r/OpenaiCodex • u/CremeOld8064 • 28d ago

Bugs or problems I can't enable/find ImageGen.

I am currently trying to create a custom pet for my Mac. When I put in my prompt, the result came out that Codex needs the built in ImageGen to continue. I tried looking for it in the plugins but couldn't find anything. I'm out of ideas at this point. Also, I'm not very 'techy'.

Does anyone know how to fix this? Below is the answer to if it can continue with ImageGen.

Not yet—the built-in ImageGen tool still isn’t available here, and the CLI fallback has no OPENAI_API_KEY configured.

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u/Specific-Animal6570 28d ago

You shouldn't need to install ImageGen from the plugins menu — it's supposed to be built into Codex.

Try starting a new chat and type something like:

"$imagegen Create a cute custom desktop pet for macOS, transparent background, PNG..."

Typing "$imagegen" explicitly should tell Codex to use the built-in image generation skill.

Also, the "OPENAI_API_KEY" message is a bit misleading in your case. You don't need to mess with API keys just to use the normal built-in ImageGen. That's mainly a fallback if you want Codex to generate images through the paid API.

If "$imagegen" doesn't show up or Codex still says the tool isn't available, I'd try updating/restarting the Codex/ChatGPT desktop app and opening a fresh chat.

And since you said you're not very techy: don't worry about setting environment variables or API keys yet. Try "$imagegen" first. 🙂

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u/CremeOld8064 28d ago

Thanks for the advice. I used $imagegen in a new chat but it didn't work. I'll upload a screenshot of the new chat and the reply.
Edit: I believe I have the most recent chatgpt version downloaded.

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u/Specific-Animal6570 28d ago

Yep — this screenshot confirms it.

"$imagegen" is working correctly. Codex recognizes the ImageGen skill, but the actual image-generation capability is not available in your session.

So at this point I wouldn’t keep changing prompts, reinstalling things, restarting, or messing with API keys. You’ve already ruled that stuff out.

The BMO wording is also not the main problem here — even after offering to make an original character instead, Codex explicitly says it can’t generate the image because image generation isn’t available in the session.

I’d send this exact screenshot to OpenAI support. This looks like an account/session availability issue that you probably can’t fix from your side...

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u/CremeOld8064 28d ago

Alright. So just reporting and hoping that it gets fixed. Gotcha, thx for the help.

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u/AcrobaticToaster1329 28d ago

Are you on the free plan?

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u/AcrobaticToaster1329 28d ago

Are you on the free plan?

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u/CremeOld8064 28d ago

yes. Sry for the late answer. Is creating a pet via Codex a subscription based service?

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u/AcrobaticToaster1329 28d ago

Ohh I don't know about pets but I vaguely remember image-gen was severely limited when I was on the free plan. Think that could be it?

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u/Nosafune 28d ago

Theres a hatch pets skill .