Add first-class Chat and Study modes with separate runtime contexts

What variant of Codex are you using?

Unified ChatGPT desktop app (Codex/App surface)

What feature would you like to see?

Add Chat and Study as first-class top-level modes alongside the existing Work and Code modes, with a separate runtime context for each mode rather than only different UI labels.

Chat mode

Chat should provide a lightweight, general-purpose conversation environment comparable to ChatGPT on the web. A new Chat thread should:

• not require or create a local workspace;
• not inject the current directory, repository metadata, AGENTS.md, or other project instructions;
• not load the Codex coding-agent prompt or assume that the user wants files edited, commands executed, tests run, or a task delivered;
• keep local filesystem, shell, Git, and coding tools disabled unless the user explicitly promotes the conversation to Work or Code;
• use the general ChatGPT conversation behavior and show regular ChatGPT conversation history.

This distinction needs to exist at the runtime/prompt level. A projectless Codex thread is not equivalent if it still receives Codex-specific instructions and treats the conversation as a coding task.

Study mode

Study should use a separate teaching-oriented initial prompt and interaction policy. It should optimize for helping the user learn rather than immediately completing the task. Expected behavior includes:

• asking about the learner's goal and current level;
• using guided explanations and Socratic questions;
• providing hints before complete solutions when appropriate;
• generating exercises, checking answers, and adapting to demonstrated understanding;
• supporting documents, code, mathematics, and other learning material without assuming a software-engineering workspace;
• allowing the user to explicitly switch to Work or Code when they want an artifact produced or a project modified.

Suggested information architecture

• Chat: lightweight conversation, no workspace or Codex prompt injection by default
• Study: tutoring and guided learning
• Work: general agentic work with files, apps, and tools
• Code: repository-aware software engineering

Threads should clearly display their active mode and permission/context boundary. Switching or promoting a thread between modes should be explicit so the user understands when workspace context and execution tools will be introduced.

Acceptance criteria

• The unified desktop app exposes Chat and Study as first-class modes.
• A Chat thread can be created without a generated workspace or local project context.
• Chat does not receive Codex-specific engineering instructions or repo-level instruction files by default.
• Study uses a documented, teaching-oriented behavior profile distinct from Chat, Work, and Code.
• The UI clearly communicates which mode, tools, permissions, and context sources are active.
• Users can explicitly promote a Chat or Study thread to Work or Code while preserving conversation context.

Additional information

The unified app currently presents Work and Code as its primary environments. General conversations can therefore end up categorized under a coding workspace and run with Codex-oriented context even when the user only wants to talk. This makes the product name and behavior feel inconsistent and adds unnecessary agentic assumptions to casual conversations.

Related issues:

• #32570 requests a first-class, full-size Chat interface in the unified app. This proposal additionally requires runtime and prompt isolation from Codex.
• #12397 requested General Chat outside a project, but was closed for insufficient upvotes before the current unified-app context.
• #6657 requested a learning mode for the CLI, but was also closed for insufficient upvotes. This proposal targets a first-class Study environment in the unified desktop app.

The goal is not to reduce Work or Code. It is to make the unified application honest and predictable about which interaction model is active.