CodexApp: Can the CodexApp instantly change settings and project lists for different purposes?

[kt-devoss]

Hello, I'm posting this because I haven't found a solution to this problem.

I often need to clearly distinguish and manage independent project groups for multiple jobs and hobbies (including creating usage demos and documentation).
Related to this, I often need to switch between multiple sets of settings.

It seems like something like the profile switches found in browsers would solve this.
For example, in Chrome, you can register multiple profiles, keeping bookmarks and settings independently and easily switching between them. In other words, each profile could be associated with a different Codex project list and settings.

I've only recently started using the app, but I haven't found a solution to achieve such functionality. Does anyone know of anything?

Currently, the project list is very cluttered, with folder names and other information displayed, making it difficult to share screenshots with others. Furthermore, I would like to be able to switch settings such as enabling/disabling WSL2, permissions, authorization policies, and sandbox settings depending on the purpose.

[hoodrichpirobo]

I would split this into two separate needs:

1. Different Codex settings
2. Different App/project/sidebar state

For settings, Codex does have config profiles, but they are mainly CLI-oriented:

codex --profile work
codex --profile hobby
codex --profile demo

Each profile is a separate file under CODEX_HOME, for example:

# ~/.codex/work.config.toml
model = "gpt-5.5"
approval_policy = "on-request"
sandbox_mode = "workspace-write"
default_permissions = ":workspace"

# ~/.codex/demo.config.toml
model = "gpt-5.4"
approval_policy = "never"
sandbox_mode = "read-only"
default_permissions = ":read-only"

Codex also supports project-scoped config:

your-project/
  .codex/
    config.toml

That is usually the best answer for repo-specific defaults, because it follows the project instead of your personal global config. Example:

# your-project/.codex/config.toml
approval_policy = "on-request"
sandbox_mode = "workspace-write"
default_permissions = ":workspace"

However, this is not the same as a browser-style App profile. Project config changes behavior for that project, but it does not give you a separate App sidebar, separate project list, separate history, separate auth state, etc.

For full separation, the closest workaround is separate CODEX_HOME directories:

mkdir -p ~/.codex-work ~/.codex-hobby ~/.codex-demo

CODEX_HOME="$HOME/.codex-work" codex
CODEX_HOME="$HOME/.codex-hobby" codex
CODEX_HOME="$HOME/.codex-demo" codex

That separates the whole Codex home: config, auth file if file-based auth is used, logs, sessions, skills, project trust entries, and related state. This is the closest equivalent to “profiles” today, but it is a workaround, not an in-app profile switcher.

CODEX_SQLITE_HOME also exists for SQLite-backed CLI/app-server state, but I would not treat it as a full profile mechanism because it does not move everything. CODEX_HOME is the broader isolation boundary.

For Codex App specifically, I do not see a supported Chrome-style profile switcher that instantly changes:

• sidebar project list
• thread history
• WSL/native agent mode
• sandbox defaults
• approval policy
• permission profiles
• auth/workspace state

The Windows WSL/native agent setting is app-level and requires a restart after changing it. That makes it a poor fit for quick purpose switching.

So the current practical options are:

• Use project .codex/config.toml for per-project behavior.
• Use CLI --profile for quick settings profiles.
• Use separate CODEX_HOME directories for hard separation.
• Remove noisy projects from the App sidebar when preparing screenshots.
• Use a separate OS user / VM / dedicated demo machine if you need clean demo screenshots with no private project list.

The feature request I would want here is a first-class Codex App profile system, something like:

Profile: Work
  Codex home/state: ~/.codex-work
  Project list: work only
  Default agent: WSL
  Default permissions: :workspace

Profile: Demo
  Codex home/state: ~/.codex-demo
  Project list: demo repos only
  Default agent: Windows/native or local
  Default permissions: :read-only

That would solve the cluttered sidebar, screenshot/privacy issue, and per-purpose settings problem much better than trying to overload project config or CLI profiles.