fix(switch): add explicit daemon restart and stale-auth recovery

build.zig

@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
         "tests/tui_session_test.zig",
         "tests/tui_table_test.zig",
         "tests/workflows_core_test.zig",
+        "tests/workflows_daemon_test.zig",
         "tests/workflows_live_test.zig",
     };
 

docs/commands/switch.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ codex-auth switch [--api|--skip-api]
 codex-auth switch --live [--api|--skip-api]
 codex-auth switch <query>
 codex-auth switch <query> --json
+codex-auth switch [<query>|-] --restart-daemon
 ```
 
 ## Previous Switch
@@ -65,3 +66,28 @@ When switching succeeds:
 5. The success message uses the same identity label as singleton rows, for example `Switched to me(test@example.com)`.
 
 The previous-account pointer is internal CLI state and is not included in JSON responses.
+
+## Applying a Switch to a Running Daemon
+
+Modern Codex clients can share a background app-server daemon that caches authentication. Updating `auth.json` alone may leave that daemon using the previous account, including when another terminal client connects.
+
+One-shot switches detect a responsive daemon and print a restart hint on stderr. Restarting is opt-in:
+
+```shell
+codex-auth switch personal --restart-daemon
+codex-auth switch - --restart-daemon
+codex-auth switch personal --json --restart-daemon
+```
+
+`--restart-daemon` applies the selected credentials to the running daemon after account activation and registry persistence succeed. Codex daemons reload auth in place without interrupting attached sessions; upstream daemons without reload support are restarted instead, which can interrupt all attached sessions. It also covers stale daemon authentication and retries after a failed attempt. Reconnect, verify the account, and resume work as needed.
+
+- The selected `CODEX_HOME` is passed to both lifecycle commands. The home’s managed executable is preferred, with supported legacy layouts and a PATH fallback.
+- Responsiveness is checked with `codex app-server daemon version`. A missing control endpoint is treated as best-effort absence: no daemon is started. A stale endpoint or other probe error leaves the state unconfirmed; an explicit request then fails without invoking restart.
+- The responsiveness check occurs immediately before restart. If the daemon disappears afterward, Codex’s supported restart command can start one; this race is accepted.
+- The restart helper has a fixed 120-second timeout. Failure or timeout preserves the selected files, reports an unconfirmed daemon account state, and returns exit code 1. Only the helper process is terminated and reaped on timeout; daemon shutdown/startup may already have begun. No automatic retry or credential rollback occurs.
+- Diagnostics and manual status/recovery commands are printed on stderr, with the selected home and executable. A successful version response proves responsiveness, not account identity.
+- In JSON mode, stdout remains the existing switch-selection document. It can accompany exit code 1 when the subsequent requested restart fails.
+- `--restart-daemon` is rejected with `--live`. Live switching, login, import, and remove retain their existing activation behavior and may also require manual daemon coordination.
+- Older installations without a daemon endpoint remain a successful no-op. Platforms outside Linux, macOS, and Windows receive an honest unsupported-coordination hint for explicit requests.
+
+No daemon-restart preference is persisted and the registry schema is unchanged.

src/cli/commands/switch.zig

@@ -11,6 +11,14 @@ pub fn parse(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, args: []const [:0]const u8) !types.Pa
     var opts: types.SwitchOptions = .{};
     for (args) |raw_arg| {
         const arg = std.mem.sliceTo(raw_arg, 0);
+        if (std.mem.eql(u8, arg, "--restart-daemon")) {
+            if (opts.restart_daemon) {
+                freeTarget(allocator, opts.target);
+                return common.usageErrorResultWithJson(allocator, .switch_account, json_requested, "duplicate `--restart-daemon` for `switch`.", .{});
+            }
+            opts.restart_daemon = true;
+            continue;
+        }
         if (std.mem.eql(u8, arg, "--live")) {
             if (opts.live) {
                 freeTarget(allocator, opts.target);
@@ -68,6 +76,10 @@ pub fn parse(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, args: []const [:0]const u8) !types.Pa
         else
             .{ .query = try allocator.dupe(u8, arg) };
     }
+    if (opts.live and opts.restart_daemon) {
+        freeTarget(allocator, opts.target);
+        return common.usageErrorResultWithJson(allocator, .switch_account, json_requested, "`--restart-daemon` cannot be combined with `--live`.", .{});
+    }
     if (opts.live and opts.json) {
         freeTarget(allocator, opts.target);
         return common.usageErrorResultWithJson(allocator, .switch_account, true, "`--live` cannot be combined with `--json`.", .{});

src/cli/help.zig

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ pub fn writeHelp(
     try writeCommandDetail(out, use_color, "switch [--live] [--api|--skip-api]");
     try writeCommandDetail(out, use_color, "switch <alias|email|display-number|query>");
     try writeCommandDetail(out, use_color, "switch <query> --json");
+    try writeCommandDetail(out, use_color, "switch <query> --restart-daemon");
     try writeCommandSummary(out, use_color, "remove", "Remove one or more accounts");
     try writeCommandDetail(out, use_color, "remove [--live] [--api|--skip-api]");
     try writeCommandDetail(out, use_color, "remove <alias|email|display-number|query>...");
@@ -214,6 +215,7 @@ fn writeUsageLines(out: *std.Io.Writer, topic: HelpTopic) !void {
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch [--live] [--api|--skip-api]\n");
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch <alias|email|display-number|query>\n");
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch <query> --json\n");
+            try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch [<query>|-] --restart-daemon\n");
         },
         .remove_account => {
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth remove [--live] [--api|--skip-api]\n");
