I built a GNOME extension for Codex with local/remote history, live filters, Markdown export, and a read-only MCP server

I wanted Codex to feel like a real GNOME app instead of just a terminal or editor workflow, so I built a GNOME Shell extension around it.

It currently does all of this:

- Codex usage in the GNOME top bar

- native GTK history window

- local session history browsing

- paired remote machine history browsing over LAN

- live session updates

- filters for All / Messages / Tools / Thinking / System / Errors

- in-session search

- Markdown export for one session or all sessions from a source

- read-only MCP server for history and usage

- multi-language support

A few design choices mattered a lot to me:

- native GNOME/Libadwaita UI, not a webview

- read-only remote access

- explicit pairing between machines

- revocable trust per device

- read-only MCP, local by default, token-protected by default

It ended up being much more ambitious than a typical GNOME extension, but I wanted something that actually feels integrated into the desktop. 😊