Main Chat is a project-level Codex conversation bound to a specific registered host and a host-side project root folder. Use it when you want to inspect or change an existing project without creating a new branch workspace first. Main Chat is different from Project Chat and issue workspaces:
AreaProject ChatMain ChatWorkspace
PurposeProject messages and notesProject-level Codex contextIssue or task execution context
Host requiredNoYesYes
FolderNoneExisting host project rootHost-side workspace folder/worktree
Codex executionNoYesYes
BranchingNoDoes not create a new branch by itselfCreates or attaches a branch/worktree
Git mutation flowsNoWorkspace-only branch actions are blockedBranch/fork, PR, push, merge, and rebase flows are available

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Configure Main Chat

1

Register and select a host

Confirm the host is online in Settings → Remote Access or from the host picker in the app shell.
2

Open Remote Projects settings

Go to Settings → Remote Projects, select the organisation and project, then open the Main Chat configuration.
3

Choose the host project root

Select the registered host and enter the absolute project root path on that host. The host validates that the path exists and is a directory.
4

Open Main Chat

Use Open Main Chat from the project board or the project sidebar. Jaidu opens the host-side main workspace and shows the current writable CLI Thread for that project root.

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What Main Chat Can Do

From Main Chat you can:
  • send prompts to Codex through the selected host;
  • inspect and edit files under the bound project root;
  • run terminal commands on the host;
  • inspect Git branch and diff state;
  • run Codex /plan;
  • view project-level GitHub or pull request changes exposed by the host.
Main Chat does not create a temporary workspace folder just because you open or continue the conversation.
Use Project Chat instead when you only need project messages, notes, or Telegram text and recording imports without Codex execution.

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Main Chat Threads

Main Chat can have multiple threads, but only one thread is writable at a time for the selected host and project root. Starting another CLI Thread keeps the same host project root and filesystem state, creates a fresh Codex conversation, and makes the previous threads read-only. Read-only CLI Threads stay available for history, logs, rollback history, and context inspection. They cannot receive new messages, retries, resets, reviews, setup runs, or queued follow-ups until you activate them. Use a new Main Chat thread when:
  • the previous conversation is too long;
  • you want a separate investigation thread;
  • you want another Codex conversation for the same project root.
To continue an older thread, select it and choose Activate thread. Jaidu activates that thread only when no other non-devserver Codex interaction is running in the same Main Chat workspace. After activation, the selected thread becomes writable and the other Main Chat threads for that host project root become read-only.
The writable-thread limit applies to one Main Chat workspace: one selected host and one bound project root. It does not globally block Main Chat threads for other projects on the same host.
Use an issue workspace instead when you need a branch/fork, isolated worktree, or PR workflow.

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Rollback History In Imported Threads

Imported Codex CLI threads can include rollback events, such as when you press Esc in Codex CLI and continue from an earlier point. Main Chat treats that as history branching inside the same thread:
  • the active thread shows the continuation after the rollback;
  • the turns that were rolled back from remain available as rollback history;
  • rollback history opens as a chat-like read-only view;
  • you cannot send, retry, reset, or edit from a rollback history view.
Use the active thread when you want to continue working. Use rollback history when you need to inspect what happened before the rollback without changing the conversation. Rollback history read-only state is separate from CLI Thread read-only state. A rollback history view is always read-only because it shows an older path inside one imported thread. A read-only CLI Thread is a whole thread that has been superseded by another writable thread in the same Main Chat workspace.

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Import Codex CLI Threads

If you have already used Codex CLI directly in the same project folder on the selected host, you can import those conversations into Main Chat as separate threads. To import existing CLI threads:
1

Configure Main Chat for the same folder

Select the registered host and project root that you used with Codex CLI. Jaidu matches CLI threads whose working directory is that root or a folder inside it.
2

Import CLI threads

From the project Workspace CLI Threads controls, select the host and choose Import CLI Threads. If the backing workspace has not been opened yet, Jaidu creates it before importing.
3

Open Main Chat

Open Main Chat to view imported CLI conversations in the thread list. Each matched Codex CLI conversation appears as its own Main Chat thread. If Main Chat already has an active writable thread, newly imported threads are read-only until you activate one.
Jaidu shows how many thread files were scanned, matched, imported, and skipped after the import completes. You can run the import again; existing imported threads and turns are not duplicated. When an import depth is selected, Jaidu uses the latest event timestamp in each Codex CLI thread. A long-running thread created under an older date folder is still eligible when it was updated within the selected window.
Importing CLI threads adds conversation history to Main Chat. It does not copy Project Chat messages, create branches, create worktrees, or turn imported threads into issue workspaces.

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Missing Project Folders

A Main Chat binding can become stale if the host folder is moved or deleted after configuration. When that happens, Jaidu keeps the binding visible enough to repair it and reports that the host project folder is missing. Reconfigure Main Chat with the new valid path instead of debugging it as a generic bad-path error.

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Boundaries

Main Chat workspaces intentionally block workspace-only mutation flows such as:
  • fork/branch creation from Main Chat;
  • workspace Git push, merge, rebase, and branch rename actions;
  • PR/branch lifecycle flows that mutate workspace branches.
Main Chat review is supported as an inspection/review workflow for the bound project root. It does not enable workspace-only Git mutations.