code-codex: A File Tree and Preview Pane for Codex Desktop on Windows

An unofficial companion that injects into the desktop app

Code-Codex is described as an unofficial community project that adds a local project file tree to Codex Desktop, and it is explicit that it has nothing to do with OpenAI. The architecture is three pieces: a Windows native helper program, a restricted workspace bridge, and an injected TypeScript explorer interface used for file preview, editing, navigation and file operations. The injected part is the honest limitation to sit with. It works by extending the desktop application at runtime rather than through a supported plugin API, which means its compatibility story depends on the version of the official client it was built against, and it explains why the project ships an explicit status badge marking the current version as a preview. The Rust side is organised as a Cargo workspace with four crates, cdp-client, context-resolver, launcher and workspace-service, on edition 2024 with a minimum Rust version of 1.85.

What the file tree actually gives you

The core feature list is specific enough to be useful. A Code-Codex menu appears in Codex to the right of Help at the top, and it can show or hide the file tree, open the preview market, check for updates and reach the project repository. The tree itself lists a local workspace, and you can copy files and folders into the workspace root or into any folder in the tree by dragging them from the Windows File Explorer. The right-click menu covers creating, renaming, deleting, copying a path, showing a file in Explorer and refreshing, and files and folders can be dragged to move them within the tree. The preview lives in a main window tab next to the conversation, with basic text preview, syntax highlighting and restricted editing, and Markdown rendering supplied by a separate preview plugin. The local bridge only performs restricted workspace operations, which is the boundary that keeps a preview tool from becoming an arbitrary code execution path.

Plugins are downloaded, verified and enabled one at a time

The plugin model is the most distinctive part of the design. All 25 plugins in the Preview Market are downloaded independently, split as 14 in the Appearance category, 10 in File Preview and 1 in Tools. The core install keeps the file tree, the basic text preview and editing, the market and settings scaffolding, the permission checks and the runtime logs, while the actual rendering, previewing, startup player and tool implementations are no longer bundled. The flow in the market is Download, then Enable, and a plugin becomes usable in the current Codex window without a restart. Downloading does not enable anything by itself and does not open settings. The plugin code and required assets come from the project's own GitHub Release, and every download, cache and load checks file size and SHA-256 against the built-in catalog, so you cannot install an arbitrary third-party script through the market.

Installing from the release assets

The recommended path is the EXE installer from the release page, and the runtime requirements are stated up front: Windows 10 version 2004, build 19041 or newer, on x64, with the official stable Codex or ChatGPT Desktop already installed. Four artefacts are offered, the recommended `CodeCodex-0.5.7-x64-setup.exe`, an MSI alternative, a portable ZIP, and a standalone uninstaller. The download can be checked with a hash.

Get-FileHash .\CodeCodex-0.5.7-x64-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256

The result is compared against the values in the SHA256SUMS.txt file. The MSI can also be pointed at a specific directory.

msiexec /i CodeCodex-0.5.7-x64.msi INSTALLFOLDER="D:\Apps\Code-Codex"

The installer also inspects the shortcuts on the current user and public desktops, preferring one that points at the official Codex, and it will take over a user-created Codex or ChatGPT shortcut or a renamed shortcut pointing at the executables. The original shortcut is backed up and restored on uninstall, and an independent Code-Codex shortcut is only created when no candidate is found.

Building the executables from source

The source build has heavier prerequisites: Windows 11 on x64, Rust with the MSVC toolchain, Node.js 20.19 or newer, and Visual Studio Build Tools including Desktop C++, with the .NET SDK needed if you want an MSI. The release build is one script.

./scripts/build.ps1 -Configuration Release

The output lands in `target/release/` and includes the main executable, a launcher, the installer, the uninstaller, a setup executable and separate shim, shortcut and uninstall executables. Packaging the downloadable artefacts is a second script.

./scripts/package.ps1 -Version 0.5.7

That writes into `releases/`. The workspace dependency list gives a good picture of what the code touches: tokio for the async runtime, tokio-tungstenite for websockets, reqwest with rustls rather than the system TLS stack, clap for argument parsing, sha2 for hashing, notify for filesystem watching, zip for archive handling, and constant_time_eq for comparing values without leaking timing information.

The directory layout and what survives an upgrade

The installation directory is organised so that an update does not wipe your settings, and the naming makes the intent clear. `versions/` holds immutable program versions and `integration/` holds shortcuts and install transactions. `data/` holds the file tree settings, plugin parameters and your own images and videos, while the official Codex account, chat and project files stay managed by the official client. Plugins live under `plugins/<category>/<plugin id>/<version>/`, containing verified download code and default assets. The `logs/` tree keeps the last ten runtime runs at up to 5MiB each, diagnostics and self-check reports, the last ten install processes and an update log directory. `temp/` holds post-install and update scratch files and `backups/` holds migration records. An ordinary uninstall keeps settings, plugins, assets and logs by default, and only an explicit cleanup removes this product's known data directories, leaving other files in them alone.

Upgrades, uninstall and the gaps the project admits to

EXE and ZIP users can upgrade in place without uninstalling first, and settings, assets and checksum-matching plugin caches are preserved. MSI ownership installs cannot be overwritten by a downloaded standalone EXE, so those users stay on the MSI and Windows Installer path. When the official session has no trusted debug port available, the installation keeps the successful result and asks you to reopen from the Code-Codex launcher rather than closing your current chat. The project is candid about the parts that are not fully verified: historical version jumps and real MSI upgrades have not completed a full matrix of tests, and the first upgrade from the older public v0.4.4 shows the complete wizard and reuses the original directory, described as expected but not yet actually tested. Uninstall runs the same branded wizard, restores the pre-install desktop shortcut and removes the Code-Codex files, and MSI installs can also be removed from Windows Installed Apps.

Licence, third-party notices and the state of the project

The workspace licence is MIT, and the repository carries a third-party licence file along with separate English and Chinese third-party notice documents. The current version is v0.5.7, which the release notes describe as consolidating improvements since v0.4.52: global Chinese and English settings, a Custom Background image and video library, file tree restoration after account switching, shared background opacity, an install and uninstall wizard with finer diagnostics, and a split of responsibilities between the application, the plugins and the native service. Plugins are released under their own versions and their download addresses are not derived from the application version, so a plugin can be updated without an application update, and a matching cache stays usable. The last push was on 2026-10-18, the same day as the v0.5.7 release, and the project publishes frequent tagged releases, with v0.4.51 and v0.4.52 both landing on 2026-10-15.

Editorial conclusion

code-codex fits a Windows developer who works inside Codex Desktop and wants a file tree, syntax-highlighted preview and restricted editing alongside the conversation, and who is comfortable installing an unofficial companion that hooks into the desktop app. It is the wrong choice if you need cross-platform support, since it targets Windows 10 build 19041 or newer, or if you expect the official account, chat and project files to be managed by the tool, since those stay with the official client. Before you rely on it, verify the download against the SHA256SUMS.txt file and confirm the shortcut it takes over is one you want back on uninstall.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. License: MIT
3. README
4. Releases
5. Rice-dog/code-codex on GitHub