Increase cap of sessions in VS Code extension

[iqdoctor]

What version of the IDE extension are you using?

26.5318.11754

What subscription do you have?

Pro

Which IDE are you using?

VS Code

What platform is your computer?

Linux

What issue are you seeing?

Codex VS Code Plugin Feedback

Evidence in local extension code:

• /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/index-BX_E-kXD.js.map
  • embedded source ../../src/feedback/feedback-command.tsx
  • embedded source ../../src/feedback/feedback-success.tsx

Environment

• VS Code extension: openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64
• Bundled extension CLI: codex-cli 0.116.0-alpha.10
• System CLI: /usr/bin/codex -> codex-cli 0.116.0
• Host: remote VS Code server on Linux
• Codex data dir: /root/.codex

Problems

1. Session list is capped too aggressively

With intensive Codex usage, the session/thread list in the VS Code plugin becomes incomplete. In my case the plugin initially showed only 50 sessions, then after local bundle patching it showed 100, and only after forcing auto-pagination it showed 313. This makes the sidebar/task history unreliable for real workloads.

Expected:

• the plugin should either load all recent local threads needed for search/resume,
• or clearly support pagination / load more in the UI,
• or at minimum not silently stop at a fixed hidden cap.

Observed local code paths:

• /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js.map
  • embedded source ../../src/app-server/app-server-manager-constants.ts:9
    • RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE = 50
  • embedded source ../../src/app-server/app-server-manager.ts:1161-1181
    • refreshRecentConversations() requests thread/list with limit = RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE * recentConversationsPageCount
  • embedded source ../../src/app-server/app-server-manager.ts:1298-1315
    • loadMoreRecentConversations() requests thread/list with limit: RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE
• /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/index-BX_E-kXD.js.map
  • embedded source ../../src/sidebar/sidebar-electron.tsx:144
    • sidebar pulls local threads via useConversationsMeta()
  • embedded source ../../src/header/recent-tasks-menu/recent-tasks-menu.tsx
    • recent/local tasks UI renders what it gets; there is no visible explicit paging UX for local conversations there

Local temporary workaround applied:

• runtime bundle patched in:
  • /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js
• changes:
  • raised page size from 50 to 500
  • added auto-pagination during recent conversation refresh until nextCursor is exhausted or 500 items are collected

2. Lost titles without disk fallback

Some threads lose their title in the plugin/local state DB even though a valid thread name still exists on disk. This makes sessions effectively disappear from normal search/use in the plugin.

Concrete example:

• thread id: 019ca226-b30c-7181-bdf0-62b891464a25
• disk/session index had:
  • /root/.codex/session_index.jsonl
  • thread_name = "Worker"
• but plugin/local DB had:
  • /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite
  • title = ''
  • first_user_message = ''

As a result, the CLI could still find the session as Worker, but the VS Code plugin could not reliably surface it by name.

Observed local code paths:

• /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js.map
  • embedded source ../../src/app-server/app-server-manager.ts:1389-1415
    • upsertRecentConversationState() uses thread.name or persisted title cache
    • no fallback to session_index.jsonl, rollout JSONL, or recovery history when metadata title is blank
  • embedded source ../../src/app-server/app-server-manager.ts:1472
    • new conversation state gets title: persistedTitle
• /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/index-BX_E-kXD.js.map
  • embedded source ../../src/local-conversation/get-local-conversation-title.ts
    • fallback logic uses only:
      • conversationState.title
      • first turn input text
      • parent subagent prompt
    • there is no disk/index fallback

Supporting local evidence:

• thread index on disk:
  • /root/.codex/session_index.jsonl
• thread state DB:
  • /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite
• rollout file exists:
  • /root/.codex/sessions/2026/02/28/rollout-2026-02-28T05-49-31-019ca226-b30c-7181-bdf0-62b891464a25.jsonl
• recovery text exists:
  • /root/.codex/recovery/019ca226-b30c-7181-bdf0-62b891464a25/history.jsonl

Local temporary workaround applied:

• repaired blank titles directly in:
  • /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite
• source of repair:
  • first from /root/.codex/session_index.jsonl
  • fallback from rollout/history on disk
• backup created:
  • /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite.bak-20260321-042851

Suggested fixes

Session list cap

• Avoid hidden hard caps for local recent threads in the extension UI.
• Either:
  • auto-page until all recent threads are loaded,
  • or expose an explicit local "load more" UX,
  • or use the existing full traversal path analogous to listAllThreads() instead of only the first recent page.

