Pairbar vs the Codex desktop app's own chat list

At a glance

What the Codex app handles on its own

None of this goes away with Pairbar running. Its panel sits over the Codex app's sidebar and every Codex row opens in the app itself, so projects, automations and the rest stay where OpenAI put them.

OpenAI describes the app as a command centre for running projects in parallel, with every chat in view and projects grouping them. It has notifications, an integrated terminal, PR integration, worktrees, and a usage and rate-limit display. Automations run prompts on a schedule or on events, in the project folder or an isolated worktree, with a Scheduled view, and cloud environments let tasks run on OpenAI's side. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux.

If Codex is the only agent you use, that list may be all you need. Pairbar is paid, macOS 26 and Apple silicon only, and reads Codex's local database (~/.codex/state_<n>.sqlite), which isn't a public interface: a very different Codex version may need a Pairbar update.

What Pairbar adds

• Claude Code sessions next to your Codex threads, with one set of groups, labels and pins. See chats.
• Window switching: click a Claude chat while Codex is in front and Claude's window takes Codex's place and size.
• Search across both apps' conversations, and ⌃⌥K quick search from any app.
• Hand off to Claude with the conversation and repo state, or fork a Codex chat with a native draft copied through thread/fork; a selected reply uses its completed native turn ID, with a handoff fallback for older transcripts lacking one. Review and Send in Codex. See working across chats.
• Send a message without opening the chat: Pairbar submits it with codex queue and confirms receipt, with an Open in Codex link. Receipt does not prove processing has started.
• Workflows across both apps, planned by your own Claude or Codex, with Read-only, Can run commands or Can edit files per step and an optional goal check.
• Codex subagents under their parent chat, with a transcript reader, and PR status for Codex chats via gh.
• Tasks by branch: the Tasks view groups the Codex and Claude chats on one branch or worktree with the PR and its checks, and suggests fixing failing checks or a second opinion from Claude, as a plan you approve first.
• Codex and Claude docked together in the basket, and optional live status through Codex's hooks, so an approval request shows as Needs you at once.
• A second opinion from Claude, on request: with Pairbar's tools installed, a Codex chat can ask for a read-only second opinion or review from Claude, a helper chat or a workflow run. Each waits for your approval in Pairbar unless you've allowed that kind; an agent can never approve itself. See agent actions.

What stays in the Codex app

• The chat itself: every Codex row in Pairbar opens in the Codex app through its codex:// link.
• Automations with event triggers, the integrated terminal and PR integration.
• Setting up a cloud environment the first time (Pairbar can then use its id).

Using both

That's how Pairbar is meant to run: over the Codex app's sidebar, with the app's own list a ⌥-peek away. Hold ⌥ or ⌘ over Pairbar to see Codex's sidebar underneath, or press ⌃⌥S to hide Pairbar. With only Codex installed, Pairbar lists just Codex chats.

Who each is best for

• Pairbar: People on macOS 26 who use Codex and Claude Code desktop apps together and want one list, search, limits and handoffs across them.
• The Codex app's own list: Codex-only users, anyone on Windows or Linux, and people who rely on event-triggered automations or want a first-party feature with no extra cost.

Sources

Facts about other products come from their public pages, checked September 2026. Products change quickly: check the source before deciding.

• ChatGPT desktop app (Codex) docs
• Codex app features
• Codex git worktrees
• Codex automations
• Codex cloud environments
• Codex pricing