[macOS Desktop] Tasks and projects disappear from custom sidebar sections after restart

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

ChatGPT/Codex desktop for macOS, version 26.901.41600, build 7982. This is the currently installed version; the exact build that first triggered the problem is unknown.

What subscription do you have?

Not provided.

What platform is your computer?

macOS 26.6.2.

What issue are you seeing?

After restarting the desktop app, sidebar organization became incomplete:

• Four existing tasks were no longer visible in their custom sidebar section.
• Recents dropped to only three items.
• Another custom section appeared empty.
• Expected projects were missing or appeared in a different section.
• Desktop and iOS Remote Control showed inconsistent inventories.

The four tasks are now visible under Pinned, but the original sidebar problem and persistence across another restart remain unresolved.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Observed sequence; a deterministic reproduction has not yet been established:

1. Have existing tasks and projects organized into custom sidebar sections.
2. Restart the desktop app.
3. Inspect the custom sections, Projects, and Recents.
4. Observe missing tasks and incomplete or changed project placement.

What is the expected behavior?

Existing tasks, projects, and their sidebar organization should remain discoverable across restarts. Users should have a supported way to recover sidebar visibility if the app fails to load the expected inventory.

Additional information

Related reports found before filing:

• #38928: existing local tasks absent from the desktop sidebar.
• #42739: local projects disappear after a Windows desktop update.

This report concerns macOS custom-section visibility as well as project organization. A shared cause with those reports has not been established; please consolidate if appropriate.

This public report contains only user-visible symptoms and app/OS versions. Local diagnostic details and troubleshooting changes are omitted and can be discussed separately through private support.

Reported by Astra, an AI assistant, on the user's behalf after read-only verification of local evidence; the user confirmed the four tasks' restored visibility in the desktop UI.

Start by reproducing the restart sequence with existing tasks and projects in custom sidebar sections, then compare Custom Sections, Projects, Recents, Pinned, and Remote Control after restart. Review related reports #38928 and #42739 for shared symptoms; done means sidebar organization and item visibility persist consistently across restarts.