add a desktop appearance setting for alternate pane layout

What variant of Codex are you using?

App

What feature would you like to see?

Please add an Appearance setting in Codex Desktop that lets users switch to an alternate workspace layout:

• File tree on the left.
• Changed Files and preview/diff panel immediately to the right of the file tree.
• Conversation history/sidebar on the far right.

The current default layout works, but it places conversation history on the left and code/navigation panels on the right. For some reading workflows, that makes the eye travel back and forth between project structure, changed files, and preview content, while the persistent history column competes with the primary reading path.

Additional information

Proposed behavior

Add an Appearance option such as:

Pane layout

• Default
• Code-first / right history

When Code-first / right history is selected, Codex Desktop should preserve the existing panels and behavior, but reorder them so the code navigation and review surfaces form the left-to-center reading path, with chat history on the right.

Motivation

This is mainly a visual reading and review ergonomics request.

When reviewing agent work, the file tree, changed files list, and preview/diff panel are usually the primary context. Keeping those surfaces adjacent makes scanning smoother:

• The file tree anchors project structure.
• Changed Files shows the current review scope.
• The preview/diff panel is the main reading surface.

Conversation history is still important, but it is less central during code review. Placing it on the right keeps it available without making it the first visual anchor.

Why an Appearance setting

This should be opt-in rather than replacing the current default. Layout preference is subjective, and existing users may rely on the current left-history layout.

An Appearance setting keeps the default stable while allowing users who prefer a code-first reading flow to switch.

Compatibility notes

• Existing default layout should remain unchanged.
• The setting should persist across restarts.
• If the window is too narrow, Codex can keep the current responsive/collapsed behavior and only apply the alternate order when the multi-pane layout is visible.
• Keyboard shortcuts and panel state should behave the same in both layouts.

Implementation note

I checked the public openai/codex repo and could not find the Codex Desktop frontend source. The repo appears to contain the CLI/TUI, App Server, SDKs, and desktop app launcher/install glue, while the actual Desktop UI client is not present. So this request likely needs to be implemented by the Codex Desktop client team rather than as a community PR against the current open-source repo.