[Windows app] Chat can keep correct cwd while being assigned to the wrong projectId #48636

Summary

Codex Desktop can end up with a chat whose working directory (cwd) points to the correct local repository, while the chat's projectId points to a different project.

The project picker also mixes local Codex projects, remote-host projects, and ChatGPT cloud projects into one undifferentiated list. When several projects share the same display name, the user cannot tell which object they are selecting.

This looks like more than a cosmetic project-picker problem: project identity / association metadata can diverge from the actual workspace used by the chat.

Environment

• Codex Desktop on Windows
• Codex Mobile Remote involved in one reproduction path
• Observed on September 27, 2026

Concrete example

I have two different projects both displayed as Купец:

Local Codex project

• type: local
• path: G:\Household\Merchant_Repo_Custom
• projectId: dff954ac-3363-4d30-92d9-a75115a75076

ChatGPT cloud project

• type: chatgpt
• no local path
• projectId: g-p-6a6a4dfc3cfc8191aa940b2e11f607b8

In chat context menu -> Project, both are rendered simply as Купец, with the same folder icon and no project type, host, path, or other disambiguation.

The correct local project appears near the top of the list (after HomeAssistant). Another Купец after UE_Plugins is the ChatGPT cloud project. The picker does not expose that distinction, and I observed the wrong cloud project being highlighted when opening the menu.

More serious association mismatch

I also created two chats through Mobile Remote while targeting:

G:\Household\Merchant_Repo_Custom

Both chats had the correct working directory, but on Desktop they were associated with an older archived project named Barin.

So the resulting state was effectively:

• cwd -> correct: G:\Household\Merchant_Repo_Custom
• projectId -> wrong: archived Barin project

The chats could still appear to work with the correct repository because their working directory was correct, while their organizational/project identity was wrong.

Why this matters

A wrong project association can affect more than sidebar organization:

• expected local folders / workspace roots
• project instructions and project context
• Remote visibility / placement
• future chat routing
• project-specific metadata

It is particularly hard to notice because the working directory may remain correct.

Expected behavior

For local / remote projects, project identity should remain consistent with the workspace being used.

At minimum:

1. The project picker should visibly distinguish:
   • Local projects
   • Remote projects, including host name
   • ChatGPT cloud projects
2. Same-name projects should show type + host + path, e.g.:
   • Купец — Local — G:\Household\Merchant_Repo_Custom
   • Купец — HOME — G:\Household\Merchant_Repo_Custom
   • Купец — ChatGPT
3. When moving a local Codex chat, the picker should prefer projects whose roots contain the current cwd.
4. Codex should warn or reject a local project assignment when the current cwd is outside that project's workspace roots.
5. A Remote-created chat should reconcile to the corresponding Desktop project instead of preserving or guessing an unrelated historical projectId.

A useful consistency invariant would be roughly:

cwd ∈ roots(assigned local/remote project)

where applicable.

Related issues

• Local project with the same name defaults to a new conversation under the remote project #28646 — Local project with the same name defaults to a new conversation under the remote project
• [Windows app] Clearly separate ChatGPT/Work/Codex projects and allow Chat + Codex + terminal in one workspace #35367 — Clearly separate ChatGPT/Work/Codex projects
• Codex Mobile Remote project assignment does not reconcile with Desktop project assignment #35972 — Mobile Remote project assignment does not reconcile with Desktop project assignment
• Codex desktop resumed continuing chat with wrong workspace/cwd and AGENTS.md #24855 — Desktop resumed an existing chat with the wrong workspace/cwd and AGENTS.md

The difference here is the explicitly observed split between a correct cwd and an incorrect projectId, plus the mixed Local / Remote / ChatGPT project picker making that mismatch difficult to detect.