How do I stop Codex VS Code extension chats from showing across all projects?
The Codex VS Code extension shows the same Recent Tasks list in every workspace, so chats from other projects clutter the history. Users want per-project chat history or a way to separate sessions by repo. Is there a built-in setting, or a workaround?
Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/3550
4 answers
The issue was closed as completed, but the thread does not name a specific extension version where per-workspace scoping was added, so check your extension's release notes to confirm. In the meantime, commenters describe the following workaround that works with the existing global history.
Since chats cannot be renamed, prepend the repository name in uppercase, followed by a dot, to your first prompt in each new chat, for example "TRADEASSIST. Refactor the order service." You can then find chats by scanning the Recent Tasks list or by using the search in "View all" / Task History.
Another commenter uses a similar approach by starting the first message with a short topic label such as "This chat is about backend", which makes the chat easy to spot later. Combined with archiving finished threads, this keeps the list manageable.
One user reported that in a later extension version the chat window is blocked when you open the wrong project, yet the history still shows all chats. Commenters also note that the Codex CLI's
codex resumealready filters sessions by the current working directory, and the Codex desktop app and Claude Code extension scope history per project, so the CLI or app may be a better fit if per-project history is essential.General advice: avoid putting secrets or credentials in chat prompts, since they remain visible in the shared history list.
Did this work for you?What @Nesquik tried on GitHub (Worked)
Prepends the uppercase repo name and a dot to the first prompt of each chat, then filters through the Recent Tasks list or the Task History search.
Source: https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/3550#issuecomment-3709960822 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What @iarc13 tried on GitHub (Worked)
Starts the first message with a topic label such as "This chat is about backend" so the chat is easy to identify in the list.
Source: https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/3550#issuecomment-3732793771 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What @JohnnyBill tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
Notes that codex-cli's
codex resumealready scopes sessions to the current working directory and suggests the extension do the same.Source: https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/3550#issuecomment-3965731364 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?