The problem
If you use both Claude Code and Codex, your work lives in two desktop apps with two sidebars. Each app only lists its own chats, and its window sits wherever you last left it. Checking on a Codex thread while you're in Claude means ⌘-Tab, finding the window, finding the thread, then doing the same thing in reverse.
- Neither app shows the other's chats, so there's no single place to see what's running.
- The two windows usually have different sizes and positions, so every switch moves your eyes around the screen.
- Finding the right chat means scanning a second list, organised differently.
How Pairbar solves it
- Open Claude or CodexPairbar appears over that app's own sidebar, matching its width, position and rounded corners. It shows chats from both apps in one list.
- Allow Accessibility onceThe first-run welcome asks for the optional Accessibility permission. Pairbar uses it to move and resize the Claude and Codex windows so they share one spot. Without it, the other app still opens, just wherever its window happens to be.
- Click a chat from the other appClick a Codex thread while Claude is in front (or the other way round). Pairbar places the Codex window exactly over the Claude window, brings it forward and opens that chat through Codex's own
codex://link. - Or jump with the keyboardWith either app in front, ⌃1–9 opens the first nine chats on screen, and ⌘K puts the cursor in Pairbar's search so you can type part of a title and press ↩.
Shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| ⌃1–9 | Open the nth chat on screen | Claude or Codex in front |
| ⌘K | Search chats and run actions | Claude or Codex in front |
| ⌃⌥K | Search from any app (a Spotlight-style panel) | anywhere |
| ⌃⌥S | Show or hide Pairbar | anywhere |
What exactly happens when you switch
- Pairbar never patches or injects into either app. Chats open through the apps' own
claude://andcodex://links. - The sidebar follows whichever app is in front, and hides when the app's own sidebar is collapsed or the window is too narrow for one.
- The All · Claude · Codex filter narrows the list to one app. If an app isn't running, its chip is dimmed with ⏻; click it to open the app.
- With only one of the two apps installed, Pairbar simply lists that app's chats.
Without Pairbar
Without an overlay, these are the usual ways to move between the two apps:
| Approach | Works for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘-Tab or the Dock | switching apps | you still find the chat in the other app's sidebar, and the window is wherever you left it |
| Snap both windows side by side (macOS tiling) | watching both at once | each window gets half the screen |
| A window manager (e.g. Rectangle) with saved positions | consistent window placement | doesn't list chats or show their status |
Use the CLIs in one terminal (claude, codex) | people who prefer terminals | you give up the desktop apps' interfaces |
Frequently asked questions
- Does Pairbar modify the Claude or Codex app?
- No. Pairbar is a separate app that draws a panel over their sidebars. It reads the files the apps already keep on your Mac and opens chats through their own
claude://andcodex://links. - Why does Pairbar need the Accessibility permission?
- To move and resize the Claude and Codex windows so they share one spot when you switch, and to react instantly to ⌥ and ⌘ for peeking. It's optional: without it, switching still opens the right chat, just in the other app's own window position.
- Can I switch with the keyboard only?
- Yes. ⌃1–9 opens the first nine chats on screen, ⌘K searches while Claude or Codex is in front, and ⌃⌥K searches from any app.
- Does it work with only Claude or only Codex installed?
- Yes. Pairbar shows whichever app you have. The Codex chip shows "Get Codex" when Codex isn't installed.
Related
- DocsThe sidebarHow it sits over Claude and Codex, peeking, collapsing, tabs, the header
- Use caseSee all your Claude Code sessions and Codex threads in one listEvery Claude Code session and Codex thread, local and cloud, in one list with live status, grouping and filters.
- GuidePairbar keyboard shortcuts and how to peek at the app's own sidebarAll Pairbar shortcuts, from ⌘K and ⌃1–9 to ⌥ peek and chat-menu letters, and which ones you can switch off.
- GuideHow to install Pairbar and set it up on your MacInstall from the DMG, go through the welcome window, choose the optional permissions and start using the sidebar.
- ComparisonPairbar vs the Claude desktop app's own Code sidebarThe Claude app's Code sidebar covers Claude sessions well; Pairbar adds Codex chats, cross-app search and workflows across both.
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.