Codex Desktop: Sources / Artifacts popover opens unexpectedly and gets stuck active
Summary
In Codex Desktop, the Sources / Artifacts popover near the top-right area can open or become active without an explicit user click. It can then remain stuck, block the UI, and often requires clicking the Sources / Artifacts icon again to dismiss.
Environment
- App: Codex Desktop
- Platform: macOS
- Locale: Korean / ko-KR
- Area affected: top-right Sources / Artifacts icon and popover in the thread view
What happened
During normal use of Codex Desktop, the Sources / Artifacts popover appears even when I did not intentionally click the icon.
It can happen while switching tabs, changing focus between windows, or otherwise using the app normally. Once the popover appears, it can stay open and block interaction with the thread UI. Clicking elsewhere does not always dismiss it. In many cases, the only reliable way to close it is to click the Sources / Artifacts icon again.
The popover includes sections such as:
- Output / Artifacts
- "No artifacts yet"
- Sources
This is disruptive because it behaves like a modal/blocking overlay even though the user did not request it.
Expected behavior
The Sources / Artifacts popover should only open when the user explicitly clicks the Sources / Artifacts icon.
It should not open automatically during normal mouse movement, tab switching, focus changes, or window switching.
When the popover is open, it should dismiss reliably when:
- clicking outside the popover
- pressing Escape
- switching focus away and back
- interacting with another part of the Codex UI
The popover should not block unrelated buttons or interactions in the app.
Actual behavior
The Sources / Artifacts popover appears unexpectedly without a deliberate click.
It can remain stuck open and may block UI interaction.
Sometimes the only reliable way to close it is to click the Sources / Artifacts icon again.
Why this is a problem
This makes the Codex Desktop app feel unstable during normal work. It interrupts typing, tab switching, scrolling, and interaction with the main thread. The user has to repeatedly dismiss a panel they did not intentionally open.
This is especially frustrating in longer sessions where the cursor frequently moves near the top-right area or when switching between tabs/windows.
Steps to reproduce
The exact trigger is intermittent, but the issue happens during normal app usage:
- Open Codex Desktop.
- Open a thread.
- Move the mouse or switch focus/tabs/windows while working in the thread.
- Observe that the Sources / Artifacts popover may appear without an intentional click.
- Try clicking elsewhere or continuing to interact with the UI.
- Observe that the popover may remain active, block interaction, or require clicking the Sources / Artifacts icon again to close.
Suggested fixes
Any of these would improve the issue:
- Add a setting to disable Sources / Artifacts hover popovers.
- Make the popover open only on explicit click, not hover/focus changes.
- Ensure Escape always dismisses the popover.
- Ensure clicking outside always dismisses the popover.
- Make the popover non-blocking so it does not intercept clicks meant for the rest of the app.
- Prevent the popover from reappearing automatically after it has been dismissed.
Related issues
This appears related to existing Codex Desktop UI issues:
This issue has 1 comment on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