Continue with Work makes existing chat local-only with no way to restore cloud access

Open 💬 0 comments Opened Aug 22, 2026 by freddoUKAI

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

ChatGPT powered by Codex & OWL — Version 26.814.41407 — Released Aug 17, 2026

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 24.6.0 arm64 arm

What issue are you seeing?

An existing cloud-accessible ChatGPT conversation became local-only after I accepted ChatGPT's prominently recommended “Continue with Work” action on my MacBook Air. The conversation subsequently remained fully available on that Mac, but disappeared from ChatGPT on my MacBook Pro, iPad and web, despite all devices using the same ChatGPT Plus account and other conversations synchronising normally.
I have now identified the likely trigger. When ChatGPT displays “Continue with Work?”, the visually dominant/default action is “Continue with Work”, including a Return/Enter indicator. The significant consequence is not stated in the main prompt. It is only revealed if the user hovers over the small “On your computer” label, which then says:
“The chat will run on your computer so it can read and edit local files with permission. The chat won't be available on other devices.”
I did not discover this hover warning when I originally accepted “Continue with Work”. I reasonably understood the prominent/default button as allowing ChatGPT to use the appropriate tool/environment to continue the task, not as changing the storage/accessibility of the existing conversation.
Once this has happened, I can find no supported way to move or copy the complete conversation back to cloud storage while preserving its visible chat history. Forking it creates another local thread. “Move to project” does not make it available on other devices. “Copy as Markdown” preserves the text but cannot recreate the original conversation as cloud chat history.

The following text block should be in the "What steps…" block but I am unable to edit what is there for some reason

Feedback ID: no-active-thread-01a0285d-87b9-7d50-9db9-0b1e86b23a9c
Start with an existing normal/cloud ChatGPT conversation that is visible on multiple devices.
Make a request that causes ChatGPT to propose switching execution to Work.
ChatGPT displays “Continue with Work?” with “Continue with Work” as the prominent/default action and a Return/Enter indicator.
Accept “Continue with Work”.
The conversation runs locally on that computer and is no longer available on the user's other devices.
The cross-device consequence is only disclosed by hovering over “On your computer”; it is not prominently stated before the default action is accepted.
In my actual affected case, the conversation is “SE Asia September 2026”. Its original Codex/session ID is:
01a00c1f-8215-7123-ba23-4111c401ec0a
Tests subsequently performed:
The codex:// deeplink opens the affected conversation correctly on the originating MacBook Air.
The same deeplink handed to ChatGPT on my MacBook Pro does not open the conversation.
Fork Chat creates a fork on the MBA, but that fork also remains unavailable on the MBP/iPad/web.
Moving the disposable fork into an existing cloud-visible ChatGPT Project does not make the conversation appear on the other devices.
Copy as Markdown successfully exports the textual history but does not provide a way to import it as actual cloud conversation history.

I have screenshots which I have attached, but cannot be confident they exist as files, rather than text paths. Happy to forward on request

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: no-active-thread-01a0285d-87b9-7d50-9db9-0b1e86b23a9c

What is the expected behavior?

Accepting a recommended execution environment should not unexpectedly remove an existing conversation from cross-device cloud access.
If Work must run locally, I would expect one of the following:
The existing cloud conversation remains cloud-accessible and Work creates a local working copy/branch; or
Before changing the conversation to local-only, ChatGPT displays an explicit confirmation such as: “This will make this conversation available only on this computer. It will no longer be available on your other devices. Continue?”
The consequence should be visible in the main dialog, not discoverable only through a hover tooltip.
There should also be a supported “Move/Copy to Cloud” operation allowing an inadvertently localised conversation to be returned to cloud storage with its complete user/assistant conversation history intact.

Additional information

This issue has already been reported through the in-app Codex/ChatGPT feedback mechanism.
Original feedback/session ID:
01a00c1f-8215-7123-ba23-4111c401ec0a
Follow-up feedback ID after identifying the likely “Continue with Work” trigger:
no-active-thread-01a0285d-87b9-7d50-9db9-0b1e86b23a9c
The original affected conversation remains fully usable on the originating MacBook Air. I would particularly appreciate assistance recovering/promoting that existing conversation into cloud-accessible ChatGPT while retaining its complete visible conversational history.
I can provide the exported Markdown transcript if useful.
I have also attached screenshots showing:
The normal “Continue with Work?” prompt and prominent/default action.
The warning “The chat won't be available on other devices”, which only appears after hovering over “On your computer”.

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