# OpenAI Codex

> OpenAI's coding agent: an open-source CLI that runs locally, plus IDE, desktop-app and cloud (Codex Web) surfaces

- Category: AI Coding / Autonomous Coding Agents
- Language: Rust
- Licence: Apache-2.0
- Repository: https://github.com/openai/codex
- Website: https://openai.com/codex
- Canonical page: https://ai-tldr.dev/tools/openai-codex-agent/
- Updated: 2026-10-29

## In short

OpenAI Codex is OpenAI's coding agent. Its core is Codex CLI, an open-source agent written in Rust that runs locally on your computer and works inside your repository from the terminal. It sits in the Autonomous Coding Agents category of the AI Coding tools and is open-source, written in Rust and licensed Apache-2.0.

## Overview

OpenAI Codex is OpenAI's coding agent. Its core is Codex CLI, an open-source agent written in Rust that runs locally on your computer and works inside your repository from the terminal. The same agent is also available as an extension for VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf, as a desktop app (launched with codex app), and as Codex Web, the cloud-based agent at chatgpt.com/codex that runs tasks in parallel.

The CLI installs with a one-line script on macOS, Linux and Windows, or through npm and Homebrew; the standalone installers download from OpenAI's release host and fall back to GitHub Releases, where per-platform binaries are also published for manual installs. On first run you sign in with a ChatGPT account (Plus, Pro, Business, Edu or Enterprise plans include Codex), or configure an API key with some additional setup.

The repository is licensed under Apache-2.0 and includes contributing and build documentation plus an open-source fund. Codex in the cloud and in ChatGPT is a commercial service, which is why the catalogue lists the product as open-core: the client is open source, the hosted agent and the models behind it are not.

## What it does

- Codex CLI: an open-source (Apache-2.0) coding agent in Rust that runs locally and edits your repository from the terminal
- IDE extension for VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf, and a desktop app started with codex app
- Codex Web: OpenAI's cloud-based agent that runs coding tasks in parallel from chatgpt.com/codex
- One-line installers for macOS/Linux and Windows, plus npm and Homebrew packages and per-platform binaries on GitHub Releases
- Sign in with a ChatGPT plan (Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, Enterprise) or use an API key
- Plugins: install, list and remove plugins from remote marketplaces from the command line

## Getting started

Install the CLI, run codex, and sign in with your ChatGPT account. Everything below is from the project README.

1. Install on macOS or Linux

   The install script downloads the right binary for your platform. npm (npm install -g @openai/codex) and Homebrew (brew install --cask codex) are alternatives.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh
```

2. Install on Windows

   Run the PowerShell installer.

```text
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.ps1 | iex"
```

3. Start it and sign in

   Run codex in a project directory and choose Sign in with ChatGPT; OpenAI recommends this over an API key so Codex runs as part of your plan.

```bash
codex
```

4. Open the desktop app instead

   The same agent as a desktop application.

```bash
codex app
```

## When to use it

- Run an AI coding agent locally on your own machine with an open-source client you can read and build yourself
- Use the same agent inside VS Code, Cursor or Windsurf, or as a desktop app
- Hand off longer tasks to Codex Web to run in parallel in the cloud
- Extend the CLI with plugins from remote marketplaces

## Version history

- 2026-10-29 v0.166.0: Transcript text can be selected and searched from the keyboard, and `codex doctor --network-only` runs focused connectivity checks. `codex queue --resume` resumes unloaded threads, and GPT-6.1 Terra joins the Vertex AI and Bedrock catalogs.
- 2026-10-27 v0.165.0: Codex gains a built-in Google Cloud Vertex AI provider (model_provider = "gcp") and adds GPT-6.1 Terra to its model catalogs. Memory v2 is on by default for new profiles, and reasoning effort can be changed mid-conversation by default.
- 2026-10-23 v0.164.0: Reusable prompts and slash commands can be saved in ten numbered /presets slots, and /model and /permissions take inline arguments. Enterprise MCP connections gain account-grant and OAuth sign-in options, and the fullscreen transcript previews images on Kitty or Sixel terminals.
- 2026-10-15 v0.163.0: A follow-up message can now steer Codex while it is still answering, and independent read-only tools run in parallel. /config becomes a searchable preferences panel, and /daemon restarts the managed background server.
- 2026-10-08 v0.162.0: Managed Git worktree tools arrive for trusted local projects, and tasks can be pinned in the Command Center. /copy and Ctrl+Insert copy transcript blocks, and apply_patch now keeps CRLF line endings.
- 2026-10-07 v0.161.0: GPT-6.1 Sol becomes the default model in the bundled and Amazon Bedrock catalogs, and /mcp login signs in to MCP servers from the terminal. codex exec can pick a Cyber access program per turn.
- 2026-10-01 v0.160.0: Sessions can start outside a project with workspace defaults when policy permits, and an opt-in Guardian review can now pull in earlier user instructions and agent-handoff context. Queued messages no longer send twice after a reconnect.
- 2026-09-29 v0.159.0: Adds an opt-in instant_interrupt setting so new input can steer Codex during a model response or a long code-mode call, plus a compact welcome screen and richer Mermaid flowcharts. .aws directories are now protected by default under writable roots, and Windows no longer opens stray console windows for MCP servers.
- 2026-09-28 v0.158.0: Adds configurable copy-on-select and right-click paste to the fullscreen UI, with copied text keeping its Markdown, and connects to MCP servers that need a pre-registered OAuth client secret. Elevated commands now need approval before reading terminal input, and sandbox bugs on Windows, Linux and macOS are fixed.
- 2026-09-25 v0.157.0: Adds GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna for Amazon Bedrock users, with prompts to move off older models, and makes fullscreen transcripts the default. Network restrictions now hold across redirects and live HTTP and WebSocket traffic, and a policy change that removes access cuts the connection.