The problem
The Codex app is good at one thread at a time. With threads running in several repositories, plus cloud tasks, the questions you have are about all of them together:
- Which threads are still running, and which are waiting for me to approve a command?
- Which thread was about the billing service, and what did it say about the retry logic?
- Which branches have a pull request, and are their checks green?
- Which of my skills does Codex actually load in this repository?
- How close am I to my plan's limit?
How Pairbar solves it
- Install Pairbar and open CodexPairbar draws over Codex's own sidebar, matching its rendered divider when accessibility metadata is available and otherwise reading its saved width from
~/.codex/.codex-global-state.json. It fills the Chats tab from Codex's local database and session files in~/.codex, read-only. It never modifies the Codex app. - Turn on live status for CodexSettings → Integrations → Live status for Codex (hooks) → Install…, then type
/hooksin Codex and trust Pairbar's hooks. A thread waiting for you to approve a command then shows Needs you at once, with what it wants to run: Codex writes nothing to its files while it waits, so without the hooks it looks like it's still working. See live status for Codex. - Search and act with ⌘KPress ⌘K over Codex and type: Pairbar matches thread titles, projects and branches, and everything said in the conversations, and runs actions such as New chat or View: Tasks.
- Group threads by branch in TasksGroup by → Tasks puts the threads that work on one branch or worktree together (Codex worktrees are often on a detached HEAD, so the worktree folder decides), in sections for needs you, working, ready to review and done. With the GitHub CLI
ghinstalled, each task shows its PR and checks. - Use your skills, limits and voiceThe Skills tab lists every skill Codex loads; Use in chat types
$nameinto Codex's message box. The ring in the header shows your Codex plan's usage. ⌃⌥Space dictates into Codex's message box.
Shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘K | Search threads and run actions | Codex in front |
| ⌃⌥K | Quick search from any app | anywhere |
| ⌃1–9 | Open the nth thread on screen | Codex in front |
| ⌥ (hold) | Peek at Codex's own sidebar | pointer over Pairbar |
| ⌃⌥Space | Dictate (hold to talk, tap for hands-free) | anywhere |
What Pairbar does with Codex threads
| Feature | With Codex |
|---|---|
| Rename | renames the thread in Codex itself, through your codex command-line tool; it shows in codex resume and the Codex app |
| Archive | moves local threads to Codex's archive through thread/archive, one or many at once. A thread still open for writing must be archived in Codex, or closed there before retrying in Pairbar |
| Pins | threads you pinned in Codex show as pinned in Pairbar too; Pairbar's own pins and labels stay in Pairbar |
| Send a message without opening it | submits it through codex queue and confirms queue receipt. This does not prove the desktop has started processing it; Open in Codex lets you check. See Send a message |
| Check-ins | a message submitted to the queue on a timer until the reply says DONE. Queue receipt does not confirm processing. See Check-ins |
| Cloud tasks | listed through codex cloud list (at most every 5 minutes while the sidebar shows), grouped with the repo's local threads; a click opens the task on chatgpt.com |
| Spawned threads | shown under the thread that started them; click one to open it in its own thread |
| Plan limits | the ring and the limits card read the newest rate-limit report in Codex's local session files, with each window's reset time |
| Workflows | scheduled prompts run through your own codex, each step in Codex's read-only or workspace-write sandbox. See Workflows |
What's Claude-only
The Agents tab lists Claude Code agents, so with Codex alone it has nothing to show, and the subagent transcript reader is for Claude Code subagents. Everything else in the sidebar works with Codex alone. See Is Pairbar worth it with only Codex? for the full list.
Without Pairbar
Without Pairbar, Codex users usually rely on:
| Without Pairbar | What you get | What's missing |
|---|---|---|
| The Codex app's own thread list | your Codex threads and the app's own features | no search inside conversations, no branch and PR view, no skill library (see Pairbar vs the Codex app's chat list) |
codex resume in a terminal | a picker of past sessions | no live status, one at a time |
| The Codex cloud page | your cloud tasks | separate from your local threads |
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need the Claude app to use Pairbar with Codex?
- No. Pairbar works with the Codex desktop app alone. Only the Agents tab (Claude Code agents) and the subagent transcript reader need Claude.
- Does Pairbar change Codex's settings?
- Only if you click Install… for live status for Codex, which adds a block to
~/.codex/config.tomlafter a backup; Uninstall removes exactly that. Reading threads is read-only. - Which command-line tools does it need?
- None to list threads. The
codextool is used for renames, archive, queued messages, forks, cloud tasks, workflows and check-ins, andghfor pull-request status and checks. - Can I still use Codex's own sidebar?
- Yes. Hold ⌥ over Pairbar to peek at it, or press ⌃⌥S to collapse Pairbar into a small round button.
Related
- Use caseIs Pairbar worth it if you only use Codex?What Pairbar adds when Codex is your only agent: sidebar, live status, Tasks, skills, limits, voice and workflows, and the few parts that are Claude-only.
- ComparisonPairbar vs the Codex desktop app's own chat listThe Codex app's own list handles Codex well; Pairbar adds Claude Code chats, one window spot, cross-app search and handoff to Claude.
- AlternativesCodex desktop app alternatives and companions (2026)Which tools replace the Codex (ChatGPT) desktop app with their own UI or terminal, and which work alongside it.
- GlossaryCodex threadOne conversation with OpenAI's Codex agent, made of turns and stored locally as a rollout file in ~/.codex/sessions.
- DocsChatsThe chat list: status, grouping, sorting, filters, pins, labels, hover details, subagents, bulk actions, the chat menu
Try Pairbar free for 7 days
One sidebar for the Claude and Codex desktop apps. Everything on for 7 days, no card needed; then $49/year ($39 first year with LAUNCH), $9/month or $129 lifetime (first 200 buyers). macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon.