Codex Vault · verified recovery

Recover a missing Codex conversation.

A thread can disappear from the recent list while its local transcript still exists. Search first. If the live file is truly missing, inspect a verified backup before changing anything.

1. Check the live transcript trees

Vault searches supported active and archived local Codex conversations outside the sidebar. If the transcript is still present, open or export it without modifying Codex.

2. Inspect a backup privately

Open a verified encrypted snapshot and search it before installing anything. Vault decrypts recovery data into an empty location for inspection rather than overwriting live history.

3. Recover only what is missing

Add one missing conversation while proving every pre-existing transcript remains unchanged. If the same thread identity already exists with different content, Vault stops instead of overwriting it or inventing a merge.

Complete snapshot recovery is separate

Installing a complete snapshot requires another confirmation. Codex must be closed; Vault creates and verifies a rollback backup first; authentication and installation identity remain untouched.

No tool can recover data that was never saved. If later turns were never written to disk and no earlier backup contains them, Vault cannot reconstruct them. Automatic daily backup reduces the size of that gap; it does not make impossible recovery claims.

Moved to a new Mac?

If the history is missing because you changed computers, preserve the old Mac and use the broader Mac-to-Mac migration workflow. It transfers portable Codex state and selected workspaces while preserving the new Mac’s authentication and installation identity.