ArthurZakirov Codex History
Resume work started in OpenAI Codex CLI by reading its conversation history.
Data Locations
There are two history.jsonl files and, depending on Codex version, session files or SQLite state:
| Source | Path | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Global prompt index | ~/.codex/history.jsonl |
User prompts with session_id links |
| Per-project prompt index | <project-root>/.codex/history.jsonl |
Same format, scoped to one repo |
| Session logs (legacy) | ~/.codex/sessions/YYYY/MM/DD/rollout-<timestamp>-<uuid>.jsonl |
Full conversations |
| SQLite state | ~/.codex/state_5.sqlite |
Newer storage, may contain thread data |
Session files may not exist in newer versions, so prefer history.jsonl first and treat session JSONL as an optional richer source.
Workflow
Step 0: Search By Keyword
When the user describes the chat by topic rather than session ID, search prompt text across the global and per-project history files.
Step 1: Search By Session ID
Check both global and per-project history files because the session may have started in another repo.
Step 2: List Recent Sessions
If the user does not know which session they want, show recent prompts with timestamps and session IDs.
Step 3: Try To Find A Session JSONL File
If a matching session log exists, use it for richer extraction. Do not fail the workflow if it does not exist.
Step 4: Extract Conversation
- If a session JSONL exists, extract user and assistant messages plus relevant tool calls.
- If it does not, reconstruct the task flow from
history.jsonlentries for the samesession_id.
Step 5: Pick Up The Work
After reading the history:
- Summarize what Codex was working on.
- Note incomplete steps or terminal errors.
- Confirm what the user wants to continue.
- Resume from the last useful state.
Tips
- Session logs can be large, so extract rather than reading raw JSONL manually.
cwdmetadata is useful for locating the repo Codex worked in.- If the user says "continue from codex" without specifics, start by showing recent sessions.