Windows/Android Remote: active thread omitted until pinned; conversation link parsed as file ID

Environment

• Windows desktop package: OpenAI.Codex 26.915.4065.0 (observed in the running executable's package path; not read from About).
• Host OS: Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0, x64 package.
• Remote client: ChatGPT on Android. Mobile version and subscription not collected.
• Observed: 20 September 2026, Europe/London.

Confirmed symptoms

An active development conversation in a local project was visible on the Windows laptop but absent from the Android Remote project list. Two other conversations in the same project were visible.

From a separate conversation on the connected host:

1. list_threads(limit: 50) omitted the target. No unavailable hosts or sources were reported.
2. list_archived_threads did not contain it.
3. The local session index contained its ID and title.
4. read_thread by that exact ID succeeded and reported active / inProgress.
5. move_thread_to_sidebar_section with sectionId: "pinned" succeeded.
6. A subsequent list_threads included the target in pinnedThreads, still active and associated with the expected project.

Pinning restored visibility in the tool's listing. End-to-end visibility on the phone after pinning has not been confirmed. No history/database edits, restarts, or task interruptions were performed.

Additional link-routing failure

An assistant supplied a Markdown link to codex://threads/<existing-thread-id> as a workaround. Tapping it in Android Remote produced this screenshot-confirmed error (identifier redacted):

Invalid file_id, expected to start with 'file-' or 'file_': codex://threads/<thread-id>

The user says a link at the end of another project conversation failed the same way. Whether this URI scheme is officially supported on Android is unverified; the actionable symptom is that a conversation URI is treated as a file identifier instead of being handled or clearly marked unsupported.

User-reported recurrence and impact

The user reports similar remote visibility/synchronization problems in a second AI application project, as well as phone instructions not appearing on the laptop and laptop activity not appearing on the phone. These message-delivery cases were not independently reproduced; it is unknown whether delivery, rendering, indexing, or multiple issues are involved. The inconsistency makes it hard to steer ongoing work without missing or repeating instructions.

The user also reports confusing project/folder presentation across ChatGPT and Codex. Inspection showed distinct local and ChatGPT project records with similar names. This is context, not evidence that project files should automatically synchronize.

Expected behavior

An active, readable conversation should be discoverable under its connected host/project without requiring pinning. Remote should consistently display ongoing activity and submitted instructions, with clear delivery status. Conversation links should resolve appropriately or clearly indicate that the link type is unsupported.

Related reports and investigation scope

Related: #45577 and #43017 for missing desktop threads; #31407 for project-list inconsistencies. This report contributes the Windows 26.915 package observation, a verified read-versus-list discrepancy, the pinning/listing result, and the Android file-ID routing error. It does not establish a shared root cause.

Please investigate list/index eligibility for active threads and the Android conversation-link handler. Private project names, thread IDs, paths, raw transcripts, screenshots containing conversation content, and logs have been omitted.

Follow-up: intermittent ChatGPT project enumeration

Two consecutive successful list_projects calls during the same troubleshooting session, with no intervening project mutation, returned different inventories:

• First: only 3 local projects.
• Next: the same 3 local projects plus 16 ChatGPT projects (19 total).

A direct read_thread for an existing ChatGPT conversation also succeeded from the Codex session. The sidebar listing retained ChatGPT project references even when the first project enumeration omitted their records. This establishes inconsistent enumeration in this session; it does not establish the underlying cause or that the same cause explains all Android symptoms.

The earlier affected local task remained directly readable and active but was again absent from the returned task/pinned list. The earlier pin was no longer present in returned sidebar state; whether this reflects a user change, stale state, or a product defect is unknown. No conclusion about pin persistence is asserted.

Start by reproducing the list_threads/read_thread discrepancy described for an active unpinned conversation, then inspect the list/index eligibility path and the Android handling of codex://threads links. Compare behavior with related issues #45577, #43017, and #31407. Done means active readable threads appear without pinning and conversation links resolve or clearly report unsupported links.