Native apply_patch lacks per-call workdir context for Hooks in multi-worktree repositories #20879

What version of Codex are you using?

codex-cli 0.128.0

What platform is your computer?

Ubuntu 24.04 desktop, GNOME / Wayland, bash shell.

What issue are you seeing?

In a repository that uses multiple Git worktrees, the native apply_patch tool does not appear to have a per-call working directory / workdir field. This makes it impossible for project hooks to distinguish between the session working directory and the actual task worktree where an edit should be applied.

This becomes a practical bug when the Codex session starts in the primary checkout, then the agent switches to a task worktree for development:

• exec_command supports workdir, so shell commands can correctly run inside the task worktree.
• Native apply_patch does not expose an equivalent per-call workdir in its hook payload / tool input.
• A cd performed by a previous shell command does not change the native apply_patch tool's working directory.
• A project PreToolUse hook therefore only sees the session cwd, which may still be the primary checkout.
• If the hook is strict about preventing edits from the primary checkout into task worktrees, it has to block native apply_patch even though the intended target is the current task worktree.

Observed failure from a strict project hook:

Command blocked by PreToolUse hook
Event: pre-tool-use
Status: block
Command: apply_patch
Checks:
- native-apply-patch-primary-worktree-guard:
  editing context error: applying a patch from the primary worktree context is not allowed for repository/task-worktree files

The only reliable workaround is to avoid the native apply_patch tool and instead run a one-shot shell patch through exec_command with an explicit workdir, for example:

apply_patch <<'PATCH'
*** Begin Patch
*** Update File: relative/path/from/task/worktree
@@
-old
+new
*** End Patch
PATCH

with the tool call itself carrying workdir=<task-worktree>. That works, but Codex warns that apply_patch should be used via the native tool instead of exec_command, which conflicts with the needs of strict worktree-aware hooks.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Create a repository with a primary checkout and a task worktree, for example:

git worktree add .worktrees/demo-task -b task-demo-task

2. Start Codex from the primary checkout.
3. In the conversation, ask the agent to continue in .worktrees/demo-task.
4. Verify that shell commands can run in the worktree when exec_command is given workdir=.worktrees/demo-task.
5. Attempt to edit a file with the native apply_patch tool.
6. Observe that hooks only receive the session/root cwd for the native apply_patch call, not the task worktree cwd.
7. A strict hook must either block the edit or risk allowing primary-checkout-to-worktree writes.

What is the expected behavior?

Native apply_patch should support an explicit per-call working directory, or Codex should otherwise pass the intended execution/editing cwd to hooks for apply_patch calls.

Ideally, native apply_patch should behave consistently with exec_command(workdir=...):

• hooks can see the effective cwd for the patch;
• relative paths inside the patch are resolved against that effective cwd;
• multi-worktree projects can safely enforce "edit only inside the active task worktree" policies;
• agents do not need to use shell apply_patch as a workaround.

Additional information

This is related in theme to worktree targeting problems such as #16525, but it is not the same issue. That report is about Codex Desktop on Windows producing a malformed cwd for worktree threads. This report is about Codex CLI native apply_patch lacking per-call workdir context for Hooks and multi-worktree repositories.