Feature request: Thread-level plugin/MCP profiles for scene-based workflows

What variant of Codex are you using?

App

What feature would you like to see?

Add support for selecting a plugin/MCP profile when creating a new thread in Codex Desktop.

Many users switch between different workflows throughout the day: coding, design, research, product planning, data analysis, etc. Each workflow needs a different set of plugins and MCP servers, but today enabled plugins are effectively global for every thread.

Example workflow profiles:

Coding
- GitHub
- Filesystem
- Terminal
- Database

Design
- Figma
- Superpowers
- Browser

Research
- Browser
- Notion
- Documentation

Today users have to choose between two awkward options:

• keep all plugins enabled, which adds unnecessary tools/context to threads that do not need them;
• manually enable/disable plugins before switching tasks.

This becomes cumbersome for users who frequently switch between different contexts.

A possible UX:

New Thread
Plugin Profile
○ Coding
  ✓ GitHub
  ✓ Filesystem
  ✓ Terminal
  ✓ Database
○ Design
  ✓ Figma
  ✓ Superpowers
  ✓ Browser
○ Research
  ✓ Browser
  ✓ Notion
  ✓ Documentation
○ Custom...

Another useful option would be allowing the active profile to be switched from the thread toolbar before the first model request, so the thread can still start with the right tool surface without changing global plugin settings.

Conceptually, a profile could be a named allowlist/denylist of plugins and MCP servers applied at thread creation time. This would not need to change how plugins work internally; it would only scope which plugin/MCP capabilities are visible and initialized for that thread.

Benefits:

• cleaner tool lists per workflow;
• reduced tool/context overhead;
• faster startup when unnecessary MCP servers are not initialized;
• better separation between coding, design, research, and planning threads;
• easier onboarding for teams that use different toolsets for different kinds of work.

Additional information

Related to #23083, but this request is specifically scoped to thread-level profile selection and the new-thread / before-first-request UX in Codex Desktop.

This feature would complement the existing MCP/plugin system without changing the plugin model itself. Profiles could simply specify which plugins or MCP servers are enabled for a particular thread.