@@ -287,6 +289,9 @@ fn writeOptionLines(out: *std.Io.Writer, topic: HelpTopic) !void {
             try out.writeAll("  --api        Load usage and account data from APIs.\n");
             try out.writeAll("  --skip-api   Load usage and account data from local data only (may be inaccurate).\n");
             try out.writeAll("  --json       Emit one machine-readable JSON document for non-interactive switch.\n");
+            try out.writeAll("  --restart-daemon\n");
+            try out.writeAll("               Restart a responsive daemon after switching, including unchanged-file recovery.\n");
+            try out.writeAll("               Can interrupt attached sessions; cannot be combined with --live.\n");
             try out.writeAll("  <alias|email|display-number|query>\n");
             try out.writeAll("               Switch directly when the target resolves to one account.\n");
             try out.writeAll("  -            Switch to the previous active account.\n");
@@ -365,6 +370,7 @@ fn writeExampleLines(out: *std.Io.Writer, topic: HelpTopic) !void {
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch --api\n");
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch --skip-api\n");
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch personal\n");
+            try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch personal --restart-daemon\n");
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch john@example.com\n");
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch 02\n");
             try out.writeAll("  codex-auth switch work\n");

src/cli/output.zig

@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 const std = @import("std");
+const builtin = @import("builtin");
+const daemon = @import("../workflows/codex_daemon.zig");
 const display_rows = @import("../tui/display.zig");
 const registry = @import("../registry/root.zig");
 const io_util = @import("../core/io_util.zig");
@@ -10,6 +12,69 @@ const io = @import("io.zig");
 
 const UsageError = types.UsageError;
 
+pub fn printCodexDaemonDiagnostic(home: []const u8, executable: []const u8, outcome: daemon.Outcome, requested: bool) !void {
+    var stderr: io_util.Stderr = undefined;
+    stderr.init();
+    try writeCodexDaemonDiagnosticTo(stderr.out(), home, executable, outcome, requested);
+    try stderr.out().flush();
+}
+
+pub fn writeCodexDaemonDiagnosticTo(out: *std.Io.Writer, home: []const u8, executable: []const u8, outcome: daemon.Outcome, requested: bool) !void {
+    switch (outcome) {
+        .not_running => {
+            if (requested) try out.writeAll("Account files switched successfully; no running Codex daemon was found, so no restart was attempted.\n");
+            return;
+        },
+        .restarted => {
+            try out.writeAll("Account files switched successfully; Codex daemon restart completed. Reconnect and verify the selected account.\n");
+            return;
+        },
+        .reloaded => {
+            try out.writeAll("Account files switched successfully; the running daemon reloaded the new credentials without a restart.\n");
+            return;
+        },
+        .deferred => {
+            try out.writeAll("Account files switched successfully; the daemon deferred the reload until the running turn finishes. Rerun `switch --restart-daemon` afterwards.\n");
+            return;
+        },
+        .running => try out.writeAll("A running Codex daemon may still use cached credentials. Use `switch --restart-daemon` to apply the selection or repair stale authentication. Restarting can interrupt attached sessions.\n"),
+        .unknown => try out.writeAll(if (requested)
+            "Account files switched successfully; daemon responsiveness could not be confirmed. The requested restart was not attempted.\n"
+        else
+            "Account files switched successfully; daemon responsiveness could not be confirmed. Its account state is unconfirmed.\n"),
+        .restart_failed => try out.writeAll("Account files switched successfully; requested daemon restart failed. The daemon may be stopping or starting; its account state is unconfirmed.\n"),
+        .timed_out => try out.writeAll("Account files switched successfully; daemon restart did not complete within 120 seconds. The daemon may still be stopping or starting; its account state is unconfirmed.\n"),
+        .unsupported => {
+            if (!requested) return;
+            try out.writeAll("Account files switched successfully; automatic daemon coordination is unsupported on this platform. Check which lifecycle commands your Codex installation supports.\n");
+        },
+    }
+    try out.writeAll("Check daemon status before retrying (a version response does not verify account identity):\n  ");
+    try writeDaemonCommandTo(out, home, executable, "version");
+    try out.writeAll("\nIf a restart is needed:\n  ");
+    try writeDaemonCommandTo(out, home, executable, "restart");
+    try out.writeAll("\n");
+}
+
+fn writeDaemonCommandTo(out: *std.Io.Writer, home: []const u8, executable: []const u8, command: []const u8) !void {
+    try out.writeAll(if (builtin.os.tag == .windows) "$env:CODEX_HOME = " else "CODEX_HOME=");
+    try writeShellArgumentTo(out, home);
+    try out.writeAll(if (builtin.os.tag == .windows) "; & " else " ");
+    try writeShellArgumentTo(out, executable);
+    try out.print(" app-server daemon {s}", .{command});
+}
+
+fn writeShellArgumentTo(out: *std.Io.Writer, arg: []const u8) !void {
+    try out.writeAll("'");
+    var parts = std.mem.splitScalar(u8, arg, '\'');
+    try out.writeAll(parts.first());
+    while (parts.next()) |part| {
+        try out.writeAll(if (builtin.os.tag == .windows) "''" else "'\\''");
+        try out.writeAll(part);
+    }
+    try out.writeAll("'");
+}
+
 fn importReportStyle(outcome: registry.ImportOutcome) []const u8 {
     return switch (outcome) {
         .imported, .updated => style.ansi.green,

src/cli/types.zig

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ pub const SwitchOptions = struct {
     live: bool = false,
     api_mode: ApiMode = .default,
     json: bool = false,
+    restart_daemon: bool = false,
 };
 pub const RemoveOptions = struct {
     selectors: [][]const u8,