[Codex Desktop] Show annotation contents inline in chat history

Open 💬 0 comments Opened Aug 21, 2026 by fragpit

Show annotation contents inline in chat history

What variant of Codex are you using?

Codex Desktop on macOS

What feature would you like to see?

Please show submitted annotation contents directly in the linear chat history.

When a user selects several fragments of an assistant response, adds comments,
and submits them, the resulting user turn is currently rendered only as a compact
pill such as 4 annotations.

The actual selected fragments and comments are hidden behind that pill and are
visible only while hovering over it. When reading the conversation later, it is
therefore impossible to understand what the user said without repeatedly moving
the pointer over each annotation pill.

Requested behavior

Render the annotations persistently at the position of the user turn, using the
same structured block that is currently shown in the hover preview.

For each annotation, the transcript should show:

  • the selected fragment of the assistant response;
  • the user's comment attached to that fragment;
  • the original annotation order.

The annotation group may optionally be collapsible, but its content should be
expanded by default and should not require hover to read.

Current behavior

The transcript shows only a count such as 4 annotations. The content of the
user's message is effectively absent from the normal conversation flow.

This makes the next assistant response difficult to understand because the
feedback it responds to is not visible in the linear history.

Why this matters

Annotations are user messages and part of the conversation. They should remain
readable when scrolling through an old task, reviewing a decision, or following
the context behind a later response.

The current hover-only presentation is especially inconvenient for annotation
groups containing several comments.

Additional information

Observed with a group of four annotations: the chat displays a single
4 annotations pill between messages, while the useful content appears only in
the hover preview.

View original on GitHub ↗