Lost title fallback

• On recent-thread hydration, if thread.name is blank and the persisted title cache is blank:
  • check session_index.jsonl for thread_name
  • if still blank, derive a title from rollout/recovery first user text
  • write repaired title back into the local thread state DB/index
• This should be a metadata-layer repair, not a UI-render-time disk read.

Short version

Two plugin issues become visible under heavy real use:

1. local session list silently truncates because recent conversations are page-capped;
2. blank local DB titles are not repaired from disk, even when CLI-visible thread names still exist.

I reproduced both locally and applied temporary workarounds, but both should be fixed in the extension/app-server metadata path rather than by local runtime patching.

019d0ddb-8fb3-7873-a5e0-688f9437ef61

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Uploaded thread: 019d0ddb-8fb3-7873-a5e0-688f9437ef61

What is the expected behavior?

Open Tasks in Plugin, see View All (50) - hard limited 50 records

Additional information

No response

[github-actions]

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

• Sidebar only shows the 50 most recent threads, making older threads inaccessible #15060
• Desktop app sidebar only shows loaded recent subset, not full workspace history #14751
• VS Code extension loses thread history after restart on Linux even though auth session is restored #14812
• Codex Desktop App does not display existing local sessions from shared CODEX_HOME #14389

Powered by Codex Action

[iqdoctor]

Added focused follow-up comments to two related issues:

• issue #14812, comment: VS Code extension loses thread history after restart on Linux even though auth session is restored #14812 (comment)
• issue #15060, comment: Sidebar only shows the 50 most recent threads, making older threads inaccessible #15060 (comment)

Why this may help a coding agent process the duplicates better:

• it gives a concrete constant and exact functions to inspect for the fix point
• it separates a client-side visible cap from a deeper pagination / hydration boundary
• it adds a validated local experiment, which narrows the search space
• it turns the report from a generic UX complaint into a traced engineering bug

What I intentionally did not do:

• I did not comment on #14389, because it is already closed
• I did not paste the same long note into every potential duplicate, to avoid diluting the signal

[iqdoctor]

Codex VS Code Plugin Session Repair Notes

Date: 2026-03-21

Scope

This note captures a repeatable workflow for debugging and hot-patching future Codex VS Code extension releases when:

• the local session/thread list is silently truncated
• sessions exist on disk but are missing or undiscoverable in the plugin because titles are blank

This was validated on:

• VS Code extension openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64
• bundled extension CLI codex-cli 0.116.0-alpha.10
• system CLI /usr/bin/codex -> codex-cli 0.116.0
• Linux remote VS Code server

Symptoms Seen

1. Hidden recent-thread cap

Observed sequence:

• plugin initially showed only 50 local sessions
• after increasing the client page size, plugin showed 100
• after forcing auto-pagination across nextCursor, plugin showed 313

Conclusion:

• there is a client-side recent-thread page size
• there is also a deeper pagination boundary if the client does not continue loading

2. Blank-title sessions

Concrete example:

• thread id 019ca226-b30c-7181-bdf0-62b891464a25
• ~/.codex/session_index.jsonl still had thread_name = "Worker"
• rollout file still existed on disk
• but ~/.codex/state_5.sqlite had:
  • title = ''
  • first_user_message = ''

Effect:

• Codex CLI could still find the session as Worker
• VS Code extension could not reliably surface it by name

Primary Local Paths

• extension bundle directory:
  • /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-*/webview/assets/
• current runtime-patched bundle:
  • /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js
• current sourcemaps:
  • /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js.map
  • /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/index-BX_E-kXD.js.map
• local Codex state:
  • /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite
  • /root/.codex/session_index.jsonl
  • /root/.codex/sessions/
  • /root/.codex/recovery/

Root Cause Notes

Recent-thread cap

From the embedded sources in the sourcemap:

• src/app-server/app-server-manager-constants.ts
  • RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE = 50
• src/app-server/app-server-manager.ts
  • refreshRecentConversations() requests thread/list with:
    • limit = RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE * recentConversationsPageCount
  • loadMoreRecentConversations() requests thread/list with:
    • limit: RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE
• src/sidebar/sidebar-electron.tsx
  • sidebar uses useConversationsMeta()

Interpretation:

• UI is built from recent loaded conversations, not from the full on-disk session set
• the extension does not automatically page through all local recent threads in this path

Blank-title sessions

From the embedded sources in the sourcemap:

• src/app-server/app-server-manager.ts
  • upsertRecentConversationState() relies on:
    • thread.name
    • persisted title cache
  • it does not fall back to:
    • session_index.jsonl
    • rollout JSONL
    • recovery history
• src/local-conversation/get-local-conversation-title.ts
  • fallback chain is:
    • conversationState.title
    • first turn input text
    • parent subagent prompt
  • no disk/index fallback

