Desktop app does not expose local stdio MCP server until cwd is set explicitly

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

26.309.31024 (962)

What subscription do you have?

Pro

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.3.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

A local stdio MCP server for Laravel Boost was not exposed inside the Codex app, even though the server itself was valid and startable.

The same setup worked after I added a project-local .codex/config.toml with:

• an explicit cwd
• an absolute PHP path

So this looks like a Codex app MCP config / workspace startup context issue rather than a Laravel Boost server failure.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Use a Laravel project with laravel/boost installed.
2. Configure Boost MCP in Codex with:

• command = php
• args = ["artisan", "boost:mcp"]

1. Open the project in the Codex app.
2. Observe that Boost tools are not exposed.
3. Add a project-local .codex/config.toml like this:

[mcp_servers.laravel-boost]
command = "/absolute/path/to/php"
args = ["artisan", "boost:mcp"]
cwd = "/absolute/path/to/project"
enabled = true

1. Restart the Codex app / reopen the project.
2. Observe that the Boost MCP tools are now exposed correctly.

What is the expected behavior?

If a valid local MCP server is configured for the project, Codex should expose it as a tool without requiring a manual workaround for cwd.

Actual behavior

Laravel Boost MCP was not available in the Codex app until I added a project-local .codex/config.toml with explicit cwd and an absolute PHP path.

Additional information

In my case, the missing cwd seemed to be the key part.

The server itself was not broken:

• php artisan boost:mcp starts cleanly
• the workaround makes the same MCP server work in the Codex app

This suggests the problem is likely in MCP config discovery, config precedence, or workspace launch context in the app.