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NewsMaterial2 min readDisconfirmAI Editorial

Controlled Operation of the ChatGPT Desktop App via a Single Bedrock Endpoint in AWS GovCloud (US)

AWS published a configuration guide detailing how to route model inference for the ChatGPT desktop app (including the Codex coding agent) entirely to the Amazon Bedrock Mantle endpoint in the us-gov-west-1 region, while implementing a verifiable controlled deployment by security teams through network domain whitelisting, administrator policy files, and API-mode sign-in.

2026-10-31 01:27 GMT+8

For organizations with data residency requirements, using OpenAI's coding agents presents a specific contradiction: model capabilities reside in the cloud, but inference data cannot leave controlled regions. On October 30, 2026, AWS published a configuration guide demonstrating how to resolve this contradiction within AWS GovCloud (US)—routing all model inference for the ChatGPT desktop app and Codex to the Amazon Bedrock Mantle endpoint in the us-gov-west-1 region, while simultaneously prohibiting the application from connecting to any OpenAI-owned domains via network policies.

The core mechanism of this architecture is network-domain-level restriction. The configuration file explicitly sets bedrock-mantle.us-gov-west-1.api.aws as the sole permitted external domain, while api.openai.com, chatgpt.com, auth.openai.com, platform.openai.com, and others are all set to deny. This means that even though the desktop application itself is distributed by OpenAI, its runtime network egress is locked to the AWS GovCloud (US) Bedrock endpoint, ensuring that inference data does not flow to OpenAI infrastructure.

The configuration employs a two-file model, reflecting a layered design for security governance. requirements.toml is an administrator-controlled rules file that establishes security limits users cannot override—for example, disabling browser use, remote desktop control, memory features, plugins, feedback, and telemetry export. config.toml instructs the application on how to operate: selecting which model provider (amazon-bedrock), which region, which named profile, sandbox mode, and network proxy settings. Administrators define impassable boundaries through the former, while users operate within those boundaries using the latter.

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Authentication follows a clear priority chain. The application first checks for the bearer token in the environment variable AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK; if present, it takes precedence over profile-based authentication. If no bearer token exists, the application falls back to the standard AWS SDK credential chain, reading credentials from ~/.aws/credentials and ~/.aws/config, and also supports obtaining temporary role credentials via IAM Identity Center SSO profiles. The guide specifically emphasizes that credentials, tokens, and session keys should not be written to TOML configuration files, but rather obtained and protected through organization-approved mechanisms.

Regarding data retention, AWS states that this configuration supports Zero Data Retention (ZDR) mode: prompts and responses are not written to AWS persistent storage after processing, nor are they shared with model providers. The billing model is pay-per-token, with no seat licenses and no per-developer commitments.

However, AWS explicitly states an important limitation in the guide: using AWS GovCloud (US) and following this guide do not, by themselves, authorize workloads. Organizations remain responsible for reviewing whether the selected models, AWS services, regions, endpoints, workstation controls, code repositories, credentials, and data flows comply with their system security plans and authorization processes. The guide's positioning is to enable security teams to conduct controlled local deployment testing and documentation before approving broader usage.

Sources

  • aws.amazon.comAmazon Web Services↗
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