The ChatGPT/Codex app bundles a full copy of LibreOffice
Simon Willison unearthed a surprising discovery: the ChatGPT desktop app, formerly Codex, secretly bundles a complete LibreOffice suite, alongside Python and Node.js. This substantial package, weighing in at 1.7GB, resides within the app's cache, indicating a potentially bloated approach to enabling document-related 'skills'. The revelation highlights the hidden complexities and resource demands of modern AI applications, sparking curiosity among HN's technically inclined audience about software packaging and efficiency.
The Lowdown
Simon Willison, known for his insightful technical explorations, recently stumbled upon an unexpected revelation while investigating his macOS cache directory. He discovered that the OpenAI Codex desktop application, now rebranded as ChatGPT, is packing far more than meets the eye, carrying a hefty collection of software dependencies within its local files.
- The discovery was made in the
~/.cache/folder, specifically within a 1.7GB directory namedcodex-primary-runtime. - This runtime environment includes full installations of Python and Node.js.
- Crucially, it also contains native binaries for tools like Poppler (for PDF rendering), Git, and an entire headless version of the LibreOffice open-source office suite, which alone accounts for nearly 430 MB.
- A
plugins/documentsfolder within the app's structure suggests these bundled binaries are intended to power "skills" that allow the AI to interact with various document types. This finding raises questions about the packaging strategies employed by large-scale AI applications, hinting at a potentially resource-intensive approach to integrating diverse functionalities. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the hidden architecture behind widely used software, revealing the significant overhead sometimes involved in enabling seemingly simple features.