Interpretation:

• if recent-thread metadata loses title, the plugin can fail to surface a session by name even when disk data still exists

How To Inspect New Releases

1. Find the current hashed asset names

find /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-* -type f | rg 'app-server-manager-hooks|index-.*\\.js\\.map|index-.*\\.js$'

2. Check the embedded source map for the hardcoded page size

python - <<'PY'
import json
p='/root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js.map'
with open(p) as f: m=json.load(f)
i=m['sources'].index('../../src/app-server/app-server-manager-constants.ts')
print(m['sourcesContent'][i])
PY

Look for:

• RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE = 50

3. Check the live compiled JS bundle for patch needles

node - <<'NODE'
const fs=require('fs');
const p='/root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js';
const s=fs.readFileSync(p,'utf8');
for (const needle of [
  'let t=50*this.recentConversationsPageCount',
  '{limit:50,cursor:this.recentConversationsNextCursor',
  's.length>0&&(this.recentConversationIds=[...s,...this.recentConversationIds]),this.notifyAnyConversationCallbacks()}async hydratePinnedThreads'
]) {
  const idx=s.indexOf(needle);
  console.log('needle', needle, 'idx', idx);
}
NODE

Quick Hot Patch For Future Versions

A. Raise the recent-thread page size to 500

Use the actual current hashed bundle path.

node - <<'NODE'
const fs=require('fs');
const p='/root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js';
let s=fs.readFileSync(p,'utf8');
const before1='let t=50*this.recentConversationsPageCount';
const after1='let t=500*this.recentConversationsPageCount';
const before2='{limit:50,cursor:this.recentConversationsNextCursor';
const after2='{limit:500,cursor:this.recentConversationsNextCursor';
if (!s.includes(before1)) throw new Error('missing before1');
if (!s.includes(before2)) throw new Error('missing before2');
fs.copyFileSync(p, p + '.bak-quickhack');
s=s.replace(before1, after1).replace(before2, after2);
fs.writeFileSync(p, s);
console.log('patched', p);
NODE

B. Force auto-pagination until 500 items or no nextCursor

This is what was needed after the simple 50 -> 500 patch still only surfaced 100.

node - <<'NODE'
const fs=require('fs');
const p='/root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js';
let s=fs.readFileSync(p,'utf8');
const before='s.length>0&&(this.recentConversationIds=[...s,...this.recentConversationIds]),this.notifyAnyConversationCallbacks()}async hydratePinnedThreads';
const after='s.length>0&&(this.recentConversationIds=[...s,...this.recentConversationIds]);for(;this.recentConversationsNextCursor!=null&&this.recentConversationIds.length<500;)await this.loadMoreRecentConversations();this.notifyAnyConversationCallbacks()}async hydratePinnedThreads';
if (!s.includes(before)) throw new Error('missing refresh tail');
s=s.replace(before, after);
fs.writeFileSync(p, s);
console.log('patched refresh tail for auto-pagination');
NODE

C. Syntax check

node --check /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-DC8Cu72L.js

D. Reload VS Code

In VS Code:

• Developer: Reload Window

Blank Title Repair

Goal

Repair threads.title in state_5.sqlite from disk-backed sources:

1. session_index.jsonl
2. rollout JSONL
3. recovery history.jsonl

One-off repair script

python - <<'PY'
import sqlite3, json, shutil, re
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime

STATE = Path('/root/.codex/state_5.sqlite')
BACKUP = Path(f'/root/.codex/state_5.sqlite.bak-{datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d-%H%M%S")}')
IDX = Path('/root/.codex/session_index.jsonl')

shutil.copy2(STATE, BACKUP)
print('backup', BACKUP)

idx_titles = {}
if IDX.exists():
    with IDX.open() as f:
        for line in f:
            line=line.strip()
            if not line:
                continue
            try:
                obj = json.loads(line)
            except Exception:
                continue
            tid = obj.get('id')
            title = (obj.get('thread_name') or '').strip()
            if tid and title:
                idx_titles[tid] = title

md_link_re = re.compile(r'\[([^\]]+)\]\([^)]+\)')

def normalize_title(text: str) -> str:
    if not text:
        return ''
    text = md_link_re.sub(r'\1', text)
    text = re.sub(r'\s+', ' ', text).strip()
    if not text:
        return ''
    return text if len(text) <= 80 else text[:79].rstrip() + '…'

