Codex desktop: Markdown preview renders \[...\] but not $$...$$ display math
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Description
What version of the Codex App are you using?
26.901.41600, build 7982 (read from the installed app's version metadata).
What platform is your computer?
macOS 27.0, arm64.
What issue are you seeing?
The Codex desktop Markdown file preview renders display equations enclosed in \[ ... \], but not $$ ... $$. This is inconsistent delimiter handling: the file preview can render math, but the double-dollar syntax that works in chat fails in the preview.
The observed behavior across the interfaces I use is:
| Display-math delimiter | Chat | Phone chat | Markdown file opened in Codex desktop |
|---|---|---|---|
$$ ... $$ |
Renders | Renders | Does not render |
\[ ... \] |
Works inconsistently | Does not render | Renders |
The primary issue is the desktop Markdown file preview's handling of double-dollar display math. The phone client/version is not specified here.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Use this minimal delimiter comparison in a .md file:
# Display-math delimiter comparison
Double-dollar delimiters:
$$
x^2 + y^2 = z^2
$$
Bracket delimiters:
\[
x^2 + y^2 = z^2
\]
- Open the file in Codex desktop's rendered Markdown preview.
- Compare the double-dollar and bracket-delimited equations.
- Compare the double-dollar block with the same Markdown rendered as a chat response.
Related: #23402 concerns single-dollar inline math. This report concerns double-dollar display math in the desktop Markdown file preview, with \[ ... \] as the working comparison.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
No source file or test is named. Start by reproducing the minimal delimiter comparison in a .md file using Codex desktop's rendered Markdown preview, then compare it with chat rendering. Done means $$...$$ display math renders in the desktop preview consistently with chat, while the existing bracket-delimited behavior remains understood.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- markdown
- Domain
- desktop
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 57/100