Codex Desktop: clicking a file reference opens the right-side code pane but does not jump to the referenced line
Resolved 💬 8 comments Opened Apr 12, 2026 by chenyukang Closed May 1, 2026
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
Codex 26.409.20454
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Pro
What platform is your computer?
Darwin 25.3.0 arm64 arm
What issue are you seeing?
I noticed an inconsistency in Codex Desktop when opening code references from the response.
When I click a code/file reference normally, Codex opens the file in the built-in right-side code pane, but it does not automatically jump to the referenced line number. It seems always open at the beginning of the file.
However, if I right-click the same reference and choose Open in VSCode, VS Code opens the file and correctly jumps to the target line.
This suggests the reference itself contains valid location information, but the built-in right-side preview/editor path is not applying that location when opening the file.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
- Ask Codex to reference a specific file location in its response, for example a path with a line number such as foo.rs:123 or a clickable file link with a line suffix.
- Click the reference normally so it opens in the built-in right-side code pane.
- Observe that the file opens, but the view stays at the default position instead of jumping to the referenced line.
What is the expected behavior?
- When opening a file in the built-in right-side code pane, Codex Desktop should automatically reveal the referenced line.
- Ideally, the target line should also be temporarily highlighted so it is easy to locate visually.
Additional information
_No response_
8 Comments
shouldn't it open files in the
Default open destination? that was the case with me till I updated it to Codex 26.409.20454 then it started opening the files in the side panel with the same behavior you are describingPrevious versions would, by default, invoke an external IDE—such as IntelliJ IDEA—to open code files and navigate directly to a specified line. However, the current version (26.409.20454) now requires users to right-click within Codex and manually select "Open in IntelliJ IDEA," which is quite cumbersome. Hope that add a configuration option that allows users to select their preferred default method for opening files.
same on macOS + VSCode + after update
_ps: file viewer in Codex is great idea!_
the same with Zed and Sublime as well
It's a good idea overall for those who like to work fullscreen , but it would be nice to have it optional. The way it is right now is just annoying, I have to do extra right click to open a line of code I need to check
This seems like a performance tradeoff?
I tested it. It could work for a small file, would fail for large file.
I think this can be solved in some way.
Also, now work on small files, but for example file.php (line 1071) just open file at start
the same to me, there are some updates during these days but the issue is not be resolved.
This issue is fixed by latest version! Thanks for the team.