Add current project file tree with quick previews
Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Feb 11, 2026 by mig8447 Closed Apr 17, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (etraut-openai, contributor)
responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.
What variant of Codex are you using?
App
What feature would you like to see?
Opening the project in VSCode seems overkill when I only want to see one file, and terminal doesn't feel right to do that, although that's what I've been using
Idea is to add a File tree with quick previews of files, no editing, just preview. Perhaps in diff viewer there could also be a tab for project files to streamline UI and use the same file tree. You'd effectively have "unstaged", "staged", "current", where current will show the file where the diff preview would be
Additional information
_No response_
4 Comments
I would also really like to see a project file tree in the Codex App.
Being able to quickly browse the project structure helps a lot with understanding the architecture and navigating large repositories. It would also make it much easier to quickly open and review specific files without needing to switch to an IDE.
In many cases this is the only thing missing that prevents using Codex App as a full replacement for an IDE. Having a simple file tree with the ability to view file contents would make the workflow significantly more efficient.
Thanks for building such a powerful tool!
Hi! 👋
Just wanted to check if there are any updates on this feature?
For my workflow, having a lightweight project file tree with quick preview is extremely important. Right now, the need to constantly switch to Visual Studio Code (or use the terminal) significantly slows things down and breaks the flow when working inside the Codex App.
In many cases, this is the main missing piece that prevents using Codex App as a primary development environment. Even a minimal read-only file tree with preview would already provide huge value.
Would really appreciate any update or roadmap insight on this 🙏
Thanks again for the great work!
@DiamondNectar, we generally prioritize feature work based on community input (upvotes). This has received a few upvotes, but there are many features that are ahead of it in the queue.
Hi! 👋
Looks like my prayers have been heard — the preview feature is finally here 🎉
It already makes a huge difference in day-to-day workflow. Being able to quickly open and inspect files without jumping to an IDE is exactly what was missing before.
The only thing that still feels missing is a very lightweight inline edit capability. Even something minimal — like the ability to quickly fix a typo or change a single character — would go a long way. Right now, having to switch to VS Code for such tiny edits still breaks the flow a bit.
A simple “quick edit” mode on top of preview (even without full IDE features) would make this experience almost perfect.
Thanks a lot for the improvement — this is a big step forward! 🙌