VS Code extension does not request attention when approval is required

What version of the IDE extension are you using?

openai.chatgpt 26.623.81905

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

Which IDE are you using?

VS Code

What platform is your computer?

_No response_

What issue are you seeing?

I’m using the Codex VS Code extension on Windows.

When Codex is waiting for an approval prompt such as “Allow” / “Reject”, there is no obvious notification if VS Code is not focused.

The VS Code taskbar icon does not flash or request attention, and I do not receive a clear notification that Codex is blocked waiting for my input. As a result, when I switch to another window or browser tab, I often do not notice that Codex is waiting for approval, so the task stalls silently until I manually return to VS Code and check the Codex panel.

This is especially noticeable during long-running Codex tasks where approval prompts may appear in the middle of the workflow.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Open VS Code on Windows.
2. Start a Codex task using the Codex IDE extension.
3. Trigger an action that requires user approval, such as a command execution or file operation that shows an “Allow” / “Reject” prompt.
4. Switch away from VS Code to another application, such as a browser.
5. Wait for Codex to reach the approval prompt.

Actual behavior:
VS Code does not clearly notify me that Codex is waiting for approval. The taskbar icon does not flash or request attention, so the Codex task appears to be silently stalled unless I manually check VS Code.

Expected behavior:
The extension should notify the user when approval is required.

What is the expected behavior?

When Codex requires user approval, the VS Code extension should clearly notify the user even if VS Code is not focused.

Possible expected behaviors:

• Show a VS Code or desktop notification when approval is required.
• Optionally play a sound.
• Request attention or flash the VS Code window/taskbar icon on Windows if possible.
• Make the Codex panel or VS Code window visibly indicate that user action is required.
• Optionally expose an approval-requested event to the notification hook.

The goal is to prevent Codex tasks from silently stalling while waiting for approval.

Additional information

This is not about the Codex App or CLI. I am seeing this specifically in the Codex VS Code IDE extension.

The issue is not that approvals are required. The issue is that when an approval is required, there is no reliable attention signal if the user is working in another window.