OpenAI just shipped Computer History, a new feature in the ChatGPT desktop app that watches what you do across your Mac's apps and websites, then feeds that context back into every future conversation. The pitch is simple: stop re-explaining yourself. ChatGPT already knows what you were working on.

The problem it actually solves

Every developer has been there. You open ChatGPT mid-task and spend the first few messages explaining the situation: the file you were editing, the error you hit, the Slack thread you just read. That context tax adds up. Computer History turns your activity across apps and websites into memories and a timeline that ChatGPT and Codex can reference. The goal is to make that re-explanation loop disappear entirely.

The feature is a direct successor to Chronicle, an earlier research preview that worked but came with significant baggage. Chronicle captured screen context locally, then periodically used Codex to summarize recent activity into memories, processing selected screenshot frames and OCR text extracted from those screenshots. The feature could quickly consume rate limits and increased exposure to prompt injection attacks from on-screen content. Computer History is a rebuilt system, not a rename.

Screenshots are out. Events are in.

The architectural shift here is the real story. Computer History creates an interaction-event stream from allowed apps and websites. Events can include clicks, typing, keyboard shortcuts, app switches, and context that macOS exposes through its accessibility system. No screen recording permission required.