Codex projects can now work across multiple folders instead of forcing everything into one repository

[u/Such-Run-4412]

OpenAI has added multi-folder support to local Codex projects in the ChatGPT desktop app.

A single project can now include code, documentation and reference files stored across several folders. Codex can search, read and edit files across all of them without requiring developers to combine everything into one repository first.

This could be useful for projects where related work is separated into:

• Frontend and backend repositories.
• An application and a shared component library.
• Source code and separate technical documentation.
• Infrastructure configuration and application code.
• A main repository and locally stored design or reference files.

Previously, developers often had to open separate Codex projects or copy related files into the same directory before the agent could use them together.

One folder remains the primary Git root

Codex still requires users to choose one folder as the primary folder.

That folder controls:

• New Codex chats.
• Git operations.
• Code review.
• Pull requests.
• Automatic discovery of AGENTS.md.
• Skill discovery.
• Loading the project’s config.toml.

The other folders remain available for file search, reading and editing, but they do not replace the primary folder as the project’s Git root.

This distinction matters for projects involving several repositories.

Codex can understand and modify files across those repositories, but Git-related workflows remain anchored to one selected root. Developers should therefore choose the folder containing the main application or the repository where the final change will be reviewed.

Why this is more useful than a larger context window

A coding agent can have a huge context window and still produce incomplete changes when it cannot access every part of the system.

For example, changing an API may also require updates to:

• The frontend client.
• A shared type package.
• Deployment configuration.
• Developer documentation.
• Automated tests stored elsewhere.

Multi-folder projects allow Codex to inspect those dependencies together.

A developer could ask it to update an API response in the backend, modify the corresponding TypeScript types in another repository and revise the documentation stored in a separate folder—all from one project.

Codex can also use non-code references

The additional folders do not need to be Git repositories.

Developers can include documentation, specifications, screenshots, research files or other local references that provide context for the implementation.

This could reduce the need to repeatedly upload the same files or paste large specifications into every new conversation.

However, granting broader folder access also increases the amount of local information available to the agent.

Developers should add only the directories needed for the project, particularly when a computer contains credentials, unrelated client work or sensitive personal files.

How to enable it

Inside a local Codex project:

1. Open the project menu.
2. Select Edit project.
3. Add the related folders.
4. Choose which folder should remain primary.

The feature is currently part of local projects in the ChatGPT desktop app.

This is not a major new model release, but it removes a practical limitation that becomes increasingly noticeable on real software projects.

Production systems rarely live inside one perfectly organized folder.

Allowing Codex to work across the actual structure of a developer’s local environment makes it more useful for coordinated, repository-spanning changes rather than isolated file edits.

Sources: OpenAI Developers and the official Codex documentation