Repository navigation
Codex Desktop main task timeline stays blank while a long-running Goal remains active #46424
Description
Environment
- Codex Desktop / ChatGPT app: 26.908.40834 (build 8881)
- macOS 26.6.1, Apple Silicon
- Observed: 2026-09-18 (Europe/Amsterdam)
Reproduction context
- Open a long-running Codex task with substantial conversation history and an active Goal.
- The Goal status row continues to show Pursuing goal.
- Open a Side chat.
Actual behavior
- The entire main-task message timeline remains blank indefinitely.
- The main-task composer and Pursuing goal status still render.
- The Side chat renders and works normally.
- Closing the Side chat, switching away and back to the task, and resizing the window do not restore the timeline.
- This has occurred more than once on long-running Goal threads; the exact history-size threshold is unknown.
Expected behavior
The main-task message timeline should remain visible and update while the Goal is running.
Impact
The user cannot inspect progress, messages, approvals, or failures in the main task and can only communicate through the temporary Side chat. Restarting or pausing the app is unsafe while the Goal controls an active local process.
Additional information
- OpenAI Support reported no active outage.
- No project data, logs, email address, task contents, or credentials are included.
- Screenshot is available and can be added once file upload access is enabled.
Activity
github-actions commentedon Sep 18, 2026
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
Powered by Codex Action
monterourena commentedon Sep 20, 2026
I am also experiencing the disappearing-conversation symptom in the ChatGPT/Codex macOS desktop app, and it is still occurring as of September 20, 2026. Conversation content disappears while the task remains active, leaving me unable to reliably inspect progress or read the conversation.
Environment available for this report: macOS, arm64. My desktop client metadata identifies
Codex Desktop/26.915.31945; the separate build number and exact macOS version have not been checked in About.This corroborates the visible timeline failure. I have not isolated whether my occurrences require an active Goal or opening Side chat, and I have not inspected the underlying session files to determine whether the missing content is only hidden or not persisted. Please do not treat this as confirmation of permanent data deletion or a particular root cause.
Please provide a supported, non-destructive recovery path for affected existing conversations and identify the applicable fixed desktop release when available. A safe way to restore visibility without interrupting active work would be particularly helpful. No private conversation content or raw logs are attached.