Codex extension sidebar and commands missing in WSL Remote workspace (works on Windows local)

Support Help
,
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Environment

  • Cursor version: 3.14.7
  • VS Code base: 1.128.0
  • OS: Windows (host) + WSL2 Ubuntu (remote)
  • Extension: Codex (openai.chatgpt v26.721.30844), installed on Local (Windows)
  • Remote: WSL (WSL: Ubuntu) via Anysphere Remote WSL
  • Setting: "chatgpt.runCodexInWindowsSubsystemForLinux": true in User settings.json

Actual behavior

  • On Windows local (non-remote window): Codex sidebar icon and UI work correctly.
  • On WSL Remote window: Codex does not appear in the Activity Bar, and no Codex commands appear in the Command Palette.
  • View: Open View does not list Codex as a standalone sidebar option in the remote window.
  • View: Reset View Locations and Developer: Reload Window do not fix the issue.

Extension / log details

Codex is installed only on Windows local:

  • C:\Users\<user>\.cursor\extensions\openai.chatgpt-26.721.30844-win32-x64
  • Not installed under ~/.cursor-server/extensions/ on WSL.

Renderer log shows API proposal errors on load:

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Install Codex extension on Local (Windows).
  2. Optionally set "chatgpt.runCodexInWindowsSubsystemForLinux": true in User settings and reload.
  3. Open a folder via Remote - WSL (status bar shows WSL: Ubuntu).
  4. Observe Activity Bar: Codex icon is missing.
  5. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and search for Codex → no commands found.
  6. Open the same project on Windows local (without WSL remote) → Codex works.

Expected Behavior

When opening a project via WSL Remote (WSL: Ubuntu in the status bar), the Codex extension should appear in the Activity Bar (same as on Windows local), and Codex commands should be available in the Command Palette (e.g. Codex: New Codex Agent, Codex: Open Codex Sidebar).

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Cursor version: 3.14.7

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the detailed report. This isn’t a bug, it’s how extensions work in remote windows.

Codex openai.chatgpt is a workspace extension, so in a WSL Remote window it runs on the remote host WSL, not on the Windows host. Right now it’s only installed on Windows local at C:\Users\<user>\.cursor\extensions\..., and it’s not under ~/.cursor-server/extensions/ in WSL. That’s why in the remote window you don’t see the Activity Bar icon or any commands. This is standard behavior for the remote model, same in VS Code with Remote-WSL.

To fix it:

  • Open the folder via WSL Remote, you should see WSL: Ubuntu in the status bar.
  • Open Extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X, find Codex. You’ll see it under Local - Installed with an Install in WSL: Ubuntu button.
  • Click that, then Reload Window.

After that, the icon and commands Codex: New Codex Agent and Codex: Open Codex Sidebar will show up in the remote window.

A couple notes:

  • The setting "chatgpt.runCodexInWindowsSubsystemForLinux": true won’t fix this. It only makes a Windows-local install run the codex CLI inside WSL, it does not affect WSL-Remote windows.
  • The API proposal errors in the renderer log aren’t related. They’re cosmetic and don’t block anything, since it works on Windows local even with them.

If after installing in WSL the panel opens but gets stuck on the Codex logo, tell me and we’ll handle that separately.