VS Code Codex extension frequently fails to resume conversations with stale path on Windows
Open 💬 1 comment Opened May 13, 2026 by ytc-ova
Environment
- OS: Windows
- IDE: VS Code
- Codex extension: latest version
- Workspace path: C:\Users\zack\Documents\Project1
- Session directory: C:\Users\zack\.codex\sessions\2026\05\13\
Problem
When switching between Codex conversations in VS Code, resume often fails with a stale path error.
Example error:
cannot resume running thread 019e1ea4-8d87-7283-af06-3b68701929a9 with stale path: requested `C:\Users\zack\.codex\sessions\2026\05\13\rollout-2026-05-13T08-02-41-019e1ea4-8d87-7283-af06-3b68701929a9.jsonl`, active `\\?\C:\Users\zack\.codex\sessions\2026\05\13\rollout-2026-05-13T08-02-41-019e1ea4-8d87-7283-af06-3b68701929a9.jsonl`
The requested path uses a normal Windows path:
C:\Users\zack\.codex\sessions\...
The active path uses an extended Windows path:
\\?\C:\Users\zack\.codex\sessions\...
Both paths point to the same .jsonl session file.
Steps to reproduce
- Open a workspace in VS Code on Windows.
- Open the Codex extension.
- Use multiple Codex conversations in the same workspace.
- Switch back and forth between conversations.
- Sometimes Codex fails to resume the selected conversation.
Expected behavior
Codex should recognize that C:\... and \\?\C:\... refer to the same Windows path and resume the conversation normally.
Actual behavior
Codex reports a stale path error and refuses to resume the conversation.
Notes
- The project folder was not moved or renamed.
- The Codex extension is already updated to the latest version.
- The session
.jsonlfile still exists on disk. - This happens frequently when switching between conversations inside VS Code.
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