Switching computers
Codex session sync: continue on another computer
Understand remote access, cloud tasks and cross-machine handoff before moving a Codex conversation. Compare what happens to context, code and the execution host.
Based on public documentation and selected source code. These workflows have not been tested here on multiple devices. Availability and compatibility can change.
What does “same conversation” need to preserve?
A familiar chat title is only part of continuity. The next device should show the right discussion, operate on the right files and make the next action clear. Use these three checks before choosing a setup:
- Conversation: the relevant instructions, decisions, tool history and attachments are available.
- Project: the repository and unfinished changes match what the conversation describes.
- Execution: you know which machine is running commands and whether it must remain online.
You leave an office computer with an uncommitted fix and a question waiting for an answer. At home, you need to answer that question against the same changed files. Seeing the transcript while opening an older checkout would leave the work only partly restored.
Choose access or execution handoff
| Need | Approach | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Use another screen | Connect to the original host. | Host availability and access to the correct conversation. |
| Work with the laptop off | Continue a task whose execution lives in the cloud. | Cloud environment, saved task files and required services. |
| Run on another computer | Transfer or restore the conversation and project state. | Native resume, path mapping, unfinished changes and conflicts. |
This decision matters more than whether a product describes itself as “sync.” Opening a cloud workspace in a local IDE still executes against the cloud workspace; it does not automatically move execution onto your laptop.
Existing options to investigate
Official Codex remote access and Handoff
Remote access uses a connected host’s environment. Official Handoff moves a chat and Git state between a local computer and a connected remote host; the destination needs a matching saved Git project. Handoff into an official Codex Cloud environment is not supported. Read OpenAI’s remote connection requirements.
Official Codex Cloud
Reopen the same cloud task across supported devices. Existing tasks retain their own working files, including uncommitted changes; starting a new task creates a separate workspace. Read the cloud environment guide.
Happier and CtxHop
Happier supports machine-to-machine handoff with optional workspace transfer, but labels its Codex support experimental. CtxHop restores encrypted native session records through user-controlled storage; workspace and Git transfer are optional. These are candidates to evaluate, not products we have tested across machines.
A practical handoff check
- Identify the source. Record the project, conversation and execution machine.
- Bring work to a safe boundary. Finish or interrupt the current turn before transferring execution.
- Preserve the files. Account for committed code, uncommitted edits and required local-only files separately.
- Check the destination. Confirm the project path, runtime, dependencies and required sign-ins.
- Verify before continuing. Read the latest conversation, inspect the diff and confirm the working directory.
- Keep a recovery path. Retain the source copy until the destination has successfully resumed.
This is our review framework, not a universal transfer command. An unsupported import should fail visibly rather than replace the original conversation with a new chat that looks similar.
What should happen when both machines change?
Imagine both computers start from the same checkpoint. One fixes authentication; the other edits the deployment script. Both histories can be useful, but appending them in timestamp order would hide that they were produced independently.
A continuity service should distinguish a simple extension of the same history from a genuine branch. CtxHop’s restore implementation checks for a common prefix before extending an existing session. That is a useful design reference for preserving work instead of silently overwriting it.
For phone access and what happens when the original laptop sleeps, read Codex on mobile and cloud access.
Common questions
Does the same Codex account mean every local conversation is available everywhere?
Do not assume that. Identify where the conversation runs and is stored. Official remote access, cloud tasks and cross-machine handoff have different setup requirements; none should be treated as a blanket merge of every local installation.
Will Git push preserve my Codex conversation?
Git transfers committed project content. It does not by itself transfer a Codex conversation, uncommitted edits, local-only files or an active process. Check conversation continuity and project continuity separately.
Can I run the same conversation independently on two computers?
Two independent executions can create conflicting conversation and code histories. Prefer one active execution owner, or keep separate branches and review their changes before combining them.
Can CodexAnywhere sync my sessions now?
No. CodexAnywhere is a concept in development. Native conversation import, project restoration and local-to-cloud execution handoff still need validation.