rename-codex-thread

name	rename-codex-thread
description	Rename Codex app thread labels and titles in local Codex state. Use when a user asks to rename, retitle, relabel, or make a Codex chat/thread easier to find in the Codex app sidebar or thread list, especially when the visible label still shows the first prompt such as "$start-new-task ZON-218".

Rename Codex Thread

Workflow

Use scripts/rename_codex_thread.py for all writes. The Codex app sidebar is backed by ~/.codex/state_5.sqlite or another state_*.sqlite database, not just ~/.codex/session_index.jsonl.

1. Pick a concise, human-readable title using the default format below.
2. Identify the target thread id.
3. Run the script with --thread-id <id> when known.
4. For the active/recent thread, use --current only when that is clearly what the user means.
5. Ask the user to refresh or reopen the Codex app if the old label is still cached.

Default Title Format

Use this format by default:

<tracker id>: <natural language explanatory title>

Examples:

• ZON-221: Research Stanford Autonomous Agents Lab collaboration path
• owner/repo#123: Fix webhook retry idempotency
• [no ticker]: Investigate local notification spam

For tracker-backed work, use the human-facing tracker identifier from task metadata or local context, such as a Linear identifier (ZON-221) or an equivalent GitHub issue reference (owner/repo#123). Do not use raw tracker UUIDs. If no Linear ticket, GitHub issue, or equivalent tracker exists, use [no ticker] as the prefix. The title after the colon should explain the work in natural language, not repeat the first prompt or skill invocation.

Commands

Rename a known thread:

python /home/azureuser/pro/botfiles/codex/skills/rename-codex-thread/scripts/rename_codex_thread.py \
  --thread-id 019eedf1-89cc-7c23-8cc7-a7d2bffd4bff \
  --title "ZON-218: Find the best ways to contribute to Ambuda again"

Rename the most recently updated unarchived thread:

python /home/azureuser/pro/botfiles/codex/skills/rename-codex-thread/scripts/rename_codex_thread.py \
  --current \
  --title "[no ticker]: Investigate ncmpcpp crashes and media keys"

Preview recent candidates:

python /home/azureuser/pro/botfiles/codex/skills/rename-codex-thread/scripts/rename_codex_thread.py --list

Notes

• The script creates a timestamped SQLite backup before writing unless --no-backup is passed.
• The script updates threads.title and threads.preview; it leaves first_user_message unchanged by default.
• The script appends a matching line to session_index.jsonl when that file exists, but the SQLite threads table is the authoritative app label source.
• Prefer --thread-id over --current if multiple Codex sessions may be active.