Codex CLI
OpenAI's official coding agent for your terminal
- Source repo
- openai/codex
- Stars
- ★ 130k
- Last updated
- today
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Primary language
- Rust
- FA score
- Insufficient evidence
Read the setup guide: which plan includes it, install, sign-in and permissions →
At a glance
- How it runs
- Cost
- Free tier plus a paid hosted plan
- Setup effort
- Low · running in minutes
- Typical use
- Ask it to locate and fix a specific bug from the terminal
- Not a fit if
- Teams that need fully offline use without a ChatGPT account
- Developers who want an IDE or web UI and avoid the terminal
- Source review
- Insufficient evidence 8 safety controls not found
What does this agent do, and when should you use it?
Codex CLI is OpenAI's local coding agent, built in Rust and run directly from the terminal. It reads your repository, edits files, executes commands, and iterates based on what happens. It's part of the broader Codex family — the same capability is also available as an IDE extension, a desktop app, and cloud-based Codex Web — with the CLI best suited to developers who live in the terminal.
Runs inside your project directory, reads code context, edits files as needed, executes shell commands and tests, and continues based on the results; offers tiered approval/sandbox settings to control how much it can do without explicit confirmation.
- Ask it to locate and fix a specific bug from the terminal
- Have it implement a small feature matching your codebase's style and get tests passing
- Batch-refactor or clean up a module while you review each diff
- Use as a fast local iteration tool outside CI, cutting down on editor/terminal context switching
How do you install or deploy this agent?
One-line install on macOS/Linux: curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh. Package managers also work, e.g. npm install -g @openai/codex or brew install --cask codex. After installing, run codex — it will prompt you to sign in with ChatGPT (recommended, uses your Plus/Pro/Business/Edu/Enterprise plan) or configure an API key.
How do you use this agent?
Run codex inside your project directory and describe the task in natural language, e.g.: "Fix the null-pointer issue in src/parser.py and add a regression test." Codex reads the code, proposes changes, and asks for confirmation or acts directly depending on your approval level.
What are this agent's strengths and limitations?
- Officially maintained with frequent updates that track OpenAI's latest model capabilities
- Available as CLI/IDE/desktop/cloud, so switching workflows has low migration cost
- Open source (Apache-2.0), so its approval and sandbox implementation can be inspected
- Works with a ChatGPT subscription — no separate pay-as-you-go API key required
- In fully autonomous mode it executes shell commands, so users need to understand the permission boundaries or risk unintended actions
- Output quality and cost on heavier tasks depend heavily on the chosen model and context — there's no unified benchmark
- This review did not perform isolated dynamic verification, so reliability conclusions should be treated as preliminary
How does this agent compare with similar options?
Compared to similar terminal coding agents like opencode or Claude Code, Codex CLI's main differentiator is native use of a ChatGPT subscription (no separate metered API key required), plus a fairly consistent experience OpenAI maintains across IDE extension, desktop app, and cloud Codex Web. That's the biggest draw if you're already a paying ChatGPT user and want fewer separate tool accounts.
Key facts side by side with the most closely related agents.
| Agent | Source review | Form / cost | Stars | Updated | Language | Full support on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codex CLI This agent | Insufficient evidence | CLIFreemium | ★ 130k | today | Rust | — |
| Cersei — Rust SDK for Coding Agents | 60 · Some gaps | Library / SDKFree + model costs | ★ 461 | 2mo ago | Rust | OpenAI API · Claude API |
| Warp Development Environment | 44 · Major gaps | Desktop app | ★ 66k | today | Rust | — |
| DeepTide - AI Coding Agent by DeepSeek | 44 · Major gaps | CLIFree + model costs | ★ 1.1k | 2mo ago | Rust | OpenAI API · Claude API |
How does FollowAgents rate this agent?
Why each dimension lost points
Insufficient evidence: AGENTS.md does not address least privilege, user confirmation, data flow transparency, sensitive data handling, dependency security, external effects, rollback, or source attribution. It only mentions sandbox environment variables without detailing permission controls.
Insufficient evidence: AGENTS.md does not address self-consistency, dependency availability, or failure messages.
Insufficient evidence: AGENTS.md does not specify target audience, capability boundaries, trigger precision, or environment fit.
Insufficient evidence: AGENTS.md does not address information architecture, install notes, naming stability, examples/FAQ, known limitations, license, versioning/changelog, or maintenance responsibility.
Insufficient evidence: AGENTS.md does not address output usability, marginal value, or cost-benefit.
Insufficient evidence: AGENTS.md does not address claim traceability, cross-source corroboration, or fact/inference separation.
- Not found in source: least-privilege scopingGrant only what the task needs: a dedicated account or read-only token, scoped to specific directories and repos.
- Not found in source: confirmation before actingTurn on (or add) a confirmation step before it acts, and try it in a sandbox or test environment before real data.
- Not found in source: data-flow disclosureWatch which external services it contacts (proxy or firewall logs) and keep sensitive data out until you know where it goes.
- Not found in source: sensitive-data handlingUse dedicated, low-privilege, revocable API keys — never production credentials — and keep secrets out of logs.
- Not found in source: dependency securityPin versions and run a dependency audit (npm audit, pip-audit) before installing; prefer running it in a container.
- Not found in source: disclosed external effectsEstablish which external systems it writes to, sends to or changes, and verify with test accounts or repos before production.
- Not found in source: rollback or recovery pathBack up first, or work on a git branch or snapshot, so its changes can be undone.
- Not found in source: verifiable attributionInstall from the official repo or registry and check the publisher and URL to avoid look-alike packages.
- AGENTS.md only provides coding conventions and lacks security, reliability, or user interaction guidance.
- Static review cannot verify actual behavior; all scores are inferred from file contents.
Recent releases
Latest entries from the project's GitHub Releases. Notes are quoted from upstream as written, not rewritten or tested by FollowAgents.
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rust-v0.163.0 0.163.0
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rust-v0.162.1 0.162.1