jackwener/OpenCLI · error · ConfigError

ChatGPT Desktop integration requires macOS (osascript is not

Error message

ChatGPT Desktop integration requires macOS (osascript is not available on this platform)

What it means

The `chatgpt-app new` command drives the ChatGPT macOS desktop app via AppleScript (`osascript`), which only exists on macOS. The library throws this ConfigError before doing any work when `process.platform !== 'darwin'`, because the integration cannot function on Linux or Windows.

Source

Thrown at clis/chatgpt-app/new.js:19

import { execSync } from 'node:child_process';
import { cli, Strategy } from '@jackwener/opencli/registry';
import { CommandExecutionError, ConfigError, getErrorMessage } from '@jackwener/opencli/errors';
import { isTemporaryChatVisible } from './ax.js';
export const newCommand = cli({
    site: 'chatgpt-app',
    name: 'new',
    access: 'write',
    description: 'Open a new chat in ChatGPT Desktop App',
    domain: 'localhost',
    strategy: Strategy.PUBLIC,
    browser: false,
    args: [
        { name: 'temp', type: 'boolean', default: false, help: 'Open a temporary chat with privacy protection' }
    ],
    columns: ['Status'],
    func: async (kwargs) => {
        if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
            throw new ConfigError('ChatGPT Desktop integration requires macOS (osascript is not available on this platform)');
        }
        try {
            execSync("osascript -e 'tell application \"ChatGPT\" to activate'");
            execSync("osascript -e 'delay 0.5'");
            if (kwargs.temp) {
                const appleScript = [
                    'tell application "System Events"',
                    '  tell process "ChatGPT"',
                    '    try',
                    '      click menu item "新的临时聊天" of menu "文件" of menu bar 1',
                    '    on error',
                    '      try',
                    '        click menu item "新的臨時聊天" of menu "檔案" of menu bar 1',
                    '      on error',
                    '        try',
                    '          click menu item "New Temporary Chat" of menu "File" of menu bar 1',
                    '        on error',
                    '          error "Unable to locate Temporary Chat menu item. Ensure Accessibility permissions are granted and the language is supported."' ,

View on GitHub (pinned to 49907e53dc)

Solutions

  1. Run this command on macOS with the ChatGPT Desktop app installed
  2. Use the browser-based `chatgpt` commands (cookie/browser strategy) on non-macOS platforms
  3. Gate your script: only invoke chatgpt-app subcommands when process.platform === 'darwin'

Example fix

// before
await run('opencli chatgpt-app new --temp');
// after
if (process.platform !== 'darwin') await run('opencli chatgpt new --temp');
else await run('opencli chatgpt-app new --temp');
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
  throw new Error('chatgpt-app commands require macOS; use browser-based chatgpt commands instead');
}

Type guard

const isMacOS = (): boolean => process.platform === 'darwin';

Try / catch

try {
  await run('opencli chatgpt-app new');
} catch (e) {
  if (String(e.message).includes('requires macOS')) {
    await run('opencli chatgpt new'); // fallback path
  } else throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Running `opencli chatgpt-app new` (with or without --temp) on a non-macOS platform; the guard at the top of newCommand checks process.platform before any osascript call.

Common situations: CI runners on Linux, Docker containers, WSL without proper macOS targeting, or developers who confuse the browser-based `chatgpt` commands with the `chatgpt-app` desktop-app commands.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5d0df30fd9229fda. Report an issue: GitHub.