[Windows][Android Remote] Project picker stays stale because reconnect does not refresh project/list

Summary

ChatGPT Android Remote keeps showing an old project snapshot for a connected Windows Codex host. Newly created or renamed local projects do not appear, while deleted projects can remain visible. Restarting, reconnecting, updating, and re-pairing do not refresh the project picker.

This report focuses on the host-side request pattern: after Remote reconnect/re-pair, the host receives thread-list and pairing requests but no new project/list request.

Environment

• Host: Windows 11 x64
• Desktop app: ChatGPT/Codex Desktop 26.903.9818.0
• Client: ChatGPT Android app, Remote
• Same ChatGPT account and workspace on both devices
• Host remains online and Remote control is connected
• Observed: September 11, 2026
• Exact Android app build was not captured

Steps to reproduce

1. On the Windows desktop app, create or rename a saved local project, or remove an existing project.
2. Connect ChatGPT Android Remote to the Windows host.
3. On Android, select the host and open New task so the project picker is shown.
4. Compare the project picker with the current project list on the Windows desktop.
5. Restart the desktop app and Android app, toggle Remote access, reconnect, and re-pair the device.
6. Open the Remote project picker again.

Expected behavior

The Remote project picker should reflect the host's current saved project registry after a new Remote session, reconnect, or explicit entry into the project picker.

Actual behavior

The Android project list remains a historical snapshot:

• newly created or renamed projects are missing;
• deleted projects may remain visible;
• the Remote connection itself works;
• recent host threads can still be listed or resumed.

Host-side evidence

The Windows desktop's local project inventory is current and contains the expected projects.

In the host app-server logs:

• the latest real project/list request was recorded at 2026-09-09 12:19:54 (UTC+08:00);
• after the later Remote reconnect/re-pair attempts, the host received remoteControl/client/list, remoteControl/pairing/start, remoteControl/client/revoke, and thread/list requests;
• no subsequent project/list request was recorded.

This suggests that the Android Remote project picker is not invalidating or refreshing its project snapshot. It does not look like local project data loss or a failed pairing.

No credentials, account identifiers, private project names, filesystem paths, or raw logs are attached.

Related issues

• #42063 — Android Remote direct entry stays on settings screen and does not show desktop projects
• #42919 — Android Remote project list differs from Desktop: stale folders remain and a saved project is missing

This report adds a Windows reproduction with current desktop version information and the post-reconnect absence of project/list in the host request log.

Start by tracing the Android Remote project picker and reconnect flow around the host requests named in the report: project/list, remoteControl/client/list, remoteControl/pairing/start, and thread/list. Compare the request sequence after reconnect or entering New task with the expected project/list refresh, using the Windows host app-server logs as evidence. Done means the picker reflects newly created, renamed, and deleted projects after a new session or reconnect.