Allow Codex Desktop to connect to an externally managed App Server

What variant of Codex are you using?

App

What feature would you like to see?

Codex App Server already supports stdio, WebSocket, and Unix socket transports, and the Codex CLI can connect to an existing App Server with codex --remote. Codex Desktop does not appear to provide a documented way to connect to an externally managed App Server.

Please allow Codex Desktop to connect to an existing App Server endpoint at startup, for example:

open -a Codex --args --remote unix:///path/to/codex-app-server.sock

or:

open -a Codex --args --remote ws://127.0.0.1:4500

A persistent setting such as desktop.app_server_endpoint would also be useful.

Required behavior:

1. Desktop and another trusted local client can connect to the same App Server.
2. Threads created by either client appear immediately in Desktop.
3. Both clients receive thread and turn notifications.
4. Desktop can navigate directly to externally created threads.
5. Either client can append turns to an idle thread.
6. Active-writer and approval ownership are explicitly defined.
7. Disconnecting one client does not leave a lock that blocks the other.
8. Local WebSocket and Unix socket connections support capability-token authentication.
9. Existing codex://threads/<thread-id> navigation works for externally created threads.

The App Server must support multiple collaborating clients, not merely multiple transport connections.

Additional information

Related issues document narrower symptoms of the current split-process approach:

• #36363: externally created threads are not registered in the running Desktop sidebar until restart.
• #30916: threads created by an external App Server can open with an endless loading state until Desktop restarts.

This request is broader than those bugs: it asks for a supported Desktop startup/configuration mode that connects Desktop and trusted local integrations to the same App Server instance, with explicit multi-client lifecycle and ownership semantics.

Official App Server documentation: https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/app-server

Start with the existing codex --remote entry point, the proposed open -a Codex --args --remote startup path, and the App Server documentation. Define how Desktop uses desktop.app_server_endpoint and how WebSocket or Unix socket authentication, thread and turn notifications, navigation, writer ownership, approvals, and disconnect behavior satisfy the nine required behaviors.