VS Code extension stuck on Codex logo after SQLite migration error ("migration 1 was previously applied but has been modified")
What version of the IDE extension are you using?
Latest version available on VS Code Marketplace as of 2026-06-10. (Please let me know if you need the exact extension version and where to find it.)
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Plus
Which IDE are you using?
Visual Studio Code Insiders
What platform is your computer?
Windows 11 x64
What issue are you seeing?
The Codex VS Code extension never finishes loading and remains stuck showing the Codex logo in the center of the chat panel.
Looking at the extension logs, the Codex app-server fails during startup because of a SQLite migration error:
migration 1 was previously applied but has been modified
After this happens, the extension repeatedly reports that the Codex process is not available.
Background:
I originally encountered a migration issue in the Codex Desktop application (like one or 2 weeks ago).
To recover from it, I used the community repair tool:
https://github.com/xdifu/codex-repair
After applying the repair, Codex Desktop appears to work, but the VS Code extension is now unable to start.
I am not sure whether the extension is incompatible with the repaired database state, or whether the repair tool modified metadata that the VS Code extension expects.
If this state is unsupported, is there an official recovery procedure that allows restoring a clean Codex state without losing:
- existing chat sessions
- conversation history
- configuration/settings
What steps can reproduce the bug?
- Have an existing Codex installation with stored sessions.
- Encounter the SQLite migration error:
"migration 1 was previously applied but has been modified".
- Repair the state using the community tool:
https://github.com/xdifu/codex-repair
- Open VS Code.
- Open the Codex extension panel.
Result:
- The extension never loads.
- The Codex logo remains displayed indefinitely.
- The app-server exits immediately during startup.
What is the expected behavior?
One of the following:
- The extension successfully starts and loads existing sessions.
OR
- The extension detects the invalid migration state and provides a recovery workflow.
Ideally there should be an officially documented way to rebuild or repair the local Codex state while preserving:
- session history
- prompts
- settings
- authentication state
Currently the extension appears to fail silently from the user's perspective and remains stuck on the loading screen.
Additional information
Sanitized logs:
2026-06-10 11:10:59 [info] Activating Codex extension
2026-06-10 11:10:59 [info] Spawning codex app-server
2026-06-10 11:10:59 [error]
Error: failed to initialize sqlite state runtime under <USER_HOME>/.codex:
failed to initialize state runtime:
migration 1 was previously applied but has been modified
2026-06-10 11:10:59 [error]
Codex app-server process exited unexpectedly (exit code 1)
2026-06-10 11:10:59 [error]
Codex process is not available
2026-06-10 11:11:02 [warning]
Attempted to send app-server message but stdin is destroyed
2026-06-10 11:11:02 [error]
Codex process is not available
The same "Codex process is not available" error repeats continuously afterwards.
Is there an officially supported way to export, repair, or migrate the local .codex state database while preserving conversation history? If not, could such a recovery procedure be documented?