›_ Codex Issues
Codex Issues / #11832

Direct thread switching with Cmd+1..9 in Codex desktop app

Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Feb 14, 2026 by qkrwpdlr Closed Mar 29, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

Problem

In the Codex desktop app, moving between threads currently relies on sequential navigation (Cmd+Shift+[ / Cmd+Shift+]) or search (Cmd+K).
For users who keep multiple active threads, this is slower than direct index-based switching.

Requested behavior

Add direct thread switching shortcuts:

  • Cmd+1 -> first thread
  • Cmd+2 -> second thread
  • ...
  • Cmd+9 -> ninth thread

Why this helps

  • Matches common tab-switching patterns in many desktop apps.
  • Reduces navigation friction for power users.
  • Improves keyboard-only workflow significantly.

Optional extensions

  • Allow customizing these bindings in Settings.
  • If Cmd+1..9 conflicts with existing behavior, provide an opt-in toggle.

Environment

  • Codex desktop app (macOS)
  • Date: 2026-02-14

View original on GitHub ↗

4 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 6 months ago

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

  • #10886

Powered by Codex Action

qkrwpdlr · 6 months ago

Thanks for the duplicate check.

I believe this is related but not a duplicate of #10886:

  • #10886 requests a tab-based UI layout.
  • This issue requests direct keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+1..9) for thread switching, regardless of whether tabs are implemented.

I’d like to keep this issue focused on keyboard navigation support.

qkrwpdlr · 6 months ago

To make this easier to evaluate/implement, here is a concrete proposed spec.

Proposed behavior

  1. Add direct thread switching shortcuts:
  • macOS: Cmd+1 ... Cmd+9
  • (Optional parity) Windows/Linux: Ctrl+1 ... Ctrl+9
  1. Selection target:
  • 1..9 maps to the Nth thread in the currently visible thread list order.
  • If N is out of range, do nothing (no error toast needed).
  1. Interaction details:
  • Works even when the composer/input is focused.
  • Keeps existing sequential shortcuts (Cmd+Shift+[ / Cmd+Shift+]) unchanged.
  • If the target thread is already active, no-op.
  1. Conflict handling:
  • If any platform-level/app-level conflict exists for Cmd/Ctrl+<number>, expose these bindings in shortcut settings so users can remap.
  1. Discoverability:
  • Show these commands in the shortcut reference / command palette as:
  • "Switch to thread 1" ... "Switch to thread 9"

Acceptance criteria

  • Pressing Cmd+3 activates the 3rd visible thread consistently.
  • Out-of-range shortcut (e.g., only 2 threads and Cmd+9) causes no state break.
  • Existing thread navigation shortcuts continue to work.
  • Thread switching via these shortcuts is keyboard-only (no pointer required).

Happy to provide additional edge-case scenarios if useful.

etraut-openai contributor · 5 months ago

This feature request hasn't received enough upvotes, so I'm closing it.