codex-vscode-link-patch

Hot patch utility for the VS Code Codex/OpenAI ChatGPT extension when local file links in chat stop opening in the editor.

What It Does

This tool patches the installed openai.chatgpt-* VS Code extension by replacing webview/assets/codex-local-link-patch.js with a more aggressive local-file handler.

The patch currently improves two cases:

• Markdown links such as package.json, Dockerfile, .env, relative paths, absolute paths, and file:// links.
• Blue file-link buttons rendered by the Codex webview that do not use a normal <a> tag.

Usage

Run the patcher:

npm install
npm run patch

Or run the script directly:

node ./src/patch-vscode-links.mjs

Preview what the tool would do without writing files:

npm run patch:dry-run

Restore from backups if they exist:

npm run restore

Preview a restore without changing files:

npm run restore:dry-run

After patching, reload the VS Code window:

Developer: Reload Window

Notes

• The patch targets the newest installed openai.chatgpt-* extension under ~/.vscode/extensions/.
• If the extension updates, re-run the patch.
• The patcher keeps one-time backups at codex-local-link-patch.js.orig and, when needed, index.html.orig.
• restore only works when a backup exists for the current extension install.

Project Layout

codex-vscode-link-patch/
  README.md
  requirements.txt
  .gitignore
  package.json
  src/
    patch-vscode-links.mjs
    codex-local-link-patch.template.js
  notes/
  experiments/