[Windows][App 26.707.72221] Conversation message area stays blank for ~20 seconds after switching threads

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

Powered by Codex & OWL
Version: 26.707.72221

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro (20x usage)

What platform is your computer?

Windows 10 Pro 22H2
OS Build: 19045.5487
Architecture: x64

What issue are you seeing?

Every time I switch to a conversation in the official Codex Windows desktop app, the conversation's message history area remains blank for approximately 20 seconds before the messages are rendered.

The conversation header and composer are already visible during this period, and the sidebar remains fully interactive. There is no loading indicator, spinner, skeleton, or status message in the blank message area.

This affects all conversations I have tested:

• newly created conversations;
• existing conversations;
• short conversations;
• long conversations.

Conversation length does not appear to have a significant effect on the delay. The loading time is approximately 20 seconds in each case.

The rest of the application remains responsive during the blank period:

• I can continue clicking items in the sidebar;
• the application window can be moved normally;
• other application controls remain usable;
• CPU, memory, and other hardware usage do not noticeably increase.

There also appears to be temporary reuse or caching behavior:

• Immediately switching back to a conversation that has just finished loading does not trigger the blank state again.
• After leaving that conversation inactive for some time, switching back to it triggers the same approximately 20-second blank state again.

The issue is 100% reproducible and persists after restarting the application.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. Launch the Codex Windows desktop app.
2. Open conversation A and wait for it to finish loading.
3. Select conversation B in the sidebar.
4. Observe that the conversation header and composer appear, but the message history area remains completely blank for approximately 20 seconds.
5. After conversation B finishes loading, immediately switch back to conversation A.
6. Conversation A usually appears immediately.
7. Leave a previously loaded conversation inactive for some time.
8. Switch back to it.
9. The approximately 20-second blank state occurs again.

The behavior also occurs with newly created and short conversations.

What is the expected behavior?

The selected conversation should display its recent messages immediately.

If loading the complete history requires additional time, the app should show the newest messages first and load older messages in the background.

At minimum, the app should display a lightweight loading state instead of an empty message area.

Additional information

Frequency: 100% when switching to a conversation that was not loaded recently.

Typical manually measured delay: approximately 20 seconds.

Troubleshooting already attempted:

• Restarted the application.
• Tested newly created conversations.
• Tested short and long conversations.
• Tested conversations in different projects.
• Monitored hardware usage; no significant increase was observed.

Feedback ID: 019dd4c3-990d-7703-a7a2-1cdec804bde9

A screenshot showing the blank state is available, but it is not attached publicly because it contains private project names, conversation titles, and an account name.

Related issues:

• #30428 includes general UI and cursor stuttering. In this case, the application remains responsive and only the message history area is delayed.
• #23235 primarily concerns older conversations. This issue affects newly created, short, and existing conversations.
• #21211 discusses large-history hydration. Here, the delay does not appear to correlate strongly with conversation length.