How to recover Codex on Windows without overwriting live state

Why safe-folder recovery should come first

A backup can be old, incomplete, damaged, or simply the wrong point in time. Restoring it directly over live Codex state can turn one problem into two. A separate recovery folder preserves the current state while giving you something concrete to inspect.

Safe-folder recovery is especially important when you are unsure whether the issue affects one session, configuration, skills, SQLite-backed state, or the entire Codex workspace.

A recovery sequence that keeps options open

1. 01

   Preserve the current state

   Before changing anything, make a separate copy of the current native Windows Codex state if it is still readable. Label it with the date and problem you observed.

2. 02

   Choose a backup from before the incident

   Use a recovery point that is old enough to contain the missing state but recent enough to avoid unnecessary loss of later work.

3. 03

   Validate before extraction

   Check that the backup is complete and unmodified. If its integrity cannot be established, do not treat the output as trustworthy.

4. 04

   Recover to a new empty folder

   Keep the destination outside the active CODEX_HOME. Refuse non-empty or ambiguous targets so recovered and current state cannot be mixed accidentally.

5. 05

   Inspect and compare

   Confirm the expected sessions, settings, skills, and other categories are present. Compare before copying anything into active use.

6. 06

   Reintroduce only what you understand

   Prefer targeted, reviewable changes. Inspect a separate recovery before deliberately changing active Codex state.

Stop if any of these are true

• You cannot identify which Windows or WSL environment owns the state
• The backup has no trustworthy integrity check
• The recovery destination is the live CODEX_HOME or already contains files
• The backup was created after the data disappeared
• You are being asked to copy plaintext credentials into a shared location

Common questions