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Codex Issues / #39610

[macOS Desktop] Composer text remains after Send / Steer instead of clearing after recent update

Open 💬 3 comments Opened Aug 20, 2026 by qw72tc7fxw-prog

What issue are you seeing?

After the recent Codex Desktop update, the composer/input box does not reliably clear after submitting text.

When I:

  • send a normal prompt, or
  • use Steer while a task is running,

the submitted text can remain visible inside the text box instead of being cleared.

This makes the UI ambiguous because it is difficult to tell whether the text was successfully submitted, is still pending in the composer, or needs to be sent again. It can also lead to accidental duplicate submissions or editing text that has already been sent.

The issue appeared after the recent update and persists after restarting Codex multiple times.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open Codex Desktop on macOS.
  2. Open an existing project/thread.
  3. Enter text in the composer.
  4. Send the message, or use Steer while Codex is working.
  5. Observe that the submitted text can remain in the composer instead of being cleared.
  6. Repeat with additional prompts/Steer messages; the behavior recurs.

Actual behavior

Submitted text remains visible in the input box after Send / Steer.

Expected behavior

Once Codex accepts a Send or Steer action, the composer should immediately clear the submitted text. If submission fails, the UI should clearly indicate failure and preserve the draft intentionally rather than leaving the composer in an ambiguous state.

Additional context

  • The problem started after the recent Codex Desktop update.
  • Multiple full app restarts have not resolved it.
  • The same user is also experiencing frequent timeout / reconnect behavior after the update; an independent reproduction has been added to #37660. The composer-clearing problem is reported separately because it is a distinct UI/state issue.
  • Exact Codex Desktop build number can be added if needed.

View original on GitHub ↗

3 Comments

qw72tc7fxw-prog · 8 days ago

Affected build confirmed:

  • Codex Desktop version: 26.814.41407
  • About dialog: Powered by Codex & OWL
  • Release date shown: Aug 18, 2026
  • Platform: macOS

The composer-clearing regression occurs on this build: after Send or Steer, submitted text may remain in the text box instead of clearing. Multiple full app restarts have not resolved it.

qw72tc7fxw-prog · 8 days ago

Additional visual reproduction from affected build 26.814.41407 (Released Aug 18, 2026): after the user submits a prompt/Steer instruction, the instruction is visibly present as a submitted message in the thread, but the same text remains retained in the Steer/composer queue below instead of being cleared. The user must manually delete the retained text. This creates an ambiguous state where it is unclear whether the instruction is pending or already sent and increases the risk of accidental duplicate submission. Screenshot evidence is available from the affected session.

qw72tc7fxw-prog · 8 days ago

Additional state transition observed on Codex Desktop 26.814.41407:

  1. A Steer instruction is visibly submitted into the conversation.
  2. The same text remains in the Steer/composer queue instead of clearing.
  3. After some time, that retained queue item changes to an orange ! warning state and a Retry action appears.

This suggests the UI initially leaves the submission in an ambiguous pending-looking state, then only later marks it as failed/not delivered. The delayed transition is itself problematic because during the interval the user cannot tell whether the instruction was accepted, queued, or needs resubmission. It also increases the risk of accidental duplicate instructions.

A second screenshot captures the orange warning + Retry state and is available for attachment.