Windows app appears unstable around branch/worktree state #16290

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1. mccartyflame

   added

   appIssues related to the Codex desktop appIssues related to the Codex desktop app

   on Mar 31, 2026
2. github-actions

   added

   bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working

   windows-osIssues related to Codex on Windows systemsIssues related to Codex on Windows systems

   tool-callsIssues related to tool callingIssues related to tool calling

   on Mar 31, 2026
3. github-actions commented on Mar 31, 2026

   

   github-actionsbot

   on Mar 31, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

   Contributor

   More actions

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

   • Desktop app leaves stale temp worktree and blocks switching back to main #14575
   • Prod - Switching branches not possible #15308
   • Worktree development is unusable #14703

   Powered by Codex Action
4. DisabledAbel commented on Mar 31, 2026

   

   DisabledAbel

   on Mar 31, 2026

   More actions

   Why this happens

   Codex creates its branch from a snapshot of main at task start. If main moves forward before Codex finishes (even a README edit or an auto-generated commit), the PR lands with conflicts — even though you never touched those files. It's a race condition between Codex's branch base and the current main.

   Workaround that worked for me

   I created a GitHub Actions workflow that auto-resolves conflicts by merging main into the Codex branch with -X theirs (keeping Codex's changes):

   name: Auto Fix Conflicts
   
   on:
     pull_request:
       types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
     workflow_dispatch:
       inputs:
         branch:
           description: "Branch to fix"
           required: false
           default: ""
   
   jobs:
     auto-fix:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       permissions:
         contents: write
         pull-requests: write
   
       steps:
         - name: Checkout repo
           uses: actions/checkout@v5
           with:
             ref: ${{ github.event.inputs.branch || github.head_ref }}
             token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
             fetch-depth: 0
   
         - name: Configure git identity
           run: |
             git config user.name "conflict-bot"
             git config user.email "bot@example.com"
   
         - name: Fetch base branch
           run: git fetch origin main
   
         - name: Try auto-merge (prefer incoming changes)
           run: git merge -X theirs origin/main || true
   
         - name: Detect conflicts
           id: conflicts
           run: |
             files=$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U)
             echo "files=$files" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
   
         - name: Auto resolve conflicts (fallback)
           if: steps.conflicts.outputs.files != ''
           run: |
             for file in ${{ steps.conflicts.outputs.files }}; do
               echo "Resolving $file"
               git checkout --theirs $file
               git add $file
             done
   
         - name: Commit & push changes
           run: |
             git add .
             git commit -m "🤖 Auto-resolved merge conflicts" || echo "No changes"
             git push

   Key things that tripped me up:

   • permissions: contents: write is required or the push silently fails with 403
   • git config must come before the merge step, not just before the commit
   • Use actions/checkout@v5 to avoid the Node 20 deprecation warning

   Would love to see Codex handle this natively — maybe by rebasing its branch on main right before opening the PR.