Codex desktop stopped showing local threads after update, but ~/.codex data is still present

Codex
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1

After updating Codex desktop, my Project thread and its sub-threads disappeared from the UI. What makes this look like a UI/indexing bug rather than deletion is that the local data is still present on disk.

What I verified locally:

  • ~/.codex/state_5.sqlite still contains 58 threads for my Project workspace
  • raw session files still exist under ~/.codex/sessions/
  • ~/.codex/session_index.jsonl was rebuilt from the DB
  • Codex app-side session/cache was reset
  • full app restart still did not restore the threads in the desktop UI

What I already tried:

  1. Verified the threads still exist in state_5.sqlite
  2. Exported thread-to-rollout mappings from the DB
  3. Rebuilt the /Project portion of session_index.jsonl
  4. Restored the Project workspace roots
  5. Cleared Codex app-side session/cache storage
  6. Fully restarted the app

Result:
The local thread/session data still exists, but Codex desktop still does not render those threads in the UI.

Question:
Has anyone seen Codex desktop stop showing locally stored threads after an update even though they still exist in ~/.codex?

Is there any supported way to force a full local reindex from:

  • ~/.codex/state_5.sqlite
  • ~/.codex/session_index.jsonl
  • ~/.codex/sessions/

This appears to be an app-side history indexing/filtering issue after update, not actual local thread deletion.

2

I hit a similar issue after using Settings > General > Import other agent setup. Local session files exist but the app’s sidebar, search, and project mapping are broken. Posted a full writeup titled: “Codex macOS: “Import other agent setup” corrupted sidebar, chat titles, timestamps, and project mapping”

Mine happened today and it’s interesting that yours happened a month ago.

3

This just happened to me. I don’t know what to do. Will the Codex team fix the problem, or do we have to fix it manually?

4

Hi folks, sorry for the late reply! It’s frustrating to have your chats disappear when the files are still there.

This may have been resolved in a recent Codex app update. Could you update to the latest version and let us know if it’s still happening?

If so, please email support@openai.com with a short screen recording showing the behavior, your OS version, and the Codex app version and build. Share those privately with Support, since the recording could contain sensitive information.

-Austin