Codex Desktop should support closing current thread without archiving it

Open 💬 1 comment Opened May 26, 2026 by alibrohde

Codex Desktop currently has Command+Shift+A on macOS to archive the current thread, but I cannot find a keyboard shortcut for simply closing or dismissing the current active thread from the sidebar and returning to New Chat without archiving or deleting it.

Expected behavior:

  • Command+W should close/dismiss the current thread view and return to New Chat, without archiving the thread.
  • The thread should remain available in the normal recent/project chat list.
  • Archive should remain a separate action, e.g. Command+Shift+A, because archiving changes the thread’s visibility/state.
  • The action should be visible in the keyboard shortcuts view and searchable from the command palette.

Why this matters:

  • Other agent UIs support this distinction. For example, Claude Code on macOS lets me close the current session view with Command+W without archiving it.
  • In Codex, the only keyboard action I found after searching was archive, which is too heavy for “I’m done looking at this thread for now.”
  • The current UI makes sidebar threads feel like browser tabs, but without the basic browser-tab close behavior.

Related but distinct:

  • #24413 covers accidental immediate archive via shortcut. This request is for a non-archiving close/dismiss action.

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