Codex chat font size visually resets after unrelated settings.json changes

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

• #15417
• #14738

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Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate. Codex chat font size is too small in the VS Code extension #15417 Support changing font family in IDE Extension #14738 _Powered by Codex Action_

I'm not sure if I should add a reply to this to ensure this issue is at least being triaged, but I will just in case:

It is not a duplicate of those issues. The font-reset problem wasn't reported before.

Any chance we see any reaction here, please?

Workaround

Since OpenAI doesn't pay any attention to this severe accessibility issue, users have to figure out workarounds themselves. Here's one to mitigate this at least partially:

First, install the extension that allows adding keybindings for arbitrary VSCode settings:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=robertohuertasm.vscode-settings-keybindings

Then add this to your keybindings.json (replace 16 to the font size you need, and ctrl+shift+alt+f12 with any hotkey you like):

  // CODEX fontSize ISSUE WORKAROUND (https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/16117)
  {
    "key": "ctrl+alt+shift+f12",
    "command": "runCommands",
    "args": {
      "commands": [
        {
          "command": "vscode-settings-keybindings.setSetting",
          "args": {
            "key": "chat.fontSize",
            "value": 14,
          },
        },
        {
          "command": "vscode-settings-keybindings.setSetting",
          "args": {
            "key": "chat.editor.fontSize",
            "value": 14,
          },
        },
        {
          "command": "vscode-settings-keybindings.setSetting",
          "args": {
            "key": "chat.fontSize",
            "value": 16,
          },
        },
        {
          "command": "vscode-settings-keybindings.setSetting",
          "args": {
            "key": "chat.editor.fontSize",
            "value": 16,
          },
        },
      ],
    },
  },

Then, whenever the chat size unexpectedly resets due to the bug described in this issue, just press the shortcut you added, and the chat size is back to the desired one again without reloading the chat webview.

+1 same here

@Fona1347 you can hit 👍 on the issue text - that sometimes matters if maintainers sort issues by it

I was able to reproduce the theme-change variant of this issue and validate an automated workaround using only the public VS Code Extension API.

What I observed

• After changing the VS Code color theme, the saved chat.fontSize value remains unchanged, but Codex can render the chat text at a smaller visual size.
• Updating chat.fontSize through WorkspaceConfiguration.update(), briefly changing it by 1 px, and then restoring the exact original value makes Codex reapply the correct size.
• This suggests the normal chat.fontSize configuration-change path refreshes the rendered font correctly, while the theme/webview redraw path does not always reapply the current value.
• The workaround does not modify Codex files, inject CSS/JavaScript, access the webview DOM, or use private APIs.

I packaged the tested workaround as a small open-source extension:

• Repository: https://github.com/wwk990630/codex-font-keeper
• v0.1.0 release: https://github.com/wwk990630/codex-font-keeper/releases/tag/v0.1.0

Extension behavior

• Installation, activation, and window reload do not change the user's font size or apply a default value.
• It runs only after an actual VS Code color-theme change, or when the user explicitly runs Codex Font Keeper: Refresh Font.
• By default it waits 300 ms for the theme redraw, temporarily changes the current effective font size by 1 px for 100 ms, and then restores the exact original value and configuration scope.
• Rapid theme changes are debounced, and concurrent refreshes are guarded.

This is a community workaround rather than an internal Codex fix.

Possible upstream fix

After the Codex chat/webview is re-themed or reinitialized, re-read and reapply the current chat.fontSize (and, if applicable, chat.editor.fontSize) after the theme styles/variables have been applied. Another option would be to invoke the same font-refresh path used for a chat.fontSize configuration-change event after a theme change.

That should avoid requiring a synthetic configuration toggle and may also address the broader settings-change cases reported in this issue.