[Windows/Android Remote] New desktop projects/threads do not appear on mobile; original project syncs, mobile-started thread now hits trust gate

Summary

Codex Remote project/thread synchronization is asymmetric between a Windows Codex host and ChatGPT on Android.

An older/original Codex project created near the beginning of use still appears on both Windows and Android and can be used cross-device. However, later projects created in the Windows Codex app do not appear in the Android Codex Remote project list, even after starting a thread inside the project.

Historically, threads started from Android Remote did appear on the Windows host, while threads/projects started on Windows after the original project did not appear on Android.

On 2026-08-29, the behavior changed again: starting a normal new thread from Android Remote produced a project trust error referencing a newly generated local Codex directory on the Windows host. This is the first time this trust gate appeared for the previously working Android-started-thread flow.

This looks like a project/thread registration or Remote project-discovery regression rather than a general pairing failure, because the original project is still visible on both devices and Android-started threads have historically reached the Windows host.

Environment

• Host: Windows Codex desktop app
• Remote client: ChatGPT Android app
• Android app version: 1.2026.230
• Same ChatGPT account on both devices
• Date observed: 2026-08-29
• Exact Windows Codex desktop build not captured yet

Known-good baseline

The user's original long-running project (created early in their Codex usage) behaves correctly:

1. The project appears in Codex on the Windows laptop.
2. The same project appears in Codex Remote on Android.
3. This proves that the account/host pairing can expose at least one desktop project to mobile.

Broken behavior: later desktop projects

A later project (for video-generation work) was created in Codex on Windows.

Reproduction:

1. Open Codex on Windows.
2. Create/open a new project folder in the Codex app.
3. Start a Codex thread in that project and send a message.
4. Open ChatGPT on Android and connect to the same Windows host through Codex Remote.
5. Inspect the Remote project/thread list.

Actual result:

• The new desktop project does not appear on Android.
• The desktop-started thread does not appear on Android.
• Repeating this does not make the new project visible.

Expected result:

• New projects available to the connected Windows Codex host should appear in the Android Remote project selector.
• Threads started inside those projects on Windows should be discoverable from Android Remote.

Asymmetric thread sync observed historically

Before the new trust-gate behavior described below:

• Android -> Windows: starting a normal Codex thread from Android Remote would create/show that thread on the Windows host.
• Windows -> Android: starting a thread/project on Windows after the original project would not make it appear on Android.

This asymmetry is important because it indicates that Remote connectivity itself was working while desktop-to-mobile project/thread discovery was failing.

New behavior on 2026-08-29: Android-started thread hits project trust

When attempting to start a normal new Codex thread from Android Remote, the mobile client now returns a project-trust error instead of starting normally.

The error says, in substance, that the project has not been trusted yet and must first be trusted from the Codex app on the computer, or the thread must use read-only access.

The generated Windows path shown by the error was:

C:\Users\<user>\Documents\Codex\2026-08-29\yo-3

The username is redacted here.

This is new compared with the user's previous Android-started-thread flow.

Possible workaround being tested:

1. Set the mobile thread to Read only before starting it.
2. Start the thread.
3. Change/elevate the access setting afterward.

This workaround is not yet confirmed as reliable or persistent.

Expected behavior

For a paired Windows host and Android Remote client:

1. Saved/available projects on the Windows host should be discoverable from Android Remote, not only an older/original project.
2. A thread started on Windows inside an eligible project should become visible on Android Remote.
3. A thread started from Android Remote should continue to create/show on the Windows host as before.
4. If a new Remote-created working directory requires trust, the product should either:
   • allow the trust decision to be completed remotely when safe/appropriate, or
   • clearly distinguish this from the normal thread/project flow and avoid silently creating a new untrusted project directory that blocks the thread.
5. Cross-device thread/project visibility should be symmetric and predictable.

Actual behavior

• Original/older project: visible on both Windows and Android.
• Later desktop-created project: visible on Windows, missing on Android.
• Thread started inside that later desktop project: visible on Windows, missing on Android.
• Historically, Android-started threads appeared on Windows.
• Now Android-started thread creation can instead hit a project-trust gate for an auto-generated local Codex directory.

Why this does not look like a basic pairing failure

The original project remains available on both devices, and Android-started threads historically reached the Windows host. The failure appears to be tied to how newer projects/threads are registered, listed, trusted, or synchronized for Remote.

Possibly related issues

• #36040 — iOS Remote only lists projects with recent chats. This report is different because the missing project was newly created and had a newly started thread, so it should already qualify as recent.
• #39815 / #39856 — Windows + Android Remote listing/connection problems. In this case, the host is reachable and at least the original project is visible, so the failure appears narrower.
• #22800 — Android-started thread visibility/persistence asymmetry. This report instead includes desktop-created projects/threads missing from Android plus the new project-trust gate.

Additional information

A screenshot of the new project-trust error is available and shows the generated Documents\Codex\2026-08-29\yo-3 path and the suggestion to trust the project on the desktop or use read-only access.

The user can provide the exact Windows Codex desktop version, screenshot, and further reproduction details if maintainers need them.

Start with the Windows Codex desktop app and ChatGPT Android Codex Remote using the later-project reproduction steps, comparing project visibility and thread creation with the known-good original project. Capture the Windows desktop build and the project-trust error for the generated Documents\Codex\2026-08-29\yo-3 path. Done means eligible projects and threads are discoverable in both directions and the trust behavior is consistent.