Ask questions without interrupting a running Codex task

1. Get an answer while the work continues

Codex is changing a component, and you want to know why it chose a particular approach. You can ask that question in a side chat without stopping the main conversation. OpenAI explicitly recommends side chats for progress recaps and explanations during long-running work.

This is useful for understanding an unfamiliar term, checking what a proposed change is meant to achieve, or discussing a tradeoff before deciding whether to intervene. Keep the side question small enough that you can use the answer immediately.

Reference: OpenAI: Long-running work

2. Open the side chat from your active task

Keep the intended Codex task open. In the right panel, use the plus/new-tab control and choose Side chat. The Windows version we inspected also exposes New side chat in the main chat's actions menu. Choose the side-chat action associated with this task, so the new pane starts from the right conversation.

For a documented route that is easier to recognize across layouts, enter /side in the desktop app's composer. The official default shortcut is Ctrl+Alt+S on Windows and Command+Option+S on macOS. If you changed your shortcuts, check Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts for Open side chat.

Wait for the Side chat pane to appear, then type the question there. Confirm which composer has focus before sending: a follow-up in the main chat can steer the running task. If the action is unavailable, check that you are in a started local Codex chat and consult the current app documentation.

/side

Reference: OpenAI: Slash commands · OpenAI: Commands and keyboard shortcuts

3. Use the inherited context without assuming live synchronization

In the Windows version we inspected, a side chat is created from the current conversation and receives inherited history as reference context. That lets you ask about the task without restating everything from scratch. It is a separate conversation, so the inherited plans are background for your question, not instructions to continue executing the main task.

Treat that inherited history as a starting point, not a live mirror. Do not assume it includes a tool call still in flight or every result produced after the side chat opened. For a progress question, ask what point the answer covers and what it cannot yet verify. Supply the latest relevant result if needed.

Ask for explanation or read-only inspection. A side chat is not a separate Git checkout, and its location in a panel does not make concurrent file edits safe. Leave the main task in charge of the implementation unless you deliberately arrange separate work.

4. Ask a question that helps you make a decision

For an unfamiliar decision, try: 'Explain why this task chose this approach. What problem does it solve, and what is the main tradeoff? Do not change anything.' For progress, ask it to separate confirmed results from work that was merely planned.

If the answer changes your decision, return to the main chat and state the new constraint explicitly. For example: 'Keep the existing public API; apply the internal refactor only.' Do not assume a decision made in the side pane has automatically changed the main task's instructions.

Reference: OpenAI: Long-running work

5. Keep useful answers before closing the pane

Side chats are temporary. The inspected version warns that a closed side chat cannot be recovered. Copy a useful explanation or send the relevant decision back to the main chat before closing it; follow any close confirmation shown by your version.

Quick chat is a different entry point for an ordinary ChatGPT conversation. A chat sitting beside a Codex task is not enough to identify which feature you opened. For this workflow, use Side chat or /side, and verify the context actually available to it.

Reference: OpenAI: Slash commands · OpenAI: Projects and chats

Try it in Codex

Understand a decision without changing the task

Use the reference context available in this side chat to explain the main task's current approach.

What problem is it solving, why was this approach chosen, and what is the most important tradeoff? Separate confirmed results from plans. State which point in the task your context covers and any newer progress you cannot verify.

Answer only; do not edit files, run mutating commands, or change the main task. If I need to make a decision, suggest one concise follow-up that I can send in the main chat myself.

Check your result

• The question was sent in Side chat while the main task remained active.
• The answer distinguishes inherited context from unverified newer progress.
• Any implementation decision is explicitly sent back to the main chat.
• Useful conclusions are saved before the temporary pane is closed.

Sources and scope

Official references support the product behavior described above. The task prompts and practical checks are our community guidance.

• OpenAI: Long-running workSide chats for recaps and explanations without interrupting the main chat; main-chat follow-ups steer work.
• OpenAI: Slash commandsThe desktop /side command starts a temporary side chat.
• OpenAI: Commands and keyboard shortcutsOpen side chat defaults on Windows and macOS; shortcut settings.
• OpenAI: Projects and chatsQuick chat opens an ordinary ChatGPT chat; it is a separate entry point.

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