Codex App: Drag-and-Drop Message Queuing & File Search Improvements
CodexOpenAI released Codex App version 26.217 on February 17, 2026, introducing drag-and-drop support for reordering queued messages — giving developers more control over the sequence of instructions sent to the agent. The update also adds a model downgrade warning to alert users when their selected model is silently substituted, along with fuzzy file search and improved attachment recovery after restarts.
Sources & Mentions
2 external resources covering this update
New Interaction Controls
Drag-and-Drop Message Reordering
Codex App 26.217 introduces the ability to drag and drop queued messages to reorder them before they are processed by the agent. When working with multiple pending instructions, the order in which they are executed can meaningfully affect outcomes — a refactoring step may need to precede a test run, or a configuration change may need to happen before a build command. Previously, users had no direct way to reorganize their message queue without deleting and retyping entries. Drag-and-drop reordering addresses this gap, giving developers direct, tactile control over the agent's task sequence.
Model Downgrade Warnings
The update adds an explicit warning notification when the model selected for a session is downgraded — for example, if a user has chosen GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark but the system falls back to a less capable model due to availability or rate constraints. This surfaces a previously silent behavior, allowing users to make an informed decision about whether to wait, switch models manually, or proceed with the downgraded option.
Improved File Workflows
Fuzzy File Search
Codex App 26.217 adds fuzzy file search to the file selection interface, making it faster to locate and attach files in large workspaces. Rather than requiring an exact match or navigating directory trees, users can type partial or approximate names and the search narrows results dynamically. This mirrors the fuzzy search experience already familiar from code editors like VS Code, reducing friction when referencing project files mid-conversation.
Attachment Recovery After Restart
File attachments now persist across app restarts. Previously, if the Codex App was closed and reopened mid-session, attached files could be lost and would need to be reattached. The improved recovery mechanism ensures that file context is restored automatically, reducing the setup overhead when resuming work after an interruption.
Bug Fixes and General Improvements
OpenAI noted additional performance improvements and general bug fixes as part of this release, though no specific details were provided in the changelog.