Codex Desktop: add an Issues view alongside Pull Requests

What variant of Codex are you using?

Codex Desktop App

What feature would you like to see?

Codex Desktop already has a first-class Pull Requests view. I would like GitHub Issues to be exposed as a peer surface in the app as well.

The basic idea is simple:

Local / Projects
Issues
Pull Requests

Selecting Issues would show issues for the currently selected repository, with an issue detail view and a direct path into implementation.

Why this would be useful

For many repository workflows, the Issue is the actual starting point of development work, while the PR is the result.

Today, a common flow is:

1. Open GitHub in a browser.
2. Find and read an Issue.
3. Switch back to Codex Desktop.
4. Open the matching local project.
5. Ask Codex to investigate or implement the Issue.
6. Later create and review the PR in Codex.

Since Codex Desktop already treats Pull Requests as a first-class GitHub surface, it would be natural to support the other half of that workflow in the same app.

Suggested MVP

An Issues view could initially support:

• List open issues for the selected repository.
• Search/filter issues by text, label, assignee, milestone, and state.
• Show issue number, title, labels, assignee, author, and updated time.
• Open an issue detail view with the body and comments.
• Open the issue on GitHub.
• Start a Codex task from the issue in the selected local project/workspace.

For the Start work action, Codex could seed the new task with the issue URL, title, body, and relevant metadata, while keeping the local repository as the implementation context.

Useful follow-up capabilities

Once the basic Issues view exists, it could also support:

• Show issues assigned to me / authored by me / mentioning me.
• Show all open issues for the selected repository.
• Create a branch or managed worktree from an issue.
• Keep the issue associated with the resulting Codex task.
• Suggest Closes #123 when creating the eventual PR.
• Surface linked PRs and implementation status from the issue detail view.
• Add or edit issue comments when the connected GitHub permissions allow it.
• Reopen/close issues when appropriate.

Expected UX

A repository workflow could become:

Issue
  -> inspect in Codex
  -> Start work
  -> local/worktree task
  -> implementation + tests
  -> create PR
  -> review PR
  -> merge / close issue

This would make Codex Desktop a more complete repository work surface instead of requiring GitHub browser context for the planning/intake side of development.

Related issues

• #28182 — requests GitHub repo/issue/PR onboarding through codex://new?originUrl=..., including preserving Issue context when starting Codex work. That is complementary to this request. This issue is specifically about a persistent, native Issues view inside Codex Desktop, analogous to the existing Pull Requests view.
• #45114 — requests an All open scope for the existing Pull Requests tab. A repository-scoped Issues view would fit the same general GitHub navigation model.

Acceptance criteria

• Codex Desktop exposes a first-class Issues entry alongside Pull Requests.
• The Issues view can list and filter repository issues.
• Selecting an issue opens its details without leaving Codex.
• The issue body and comments are readable in the app.
• A user can start a new Codex task from the selected issue in the corresponding local project/workspace.
• The new task retains a durable link to the originating issue.
• The feature does not require manually copying issue text or switching to a browser for ordinary issue intake.

No implementation files, tests, or entry points are identified in the issue. Start by locating the existing Pull Requests view in Codex Desktop and tracing how it loads repository data and starts tasks. Done means adding the Issues surface, issue listing and details, filtering, and a durable Start work link to the selected issue.