Local Codex projects disappear in Codex view but appear under ChatGPT

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

Powered by Codex & OWL Version 26.908.70816

What subscription do you have?

Pro Light (5x)

What platform is your computer?

Windows 11 x64

What issue are you seeing?

In the unified ChatGPT / Codex desktop app, my existing local Codex projects are no longer visible when I switch to the Codex product view.

Unexpectedly, those same local Codex projects are visible in the sidebar when I select ChatGPT.

More specifically:

• ChatGPT selected: my existing local Codex projects and their conversations are visible under the Projects section.
• Codex selected: those local Codex projects disappear completely from the sidebar.

The Codex view itself loads normally and shows Codex-specific navigation such as New chat, Projects, Pull Requests, Scheduled, Plugins, and Explore, but none of my previously registered local projects are listed.

The project folders still exist on disk. The problem appears to be with project/sidebar state or project visibility in the desktop app rather than the underlying folders being deleted.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Open the unified ChatGPT / Codex desktop app on Windows.
2. Select ChatGPT from the top-left product selector.
3. Check the sidebar.
4. Existing local Codex projects are visible under the Projects section.
5. Switch the top-left product selector to Codex.
6. Check the sidebar again.
7. The previously visible local Codex projects are completely missing.

This is consistently reproducible when switching between ChatGPT and Codex.

What is the expected behavior?

Existing local Codex projects should remain visible in the Codex product view.

If local Codex projects are intentionally shared with ChatGPT or Work, it is fine for them to also appear there, but they should not disappear from Codex itself.

Switching between ChatGPT and Codex should not change whether previously registered local Codex projects are available in the sidebar.

Additional information

I checked the existing open issues before filing this report.

There are related reports about project visibility and the unified ChatGPT / Work / Codex sidebar, including:

• #35367 — ChatGPT and local/Codex projects are difficult to distinguish
• #35749 — Local Codex projects can appear in ChatGPT Work
• #39121 — Historical local projects disappear from the Codex Projects section
• #31845 — Projects missing after upgrading to the unified ChatGPT app

However, I could not find an issue describing this exact state:

Local Codex projects are visible when ChatGPT is selected, but disappear completely when Codex itself is selected.

I have attached screenshots showing both states:

1. ChatGPT selected — existing local Codex projects are visible.
2. Codex selected — the same projects are completely missing.

Reproduce the issue in the Codex desktop app on Windows 11 using version 26.908.70816, switching between ChatGPT and Codex while comparing the Projects sidebar. No files or tests are named, so trace the project/sidebar visibility state from that product selector flow. Done means existing local Codex projects remain visible after switching to Codex.