Codex Desktop: thread reappears after restart, then disappears from project sidebar when clicked

Summary

After restarting Codex Desktop, previously missing threads reappear under a project in the left sidebar. However, clicking one of those threads causes it to disappear from the project thread list immediately.

This does not look like intentional filtering or actual data loss. It looks like a Desktop sidebar / thread indexing / rendering bug.

Environment

• Date observed: June 11, 2026
• Platform: macOS
• Codex Desktop version: unknown
• Bundled Codex CLI version: unknown
• Project type: local project-backed thread

Steps to reproduce

1. Open Codex Desktop.
2. Restart the app.
3. Observe that previously missing threads reappear in the left sidebar under a project.
4. Click one of the reappeared threads.
5. Observe that the clicked thread disappears from the project's thread list immediately after selection.

Expected behavior

• Clicking a thread should open/select it.
• The selected thread should remain visible in the project sidebar.
• Active unarchived local threads should remain discoverable from the Desktop UI.

Actual behavior

• Missing threads temporarily reappear after restart.
• Clicking one of those threads causes it to vanish from the project sidebar list.
• The behavior is repeatable.

What I already checked

• Sidebar filter / show options
• Chronological organization
• Archived threads / archived chats

These do not explain the behavior.

Why this looks like a real bug

This appears consistent with other Codex Desktop sidebar/session visibility issues where:

• threads still exist locally
• threads are not intentionally archived
• the Desktop sidebar/search visibility diverges from local thread state
• clicking or reloading can make affected threads disappear again

Impact

• I cannot reliably resume affected project threads from the left sidebar.
• The sidebar cannot be treated as a reliable source of truth for active conversations.
• Restarting the app only restores visibility temporarily.

Evidence I can provide

• Screen recording of:

1. restart
2. thread reappears
3. click thread
4. thread disappears

• App logs
• Affected thread IDs
• Local diagnostics if needed

Related issues

• #17317
• #17970
• #27159