatibility boundary
probe checks adapter landmarks and theme requirements before injection. verify checks installed identity, named images, required nodes, profile state and overflow after apply.
Lifecycle boundary
Existing applications are never restarted unless --restart-existing is explicit. A single Core-owned watcher should control a renderer.
Privacy boundary
DOM snapshots exclude text, form values, accessible names, links, media sources and query/hash data; visible elements are captured by default.
Recommended safety sequence
- 01Inspect the package
Read id, version, targets, images and lint warnings.
- 02Launch deliberately
Save work; close Codex yourself if needed; keep the port on loopback.
- 03Probe before apply
Stop if adapter or required theme landmarks are missing.
- 04Verify both contexts
Check home and a normal conversation, focus, scrolling and overflow.
- 05Restore when done
Remove the renderer theme and restore managed host appearance settings.
The three commands to keep
npx --yes --package=@codedrobe/core@0.3.0 codedrobe theme inspect ~/Downloads/kung-fu-womens-football.codedrobe-themenpx --yes --package=@codedrobe/core@0.3.0 codedrobe probe --app codex --theme ~/Downloads/kung-fu-womens-football.codedrobe-themenpx --yes --package=@codedrobe/core@0.3.0 codedrobe restore --app codexThis site’s own data boundary
CodexSkins.org is static and has no account system. It cannot see your Codex installation. Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity are enabled for traffic and session insights, so browser and interaction data may be processed by those third parties. If that tradeoff is unacceptable, block those scripts or do not use the site.