Images inside Codex conversations cannot be referenced or added back to chat

Open 💬 0 comments Opened Jun 3, 2026 by GGBondBlueWhale

Codex app version

Desktop Codex: 26.601.21317 — released Jun 2, 2026

Platform

macOS Tahoe 26.5.1
Apple Silicon MacBook Pro
Pro plan

Summary

Codex Desktop does not provide a reliable way to reference or reuse an image that already exists inside a Codex conversation.

When a previous Codex message contains an image/screenshot, I tried to select that image directly and also tried right-clicking the image. However, there is no available Add to chat action for the image. The context menu only exposes image-level actions such as copying the image, but it does not allow the user to attach that existing conversation image back into the current composer.

Observed behavior

A Codex conversation contains an existing image/screenshot.
The user clicks/selects the image or right-clicks it.
There is no Add to chat option.
The image cannot be independently referenced as context in a follow-up message.
The user must manually re-upload, re-screenshot, or externally copy the image instead of using the already existing image from the conversation.

Expected behavior

Codex should allow users to reuse images that already exist in the conversation. For example, when selecting or right-clicking a conversation image, Codex should provide an action such as:

Add to chat
Attach to current message
Reference this image
Use as context

The selected image should then be added to the composer as an attachment/context item for the next message.

Actual behavior

The existing conversation image cannot be added back to the chat. Even after selecting the image or opening the right-click/context menu, there is no Add to chat action.

Why this matters

Images and screenshots are often important task context in Codex workflows. Users may need to ask follow-up questions about a previous screenshot, compare it with a new screenshot, or ask Codex to re-check a specific image that was already shared earlier in the same conversation.

Without an Add to chat / reference action, the image becomes difficult to reuse. This interrupts the workflow and forces unnecessary re-uploading or external screenshot handling, even though the image is already present in the conversation.

Request

Please add a way to directly reference or attach images from an existing Codex conversation back into the current chat composer. The action should be available from image selection and/or the image context menu so users can easily reuse prior screenshots as follow-up context.

View original on GitHub ↗