Data loss: resumed-thread errors due missing rollout JSONL files (state still has threads, files gone)

Environment

• Date: 2026-05-05 (local timezone)
• Platform: Codex Desktop (local session data under C:\Users\[redacted]\\.codex)

What happened

Attempting to resume a thread failed with a missing rollout file error.

This was not an isolated thread: all historical thread payloads appear to be missing from disk while metadata rows remain.

Findings

• state_5.sqlite contains 91 rows in threads.
• session_index.jsonl contains 1 entry.
• Only 1 rollout-*.jsonl file exists in session storage.
• 90 other thread IDs in threads point to missing rollout_path files.
• The broken path reported in the failure is:
• C:\Users\[redacted]\.codex\sessions\2026\05\05\rollout-2026-05-05T21-23-50-<redacted>.jsonl

This appears to be a case where durable chat payloads were removed without corresponding metadata cleanup, causing previously available history to become unreachable.

Expected behavior

• Rollout files should not disappear silently while metadata remains.
• If files are missing, the system should provide recovery/repair guidance and avoid orphaning threads.

Severity

High (multiple days of user history become inaccessible).