[Windows Desktop] Switching ChatGPT accounts restores a stale turn for the same local Codex task #42971

What version of the Codex App are you using?

Exact build is currently unavailable because the desktop helper is also failing with helper_unknown_error: setup refresh had errors. The issue appeared in the recently updated unified ChatGPT/Codex Windows desktop app.

What subscription do you have?

Paid ChatGPT accounts.

What platform is your computer?

Windows, x64.

What issue are you seeing?

After switching the ChatGPT account used by Codex Desktop, reopening an existing long-running local Codex task can restore an old persisted turn instead of the latest conversation state.

This is not just an old sidebar timestamp:

• The same local task remains listed and its task metadata has a recent updatedAt.
• Reading the task history returns a much older turn.
• That older turn is still reported as inProgress.
• Many later completed user/assistant turns that were visible before the account switch are absent from the restored/readable history.
• Continuing from the restored task therefore gives the agent stale research state and can cause it to resume work that was superseded many turns earlier.

The complete affected task identifier and private transcript details are intentionally omitted from this public issue and can be supplied privately to OpenAI support.

Steps to reproduce

1. Create or continue a long-running local Codex task on Windows.
2. Complete many later turns in that task.
3. Switch the ChatGPT account used by the desktop application.
4. Reopen the same local project and task.
5. Compare the task list metadata with the newest turn returned by the task-history/read path.
6. Observe that the task may show a recent update while the readable transcript stops at an older turn still marked inProgress.

Expected behavior

For local tasks that remain visible after an account transition, Codex Desktop should restore the latest durable rollout/branch.

If account ownership prevents access, the app should show an explicit account-boundary error. It should not silently display an older transcript as the current complete history.

Account switching must not overwrite or regress the selected rollout/turn pointer.

Actual behavior

The UI and task APIs disagree about the task's current state: metadata is recent, but the transcript/history projection resolves to an old in-progress turn. The agent then resumes obsolete work.

User impact

This makes long-running paid Codex workflows unreliable. Users may switch accounts when one account reaches its usage window; after switching, substantial completed research context can appear lost or be replaced by stale state.

Requested investigation

Please inspect:

• account-transition handling for local Codex tasks;
• selected rollout/branch pointer reconciliation;
• task-history projection/reindexing;
• preservation of completed rollout JSONL data;
• conflicts between recent task metadata and an older inProgress turn.

A supported “reindex/recover latest local rollout” action would also be useful.

Related reports

• [Windows][Desktop Stable + Beta] Resumed task follow-ups become stale or unreadable after restart #40915 — resumed task follow-ups become stale or unreadable after restart
• Windows Codex Desktop selectively loses historical local sessions while older legacy threads survive, alongside incomplete project-assignment migration #41874 — selective loss of historical local sessions and incomplete project migration
• [Windows desktop] OAuth account transition can disconnect AppServerManager RPC and return UI to sign-in while tasks keep running #39677 — OAuth account transition disconnects AppServerManager RPC
• [Windows][Desktop 26.831.1445.0] Edited prompts reopen on an older conversation branch and hide later completed turns #42269 — older conversation branch restored and later turns hidden