## Feature request
Please support running the OpenAI Codex extension as a normal editor tab in Cursor, preferably in any editor group / split pane, rather than only as a sidebar panel.
## Current behavior
The OpenAI Codex extension currently behaves like a sidebar/panel view in Cursor. This creates layout friction:
- If Codex is in the primary sidebar, it competes with Explorer/Search/Source Control.
- Moving Codex to other layout areas is unreliable or unsupported in some Cursor versions.
- Codex is difficult to keep open next to code, diffs, tests, logs, and terminals in a stable layout.
- The workflow is less flexible than Cursor’s own editor-tab and split-pane model.
## Desired behavior
Codex should be available as a first-class editor tab, similar to how other webview-based tools can live in an editor group.
Ideally, users could:
- Open Codex in an editor tab.
- Move that tab to any split editor group: left, right, above, below.
- Keep multiple Codex sessions/tabs open, if supported by the extension.
- Preserve tab placement across reloads/restarts.
- Use Codex side-by-side with files, diffs, terminals, notebooks, and Cursor Agent.
- Avoid using the primary sidebar for long-running Codex work.
## Why this matters
For coding-agent workflows, Codex is not just a small auxiliary panel. It often needs to stay visible while reviewing source files, generated diffs, test output, and documentation.
The sidebar model works for short chats, but it becomes limiting for larger engineering tasks. An editor-tab workflow would make Codex feel much more native inside Cursor and would reduce layout conflicts with Cursor’s existing left/right sidebars.
## Example workflow
1. Open a repository in Cursor.
2. Start Codex from the OpenAI Codex extension.
3. Choose “Open Codex in Editor Tab” or run a command such as:
- `Codex: New Codex Editor Tab`
4. Drag the Codex tab into a right-side split editor group.
5. Keep source files open on the left and Codex open on the right.
6. Review diffs/test output without Codex displacing Explorer or Cursor Agent.
## Related current limitations
OpenAI’s Codex IDE documentation describes Codex as opening in the editor sidebar, with Cursor-specific guidance for activity bar/sidebar behavior. Cursor users have also reported layout issues around Codex and secondary sidebar placement.
This request is not only to fix secondary-sidebar rendering. The broader request is to support Codex as a regular editor tab / webview editor so it can participate in Cursor’s normal editor layout system.
## Environment
- Cursor version:
- OS: <macOS / Windows / Linux + version>
- OpenAI Codex extension version:
- Extension identifier, if visible: `openai.chatgpt`
- Reproducible with a clean Cursor profile: <yes/no/unknown>
## Acceptance criteria
- Codex can be opened as an editor tab.
- The tab can be moved between editor groups.
- Placement persists after reload/restart.
- Codex remains usable when Explorer, Cursor Agent, terminal, and diffs are open.
- Existing sidebar behavior remains available for users who prefer it.