Linux 26.901.20858: “New chat” creates a local-only conversation while branching creates a cloud Chat; Chat/Work selector appears missing

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.901.20858 Installed package: Package: chatgpt Architecture: amd64 Maintainer: OpenAI support@openai.com Homepage: https://developers.openai.com/codex/app

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Linux Mint 22.3 (Zena) Cinnamon desktop X11 session Ubuntu Noble-based amd64 Kernel: Linux WattEver 7.0.0-30-generic #30~24.04.1-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Fri Aug 7 13:27:52 UTC 2026 x86_64

What issue are you seeing?

New conversations created through the “New chat” button in the Linux ChatGPT desktop app are being created as local-only conversations instead of normal account-backed cloud chats.

I am explicitly in the ChatGPT surface, not Codex, using the selector in the upper-left.

The issue is asymmetric:

• Existing cloud Chat conversations created on ChatGPT web or another computer appear correctly in the Linux desktop app.
• I can open those cloud conversations on Linux, continue them, and the new messages sync back to other devices.
• If I branch an existing cloud conversation from the Linux app, the new branch is also cloud-backed and offers “Open on chatgpt.com”.
• However, if I click “New chat” in the Linux app and start a new conversation, that conversation is local-only and does not appear on ChatGPT web or my other computer.

The screen shown immediately after clicking “New chat” also appears to be a Work-style composer rather than a normal Chat composer. It displays:

“What should we work on in [project]?”
“Select your project”
“Ask for approval”

I do not see the documented Chat / Work selector.

Selecting “Don’t work in a project” does not change the behavior.

This suggests that the Linux app’s “New chat” action may be routing to a local Work conversation instead of a normal cloud Chat conversation.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Launch ChatGPT desktop on Linux.
2. Open the selector in the upper-left.
3. Confirm “ChatGPT” is selected rather than Codex.
4. Click “New chat”.
5. Observe that the new screen displays Work-style controls such as:
   • “What should we work on in [project]?”
   • “Select your project”
   • “Ask for approval”
6. Send a normal conversational message.
7. The resulting conversation appears in Recents as a local-only conversation.
8. Open ChatGPT web or another computer using the same OpenAI account.
9. The conversation created through “New chat” is absent.

Control tests:

A. Create a Chat conversation on ChatGPT web / another computer.
Result: It appears on Linux and can be continued from Linux with successful sync.

B. From Linux, branch an existing cloud Chat conversation.
Result: The new branch is cloud-backed and includes “Open on chatgpt.com”.

C. From Linux, click “New chat”.
Result: The new conversation is local-only and is unavailable on ChatGPT web.

D. Select “Don’t work in a project” before creating a conversation.
Result: The conversation still does not become a normal cloud-backed Chat.

This makes the bug appear specific to the New chat routing/composer state rather than general synchronization, authentication, or network connectivity.

What is the expected behavior?

When ChatGPT is selected and I click “New chat”, the application should create a normal account-backed Chat conversation that is stored in my ChatGPT account and synchronizes across devices.

The Linux desktop app should expose the expected Chat / Work choice, or otherwise ensure that “New chat” from the ChatGPT surface opens a normal cloud Chat rather than a local-only Work conversation.

Additional information

Additional environment information:

OS:
Linux Mint 22.3 “Zena”
ID_LIKE="ubuntu debian"
UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble

Desktop/session:
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=X-Cinnamon
XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11

Package:
chatgpt 26.901.20858 amd64
Maintainer: OpenAI support@openai.com

Important diagnostic:
The Linux client is demonstrably capable of creating a new cloud conversation, because branching an existing cloud Chat from Linux creates a cloud-backed branch that offers “Open on chatgpt.com”.

Therefore this does not appear to be a general inability for the Linux client to create or synchronize server-side conversations.

I also have several conversations that were unintentionally created locally before I noticed the issue. I have not reset, cleared, or reinstalled the app because I do not want to risk losing those local-only conversations.

If possible, I would also like to know whether there is a supported way to migrate or upload those existing local conversations into normal account-backed Chat history.

Screenshots available:

1. ChatGPT/Codex selector showing ChatGPT selected.
2. The screen immediately after clicking New chat, showing the Work-style composer.
3. Sidebar showing cloud-backed and local-only conversations.
4. A Linux-created branched conversation whose context menu contains “Open on chatgpt.com”.

Start by reproducing the New chat flow in the Linux desktop app with ChatGPT selected, then compare it with branching an existing cloud conversation and creating one on the web. Trace the New chat entry point, the Chat/Work selector state, and the local-versus-cloud conversation path; done means a new ChatGPT conversation syncs to the account and appears on chatgpt.com without affecting existing local conversations.