Review pane stuck on "Loading diff" on Windows due to invalid git diff path (/D:/...)

Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Apr 15, 2026 by new-work-bili Closed Apr 15, 2026

Summary

On Windows, the right-side Review pane in Codex Desktop stays stuck on Loading diff for a repo with local changes.

The repository itself is healthy. Normal git commands work, and the issue appears to be specific to how Codex Desktop invokes per-file git diff.

Environment

  • OS: Windows 10 Pro, build 19045
  • Git: 2.52.0.windows.1
  • Codex Desktop: Windows Store package OpenAI.Codex_2p2nqsd0c76g0

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open a git repo on Windows in Codex Desktop.
  2. Modify one or more files.
  3. Open the right-side Review pane.
  4. The pane keeps showing Loading diff and does not render file diffs.

What I Already Tried

  • Hard refresh / reload
  • Switching between Summary and Review
  • Reopening Codex Desktop
  • Reopening the repo

The issue still reproduces.

Expected Result

The Review pane should render per-file diffs normally.

Actual Result

The Review pane remains stuck on Loading diff.

Key Evidence

Codex Desktop appears to invoke commands like this:

git diff --no-ext-diff --no-textconv --color=never --src-prefix=a/ --dst-prefix=b/ -- /D:/<repo>/src/client/styles/global.css


This fails with:

fatal: Invalid path '/D:': No such file or directory
The same diff works immediately when using a repo-relative path:

git diff --no-ext-diff --no-textconv --color=never --src-prefix=a/ --dst-prefix=b/ -- src/client/styles/global.css
Relevant Log Excerpt
... diff --no-ext-diff --no-textconv --color=never --src-prefix=a/ --dst-prefix=b/ -- /D:/<repo>/src/client/styles/global.css ... cwd=D:/<repo> ... exitCode=128 failureReason=command_failed
Another example:

... diff --no-ext-diff --no-textconv --color=never --src-prefix=a/ --dst-prefix=b/ -- /D:/<repo>/src/client/views/ServiceDetailView.vue ... cwd=D:/<repo> ... exitCode=128 failureReason=command_failed
Why This Looks App-Side
git status works
git diff --stat works
git diff -- <repo-relative-file> works
Only the Codex Desktop form using /D:/... fails
Suspected Root Cause
Codex Desktop seems to be constructing Windows git diff pathspecs incorrectly by prefixing the absolute drive path with /, producing /D:/... instead of a valid repo-relative path or a properly handled Windows path.

Impact
The Review pane is effectively unusable on Windows for changed files, even though the repository and git are otherwise fine.

I can provide additional logs privately if needed.


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