Codex Desktop hides a searchable recent pinned local task from default and pinned task lists

Start by comparing the default and pinned list_threads results with targeted search and the local ~/.codex/session_index.jsonl entry for task 019f6790-efb0-79b3-b9b2-9c6ea39d3752. Trace how recent, pinned, project-scoped, and notLoaded tasks are filtered, including the set_thread_pinned path. Done means the task appears in the appropriate default and pinned desktop lists while remaining searchable and directly readable.

Summary

A Codex task from July 15, 2026 is still present locally and can be opened directly by ID or found via targeted search, but it does not appear in the default recent task list. I believed the task was pinned, but it also does not appear in pinned results. Re-pinning the task via Codex's thread tool reported success, but the task still did not appear in pinned/default listings.

This affected desktop visibility first noticed on July 16, 2026; I had also noticed related missing visibility on the mobile app earlier.

This appears related to #21128 and #26634, but may be a distinct failure mode because targeted search does find the task and the task should be recent enough to appear in chronological listing.

Affected task

• Task title: Assess Hermes Agent contribution
• Task ID: 019f6790-efb0-79b3-b9b2-9c6ea39d3752
• Host: local
• Project/workspace path: /Users/<user>/Documents/Hermes Agent
• Created: July 15, 2026, about 4:56 PM EDT
• Updated: July 15, 2026, about 5:22 PM EDT
• Status from direct read: notLoaded
• The task completed successfully and produced:
  • /Users/<user>/Documents/Hermes Agent/hermes_research.md
  • /Users/<user>/Documents/Hermes Agent/hermes_issue_shortlist.md

What I expected

The task should appear in the Codex desktop app's default/recent task list for the Hermes Agent project, especially because it was updated recently. If pinned, it should also appear in the pinned task list.

What happened

The task was not visible in the app's normal list. It was only recoverable by targeted search/direct task ID.

Reproduction/evidence from local tools

1. list_projects shows the Hermes Agent project exists:

   • Project label: Hermes Agent
   • Project path/id: /Users/<user>/Documents/Hermes Agent

2. Targeted task search works:

   • list_threads(query="Hermes") returns 019f6790-efb0-79b3-b9b2-9c6ea39d3752
   • Title: Assess Hermes Agent contribution
   • CWD: /Users/<user>/Documents/Hermes Agent

3. Direct thread read works:

   • read_thread(threadId="019f6790-efb0-79b3-b9b2-9c6ea39d3752") returns the completed task and its final answer.

4. Direct navigation works:

   • navigate_to_codex_page(threadId="019f6790-efb0-79b3-b9b2-9c6ea39d3752") returned { "navigated": true }.

5. Default recent task listing omits the task:

   • list_threads(limit=20) did not include the Hermes task.
   • This is surprising because tasks with both newer and older updatedAt values around July 15 were present, while the Hermes task's timestamp should place it between them.

6. Pin behavior appears inconsistent:

   • set_thread_pinned(threadId="019f6790-efb0-79b3-b9b2-9c6ea39d3752", pinned=true) returned success.
   • But list_threads(query="pinned") still did not include the Hermes task.
   • list_threads(limit=20) still did not include the Hermes task after re-pinning.

7. Local session index includes the task:

   • /Users/<user>/.codex/session_index.jsonl contains:
   • ID: 019f6790-efb0-79b3-b9b2-9c6ea39d3752
   • Name: Assess Hermes Agent contribution
   • Updated: 2026-07-15T20:56:23.380762Z

Environment

• Codex desktop app on macOS
• macOS: 15.6.1 (24G90)
• Architecture: Apple Silicon / arm64
• Local Codex version metadata found in ~/.codex/version.json:
  • latest_version: 0.116.0
  • last_checked_at: 2026-03-25T09:33:00.794788Z

Impact

Tasks/projects appear missing even though they are still present locally. This is high-trust data: users may think work has been deleted or lost. In this case, a recently completed project task and its outputs were hidden from normal desktop/mobile discovery until searched by exact topic/ID.

Suggested investigation areas

• Default/recent task index filtering versus targeted search index.
• Pin-state persistence and whether pinned tasks are excluded by another filter.
• Project-scoped task visibility for local projects with spaces in the path, e.g. Hermes Agent.
• Cross-device sync/listing behavior between desktop and mobile.
• Whether status: notLoaded tasks are incorrectly excluded from recent/pinned UI lists.