Codex Multi-Profile (Windows)

Unofficial helper for Codex Desktop on Windows when you need more than one authorized ChatGPT login and still want one shared workspace. Not for account sharing, quota bypass, or Terms-of-Use violations.

Pick an account (humans)

The product is Codex Accounts (Show-CodexAccountApp.ps1): a dark WPF window that lists profiles (masked email, last-used, depleted, sticky paths). Click a row launches Launch-CodexProfile.ps1 -FastSwitch (closes any open clone, uses saved auth.json, no password). This app does not implement chatgpt.com / device-code login; first-run still uses AuthSwap bootstrap inside Codex.

$root = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\CodexParallelDesktop"
powershell -NoProfile -STA -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\Show-CodexAccountApp.ps1"
# or
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action accounts

CLI route / pool / stick / depleted stay for agents.

Default: ShareLive + AuthSwap

Piece	Where it lives
Sessions, skills, MCP, memories, projects	Always %USERPROFILE%\.codex
Account	profiles\<name>\auth.json, swapped into ~\.codex\auth.json at launch
On close	Watcher saves secondary auth back, then restores main auth.json
Electron UI	--user-data-dir=profiles\<name> (profile root, not a nested electron\ folder)

Do not open the main Store Codex and a profile at the same time.

Why AuthSwap (not a second CODEX_HOME)

The Desktop app-server sometimes ignores CODEX_HOME and reads ~\.codex\auth.json anyway. A second home then shows the main account. AuthSwap puts the secondary token in the path the app actually reads.

Launch rules (verified)

1. Do not run executables from WindowsApps (Access Denied). Clone ChatGPT.exe first.
2. Entry point is ChatGPT.exe. Codex.exe exits 1.
3. Get-AppxPackage.InstallLocation can be empty — prefer an existing local clone.
4. Set both CODEX_ELECTRON_USER_DATA_PATH and --user-data-dir to the profile root.
5. Do not rely on Start-Process inheriting $env:CODEX_HOME. Write a .cmd with set and start.
6. PowerShell 5.1 Set-Content -Encoding UTF8 writes a BOM. That can invalidate config.toml. Use [IO.File]::WriteAllText(..., UTF8Encoding $false).
7. Never set a persistent user-level CODEX_HOME.
8. Never copy auth.json between machines or into git.

Paths

Item	Path
Install root	%LOCALAPPDATA%\CodexParallelDesktop
Shared module	CodexMultiProfile.psm1
Account picker	Show-CodexAccountApp.ps1 (Desktop: Codex Accounts)
Profile launcher	Launch-CodexProfile.ps1
Restore main	Launch-CodexMain.ps1
Manager	CodexProfile.ps1 (accounts, new, list, status, doctor, pool, stick, route, depleted, layer, models, …)
Profiles	...\profiles\<name>\
Clone	...\versions\<ver>\app\ChatGPT.exe
Shared home	%USERPROFILE%\.codex

Commands

$root = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\CodexParallelDesktop"

# Recommended: account picker
powershell -NoProfile -STA -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\Show-CodexAccountApp.ps1"

# Recommended launch (AuthSwap, one named profile)
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\Launch-CodexProfile.ps1" -Name codex1

# Restore main Store Codex
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\Launch-CodexMain.ps1"

# Manager
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action new -Name codex2
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action list
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action status
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action status -AsJson
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action doctor
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action processes
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action repair
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action sync-check
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action diagnostics
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action verify
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action stop -Name codex1
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action remove -Name codex2 -Force
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action pool
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action stick -Name codex1
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action route
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action depleted -Name codex1
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action layer
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action models
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action accounts

Agent workflow

1. Human wants to pick an account → Show-CodexAccountApp.ps1 (or -Action accounts). Do not treat PowerShell route as the product UI.
2. "Switch account / keep my data" → AuthSwap via Launch-CodexProfile.ps1.
3. "Create another profile" → -Action new, then launch with Launch-CodexProfile.ps1.
4. Wrong account in the UI → compare emails in the two auth.json files; fix launch (cmd wrapper); do not tell the user to log in again if profile auth is still valid.
5. Access Denied / empty path / exit 1 → clone ChatGPT.exe, never WindowsApps, never empty InstallLocation.
6. After editing scripts, copy CodexMultiProfile.psm1 and the launchers into %LOCALAPPDATA%\CodexParallelDesktop and into scripts\ in this skill. Launchers import the module from $PSScriptRoot.
7. "Is it installed / which account is active?" → -Action status (emails are masked) then -Action doctor / -Action verify.
8. "Stuck on secondary account / stale lock" → -Action repair (close clones first).
9. "Bug report" / safe GitHub log → -Action diagnostics or Redact-LaunchTrace.ps1.

Router (opt-in, one window)

Humans pick in Codex Accounts. Agents use the actions below. Windows counterpart of b-nnett/codex-subscription-router routing, still AuthSwap (one auth.json).

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action pool
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action stick -Name codex1
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action route
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action depleted -Name codex1
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action depleted -Name codex1 -Disable

New work -> least-recently-used non-depleted profile. Same git repo -> sticky. Depleted owner -> failover. All depleted -> one message. If a Codex window is open, print the choice (do not launch a second window).

Layer and ChatGPT Web models are off by default:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action layer
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action layer -Disable
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action models
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$root\CodexProfile.ps1" -Action models -Disable

Layer targets the cloned ChatGPT.exe only. Models only write config.toml (no BOM) for a local Responses bridge on 127.0.0.1. This repo does not log into chatgpt.com and does not name a companion app.

Poisoned profile auth

If the user opens Codex Main while a profile is still running, restore can write the main token into profiles\<name>\auth.json.

Guards already in the scripts:

• Watcher / Launch-CodexMain only save profile auth when the active email differs from auth.json.__main__
• Keep auth.json.secondary.bak
• If profile auth is missing or equals main → bootstrap login (clear active auth, force secondary sign-in)

Do not

• Copy or commit auth.json
• Open main + profile ShareLive together
• Launch Codex.exe or a WindowsApps path
• Start-Process without an explicit cmd/CODEX_HOME
• Write config.toml with Set-Content -Encoding UTF8 on Windows PowerShell 5.1

Details: docs/architecture.md, docs/troubleshooting.md.