Codex Desktop open thread view does not refresh after another app-server client appends a turn #21743

What issue are you seeing?

I am building a phone/PWA companion client on top of codex app-server so I can continue a local Codex Desktop thread from another device while the PC remains the execution host.

A separate app-server client can successfully resume an existing Desktop-visible thread and append a new turn, but the already-open Codex Desktop thread view does not appear to live-refresh or receive an invalidation for that externally-appended turn.

The turn is persisted and can be read by the bridge immediately. It also eventually appears in Desktop after Desktop later re-reads/resumes the thread, but the timing appears event-driven rather than documented or deterministic.

Environment

• Codex CLI: 0.128.0-alpha.1
• Platform: Windows Desktop app using WSL app-server
• Custom client: local bridge process running codex app-server --listen stdio://
• Desktop app-server process: launched separately by Codex Desktop over stdio

Reproduction

1. Open an existing thread in Codex Desktop.
2. Start a separate local app-server client with codex app-server --listen stdio://.
3. From that separate client, call thread/resume for the open Desktop thread.
4. Call turn/start and wait for completion.
5. Confirm the new turn is visible through the custom app-server client via thread/turns/list or thread/read.
6. Return to the already-open Codex Desktop thread view.

Observed behavior

The custom app-server client sees the new turn immediately.

The already-open Desktop thread view does not update immediately. It appears to catch up only later, when Desktop performs its own thread/read / thread/resume again.

Expected behavior

One of the following would make cross-client local continuity much easier to build safely:

• Codex Desktop live-refreshes open thread views when the persisted thread changes.
• App-server exposes a supported request/notification to invalidate or refresh a thread across clients.
• Desktop can connect to a shared app-server transport used by both Desktop and external clients.
• Documentation explicitly states that cross-client live sync is not supported, and that only eventual persisted thread continuity should be expected.

Additional investigation

I looked for a safe nudge path:

• codex app-server proxy exists, but the Desktop-launched stdio app-server did not expose /mnt/c/Users/<user>/.codex/app-server-control/app-server-control.sock.
• The open-source app-server code appears to create that control socket only for --listen unix:// / unix://PATH.
• Calling thread/read / thread/resume from another app-server connection refreshes that connection, but does not appear to force the already-open Desktop renderer connection to rehydrate.
• I intentionally avoided private stdio pipe writes, direct state edits, item injection, or Desktop app-server restarts because those seem unsafe.

Why this matters

This is the missing piece for a safe phone/PWA companion client for local Codex Desktop sessions. The bridge can already continue the thread through app-server, but Desktop needs a documented/supported way to observe or refresh externally-appended turns.