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Codex Desktop App: Cannot recover moved project ("Current working directory missing") #12679
Description
Product
Codex Desktop App (macOS)
What happened
In the Codex Desktop App, after moving a project folder on disk, this thread shows:
Current working directory missing
This thread's working directory no longer exists because I moved the folder
At that point, I can’t relink the project to its new location from the UI.
Expected behavior
When a project path is missing, Codex Desktop App should offer a recovery action to update the path (for example in the ... menu):
Change Path.../Relink Folder...
Steps to reproduce
- Open a project/thread in Codex Desktop App.
- Move or rename the project folder in Finder/terminal.
- Return to Codex Desktop App.
- Observe the "Current working directory missing" message.
Requested fix
Add a way to select the new folder path and relink the existing project/thread without deleting and recreating it.
Why this matters
Removing and re-adding the project is disruptive and risks losing project-level setup/context. Repointing the path would make this recovery fast and safe.
Acceptance criteria
- Missing-path state includes
Change Path...action. - User can select new folder and continue in the same project/thread.
- Existing metadata/settings are preserved.
- Clear error shown if selected path is invalid.
Activity
[-]Cannot recover moved project: "Current working directory missing" (needs Change Path action)[/-][+]Codex Desktop App: Cannot recover moved project ("Current working directory missing")[/+]github-actions commentedon Feb 24, 2026
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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sunjiajunsunjiajun commentedon Jul 24, 2026
One important case is when a user asks Codex itself to rename or move an already-open project directory. Codex can successfully rename the folder and then strand its own thread history because persisted cwd/project mappings still point at the old absolute path.
This should be one atomic built-in workflow: record the old and new roots, perform the rename, migrate all affected thread cwd/index/sidebar/project mappings and durable rollout metadata, verify that history remains visible, and roll back safely if any step fails. The agent-facing procedure should also ship as a built-in Skill, so Codex automatically follows it whenever it performs a project rename/move rather than requiring users to know about hidden SQLite/JSON state.
As of current
main(58b4277228), I still do not see a supported atomic project-root migration/relink flow.thread/settings/updatecan update a loaded thread for subsequent turns, but it does not migrate every stored thread and Desktop project mapping under an old root.