Codex CLI is too old for plugin marketplace support. Update…

Error message

Codex CLI ${version} is too old for plugin marketplace support. Update Codex CLI to ${MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION} or newer, then run: npx claude-mem@latest install

What it means

assertCodexMarketplaceSupported() parses the installed Codex CLI's version and compares it against MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION. If the detected version sorts lower than the minimum, it throws, because plugin marketplace support (marketplace add / plugin install subcommands) does not exist in older Codex releases. An unparseable version only warns and continues.

Solutions

Update the Codex CLI: npm i -g @openai/codex@latest (or the applicable update command) so the version is >= MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION.
Re-run npx claude-mem@latest install after updating.
If multiple codex binaries exist, ensure the one on PATH (which codex; codex --version) is the updated one.

Example fix

// before
codex --version  # 0.20.0 (too old)
npx claude-mem@latest install
// Error: Codex CLI 0.20.0 is too old for plugin marketplace support...

// after
npm i -g @openai/codex@latest
codex --version  # >= MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION
npx claude-mem@latest install

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import { execFileSync } from 'child_process';
const out = execFileSync('codex', ['--version'], { encoding: 'utf8' });
const version = out.match(/\d+\.\d+\.\d+/)?.[0];
const MIN = 'MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION'; // substitute actual constant
if (version && version.localeCompare(MIN, undefined, { numeric: true }) < 0) {
  throw new Error(`Update Codex CLI to ${MIN}+ before installing`);
}

Prevention

Pin/verify codex >= MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION in setup scripts and CI images.
Run `codex --version` as a preflight check in install automation.
Avoid frozen package-manager pins that hold codex below the minimum.

When it happens

Trigger: performCodexInstall() -> assertCodexMarketplaceSupported() runs `codex --version` (or equivalent), parses a version like '0.x.y', and localeCompare(numeric) finds it < MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION.

Common situations: A system-wide codex installed months ago via an old package manager pin; a distro-packaged codex that lags upstream; npx resolving an old cached codex binary; CI images with frozen tool versions.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of thedotmack/claude-mem@d8bc9755e7 (2026-09-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/aaf664cf5f2f6fee. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/services/integrations/CodexCliInstaller.ts:375

  const result = codexSpawn(['--version']);
  const output = `${result.stdout ?? ''}\n${result.stderr ?? ''}`.trim();

  if (result.error) {
    throw result.error;
  }
  if (result.status !== 0) {
    console.warn(`  Could not determine Codex CLI version. Continuing; plugin marketplace support requires ${MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION} or newer.${output ? `\n${output}` : ''}`);
    return;
  }

  const version = extractSemver(output);
  if (!version) {
    console.warn(`  Could not parse Codex CLI version from "${output || '<empty>'}". Continuing; plugin marketplace support requires ${MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION} or newer.`);
    return;
  }

  if (version.localeCompare(MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION, undefined, { numeric: true }) < 0) {
    throw new Error(`Codex CLI ${version} is too old for plugin marketplace support. Update Codex CLI to ${MIN_CODEX_MARKETPLACE_VERSION} or newer, then run: npx claude-mem@latest install`);
  }
}

function removeCodexAgentsMdContext(): boolean {
  if (!existsSync(CODEX_AGENTS_MD_PATH)) return true;

  const startTag = '<claude-mem-context>';
  const endTag = '</claude-mem-context>';

  try {
    readAndStripContextTags(startTag, endTag);
    return true;
  } catch (error) {
    const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
    logger.warn('WORKER', 'Failed to clean AGENTS.md context', { error: message });
    return false;
  }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to d8bc9755e7)