Codex Desktop: shortcut to toggle focus between main and side-chat composers

Open 💬 0 comments Opened Aug 6, 2026 by inshell-art

Product surface

Codex Desktop with a side conversation open alongside the main thread.

Problem

There is no direct keyboard shortcut to move input focus between the main composer and the side-chat composer. Tab / Shift+Tab may traverse intervening controls, while clicking a composer interrupts a keyboard-first workflow. Thread-navigation shortcuts do not solve composer focus.

Request

Add a dedicated, discoverable command and shortcut that toggles focus between the main composer and the visible side-chat composer. Ideally the command is also user-configurable.

Expected behavior

  • First invocation focuses the other composer.
  • Repeated invocations toggle between the two composers.
  • Each composer preserves its text selection and caret position.
  • The action does not submit text, change threads, or close the side conversation.
  • When no side conversation is open, the command safely focuses the main composer or does nothing.
  • The shortcut appears in the command palette / keyboard-shortcut reference.

This would make the two-composer side-conversation workflow practical without leaving the keyboard.

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