Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions

Files appear in the side panel that Codex didn’t edit

If your project is inside a Git repository, the review panel automatically shows changes based on your project’s Git state, including changes that Codex didn’t make.

In the review pane, you can switch between staged changes and changes not yet staged, and compare your branch with main.

If you want to see only the changes of your last Codex turn, switch the diff pane to the Last turn view.

Learn more about how to use the review pane.

Remove a project from the sidebar

To remove a project from the sidebar, hover over the name of your project, click the three dots and choose “Remove.” To restore it, re-add the project using the Add new project button next to Tasks or using

Cmd+O.

Find archived tasks

Archived tasks can be found in Settings. When you unarchive a task, it reappears in its original sidebar location.

Only some tasks appear in the sidebar

The sidebar lets you filter tasks based on the state of a project. If you’re missing tasks, select the filter icon next to Tasks, then select Chronological. If you still don’t see the task, open Settings and check Archived tasks.

Code doesn’t run on a worktree

Worktrees are created in a different directory and inherit files checked into Git by default. Depending on how you manage dependencies and tooling for your project, you might have to run setup scripts on your worktree using a local environment or copy ignored setup files with .worktreeinclude. Alternatively, you can check out the changes in your regular local project. See the worktrees documentation to learn more.

App doesn’t pick up a teammate’s shared local environment

The local environment configuration must be inside the .codex folder at the root of your project. If you are working in a monorepo with more than one project, make sure you open the project in the directory that contains the .codex folder.

Codex asks to access Apple Music

Depending on your task, Codex may need to navigate the file system. Certain directories on macOS, including Music, Downloads, or Desktop, require additional approval from the user. If Codex needs to read your home directory, macOS prompts you to approve access to those folders.

Scheduled tasks create many worktrees

Frequent scheduled tasks can create many worktrees over time. Archive scheduled runs you no longer need and avoid pinning runs unless you intend to keep their worktrees.

Recover a prompt after selecting the wrong target

If you started a task with the wrong target (Local, Worktree, or Cloud) by accident, you can cancel the current run and recover your previous prompt by pressing the up arrow key in the composer.

Feature is working in the Codex CLI but not in the ChatGPT desktop app

The ChatGPT desktop app and Codex CLI can include different Codex versions, so features may reach one surface before the other. Experimental features might also land in Codex CLI first.

To get the version of the Codex CLI on your system run:

codex --version

To get the version of Codex bundled with your ChatGPT desktop app, use the retained Codex.app compatibility bundle path:

/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/codex --version

Feedback and logs

Type / into the message composer to provide feedback for the team. If you trigger feedback in an existing conversation, you can choose to share the existing session along with your feedback. After submitting your feedback, you’ll receive a session ID that you can share with the team.

To report an issue:

1. Find existing issues on the Codex GitHub repo.
2. Open a new GitHub issue

More logs are available in the following locations:

• App logs (macOS): ~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex/YYYY/MM/DD
• Session transcripts: $CODEX_HOME/sessions (default: ~/.codex/sessions)
• Archived sessions: $CODEX_HOME/archived_sessions (default: ~/.codex/archived_sessions)

If you share logs, review them first to confirm they don’t contain sensitive information.

Stuck states and recovery patterns

If a task appears stuck:

1. Check whether Codex is waiting for an approval.
2. Open the terminal and run a basic command like git status.
3. Start a new task with a smaller, more focused prompt.

If you cancel worktree creation by mistake and lose your prompt, press the up arrow key in the composer to recover it.

Terminal issues

Terminal appears stuck

1. Close the terminal panel.
2. Reopen it with Ctrl+`.
3. Re-run a basic command like pwd or git status.

If commands behave differently than expected, validate the current directory and branch in the terminal first.

If it continues to be stuck, wait until your active tasks are complete and restart the app.

Fonts aren’t rendering correctly

Codex uses the same font for the review pane, integrated terminal and any other code displayed inside the app. You can configure the font inside the Settings pane as Code font.