Project directory physically disappeared after Codex extension update and VSCode restart
Summary
I have experienced the same issue two or three times, and every occurrence happened immediately after updating the Codex extension in VSCode.
After the extension update and the required VSCode restart, my project directory physically disappeared from disk.
This was not just a VSCode workspace issue. The actual directory was removed from the filesystem, including the local Git repository.
Because this has happened multiple times, I wanted to report it for investigation.
The most recent occurrence happened after updating to:
- Codex Extension 26.623.141536
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Environment
Operating System
- macOS Sequoia 15.7.3
VSCode
Version: 1.128.0
Commit: fc3def6774c76082adf699d366f31a557ce5573f
Electron: 42.5.0
Chromium: 148.0.7778.271
Node.js: 24.17.0
OS: Darwin x64 24.6.0
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Project setup
I develop WordPress plugins using LocalWP.
My project directory is the plugin source directory, which is symlinked into the LocalWP WordPress installation.
Everything works normally before the extension update.
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What happened
- I updated the Codex extension.
- VSCode restarted.
- Immediately afterward, LocalWP displayed an error page because the plugin could no longer be accessed.
- I opened the plugin directory and discovered that the project folder no longer existed.
- VSCode still displayed the folder name in the Explorer, but it contained no files.
- I verified in Finder that the directory had been removed.
- I checked the Trash and hidden files, but the directory was not there.
The project directory had physically disappeared from disk.
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Git repository
The project was a normal Git repository.
Since the directory disappeared, the local .git directory disappeared as well.
The first time this happened, my backup did not include .git, so I had to reconnect everything to the remote repository.
After that experience, I changed my backup procedure to include the .git directory.
Fortunately, I had a complete backup during the most recent occurrence.
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Frequency
This has happened approximately 2–3 times, and every occurrence happened immediately after updating the Codex extension.
Unfortunately, I did not record the previous extension versions.
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Expected behavior
Updating the Codex extension should never remove or modify a user's project directory.
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Actual behavior
Immediately after the extension update and VSCode restart, the project directory disappeared from disk.
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Additional notes
I cannot say with certainty that the Codex extension itself deleted the directory.
However, the issue has occurred multiple times, and every occurrence happened immediately after updating the Codex extension.
I hope this report helps identify whether there is an issue in the extension or in its update process.
Ps:
If there are any logs or diagnostic information that would help investigate this issue, I'd be happy to provide them if it happens again.
2 Comments
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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Update
I wanted to provide an update after another Codex extension update.
Today I updated the extension to 26.707.31123.
This time, the issue did not occur.
Because of my previous experiences, I recorded my screen during the update process in case the problem happened again. However, after VSCode restarted, my project directory remained intact and everything continued to work normally.
This is useful because the previous occurrences happened immediately after updating the extension, while this version updated successfully without removing my project directory.
I still wanted to add this information in case it helps narrow down when the issue may have been introduced or fixed.
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"I have disabled automatic updates for the extension after the previous incidents, so I now perform updates manually."