Repository navigation
Windows Codex Desktop: creating and removing local projects fails #41552
Description
Windows Codex Desktop: creating and removing local projects fails
Summary
The desktop app can display existing local projects, but both project creation and project removal fail. The failure persists after updating to the latest available desktop build and fully restarting the app.
Environment
- Platform: Windows desktop app
- App version: latest available at the time of reporting
- Project type: local project
Steps to reproduce
- Open Codex Desktop.
- In the Projects sidebar, select an existing local project.
- Use the project menu and choose Remove project.
- Confirm removal.
Actual result
The app shows the toast: Failed to remove <project name> (Chinese UI: 未成功移除 <项目名>).
Creating a new local project also fails. Existing projects remain visible and usable.
Expected result
Removing a project should remove only its sidebar/project registration while preserving the local files and existing chats, as stated by the confirmation dialog. Creating a local project should also succeed.
Additional evidence
- Restarting and updating the app did not resolve the issue.
- The local project state JSON is syntactically valid and its existing project references are internally consistent.
- Editing that local state cache while the app is closed does not persist: after reopening, the desktop project service rehydrates the original project list. This suggests a separate project-registry source or a write-path failure in the desktop app.
Request
Please provide a supported repair/rebuild mechanism for the desktop project registry, or fix the create/remove write path and display an actionable error message.
Activity
github-actions commentedon Aug 29, 2026
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
Powered by Codex Action
AetherSynapse commentedon Aug 31, 2026
also seeing "failed to create project" on MacOS when trying to create a local project.
sdp0825 commentedon Sep 1, 2026
I cannot create a new project. The message "Failed to create project" appears when I attempt to create one.
fbernklau commentedon Sep 1, 2026
Same issue on my end, I can't create new local projects in Codex, fails with "Failed to create Project", using WSL on Windows 11.
jc-he96 commentedon Sep 1, 2026
Same issue, already report to OpenAi with the ticket 01a05db8-4536-7bc0-9967-102200c72405
DevBrent commentedon Sep 6, 2026
I have this issue too. It has to do with WSL according to Codex....
Local project creation fails in Codex Windows 26.901.6511.0 with WSL execution enabled (bundled backend 0.153.4).
The dialog shows only “Failed to create project.” The desktop log reveals:
The desktop imports existing projects before allowing project writes. It sends saved Windows UNC paths directly to the Linux backend, causing migration—and subsequent project creation—to fail.
Reproduced using the bundled backend with isolated settings and storage:
\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\example-user\projects\video-conversion-pipeline→project/importreturns error-32600with the message above./home/example-user/projects/video-conversion-pipeline→ import succeeds.Suggested fix: Convert project roots to the destination backend’s path format for import, creation, and updates. Also expose the underlying error in the dialog.
RightNiceGames commentedon Sep 9, 2026
similar issue reported with ticket 01a085cb-9bff-7c61-b65a-453f17719776
JackHeeney commentedon Sep 9, 2026
Feedback ID: no-active-thread-01a086a0-139d-7870-ab40-8dabdae856bb
Is there a fix to this yet? I have been troubleshooting this for the past 3 days to no avail. Clearing cache, deleting bin folders, uninstalled the app and reinstalled it, reinstalled dependancies, but nothing works.
I cannot create new projects inside chatGPT locally. But am still able to create cloud projects. This doesn't help me work on anything new locally on my machine though.
JackHeeney commentedon Sep 9, 2026
I thought I had found a work around with this first screenshot I changed "where to run this chat" to locally on my machine at the bottom of the chat box and it created the project folder called "test" which was visible in the left sidebar under "Projects". However I got a new error that was "Could not use this project for a local chat"
When attempting to create a project from the left side bar by clicking on the "+" symbol next to projects and choose to create a local project i get the below error of "Failed to create project" which is what others seem to be experiencing also.
M4NU5 commentedon Sep 10, 2026
Confirmed still no fix
TyceHerrman commentedon Oct 13, 2026
like codex bot identified above, this looks like duplicate of #41290 and this issue should likely be closed here