def title_from_rollout(path: Path) -> str:
    if not path.exists():
        return ''
    try:
        with path.open() as f:
            for line in f:
                try:
                    obj = json.loads(line)
                except Exception:
                    continue
                if obj.get('type') == 'event_msg' and obj.get('payload', {}).get('type') == 'user_message':
                    title = normalize_title(obj.get('payload', {}).get('message', ''))
                    if title:
                        return title
                if obj.get('type') == 'response_item':
                    payload = obj.get('payload', {})
                    if payload.get('type') == 'message' and payload.get('role') == 'user':
                        texts = []
                        for part in payload.get('content') or []:
                            if isinstance(part, dict) and 'text' in part:
                                texts.append(part.get('text', ''))
                        title = normalize_title(' '.join(texts))
                        if title:
                            return title
    except Exception:
        return ''
    return ''

def title_from_recovery(tid: str) -> str:
    p = Path(f'/root/.codex/recovery/{tid}/history.jsonl')
    if not p.exists():
        return ''
    try:
        with p.open() as f:
            for line in f:
                try:
                    obj = json.loads(line)
                except Exception:
                    continue
                title = normalize_title(obj.get('text', ''))
                if title:
                    return title
    except Exception:
        return ''
    return ''

conn = sqlite3.connect(STATE)
cur = conn.cursor()
cur.execute("select id, rollout_path from threads where title='' or title is null")
rows = cur.fetchall()

for tid, rollout_path in rows:
    title = idx_titles.get(tid, '')
    if not title and rollout_path:
        title = title_from_rollout(Path(rollout_path))
    if not title:
        title = title_from_recovery(tid)
    if title:
        cur.execute(
            "update threads set title=?, first_user_message=coalesce(nullif(first_user_message,''), ?) where id=?",
            (title, title, tid),
        )

conn.commit()
cur.execute("select count(*) from threads where title='' or title is null")
print('blank_remaining', cur.fetchone()[0])
PY

Validation Commands

Count blank titles

sqlite3 /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite "select count(*) from threads where title='' or title is null;"

Inspect a specific thread

sqlite3 /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite "select id,title,first_user_message,cwd,source from threads where id='019ca226-b30c-7181-bdf0-62b891464a25';"
rg -n '019ca226-b30c-7181-bdf0-62b891464a25' /root/.codex/session_index.jsonl

Check how many repaired titles still look bad

sqlite3 /root/.codex/state_5.sqlite "select count(*) from threads where title like '# AGENTS.md instructions%';"

Notes

• The quick repair filled blank titles fast, but some reconstructed titles may still be noisy if the only available on-disk source is a wrapped prompt payload.
• A proper upstream fix should do read-repair in the metadata layer, not in the UI row renderer.
• Extension updates will overwrite the patched webview bundle, so future versions need the same inspection + reapplication flow.

Related GitHub Issues

• head issue:
  • https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/15368
• related comments added:
  • https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/14812#issuecomment-4102065616
  • https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/15060#issuecomment-4102065633
  • https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/15368#issuecomment-4102425406

[iqdoctor]

Follow-up from 2026-03-22.

The extension version was still unchanged on my machine:

• openai.chatgpt-26.5318.11754-linux-x64

I verified that the previous hot patches were still present in the active bundle:

• 50 -> 500 page-size change in refreshRecentConversations()
• 50 -> 500 page-size change in loadMoreRecentConversations()
• auto-pagination loop over nextCursor

Despite that, the visible local session count had dropped again, this time to 200 instead of the previously observed 313.

That suggests the issue is deeper than just RECENT_CONVERSATIONS_PAGE_SIZE = 50. The more reliable workaround was to bypass the initial recent-page request entirely and make refreshRecentConversations() use the existing full traversal path:

• listAllThreads({ modelProviders: null, archived: false })

So the refined diagnosis is:

• there is a visible client-side recent-page cap,
• but there is also a deeper instability/boundary in the thread/list recent-loading path,
• and listAllThreads() is currently a stronger workaround than only raising the page size and chasing nextCursor.

[iqdoctor]

Follow-up: after another VS Code extension auto-update, I re-applied the same local runtime patch to the new bundle and the full thread list became visible again.

Current extension version:

• 26.5325.31654

Patched bundle:

• /root/.vscode-server/extensions/openai.chatgpt-26.5325.31654-linux-x64/webview/assets/app-server-manager-hooks-XL0eRatK.js

Local workaround re-applied:

• refreshRecentConversations() switched from the initial thread/list page to listAllThreads({ modelProviders: null, archived: false })
• loadMoreRecentConversations() raised from 50 to 500

Observed result after Developer: Reload Window:

• the sidebar now shows 414 sessions again

This is another data point that the store update simply overwrites the patched webview bundle, and that the underlying issue is still the same recent-thread loading path rather than missing local session data.