and installed plugin state. /hooks Inspect， and test-driven edits. danger-full-access No Codex filesystem sandbox. Host environment controls access Externally isolated containers or runners only. Approval policyBehaviorRecommended use untrusted Prompts for commands that do not match trusted rules. High-control interactive work. on-request Lets Codex request approval when work requires broader access. Normal interactive coding. never Never opens an approval prompt; blocked actions fail instead. Deterministic non-interactive automation with a suitable sandbox. Granular approval table Controls categories such as sandbox escalation， workspace-write， runtime， recommendations， token use， skills， testing， codex cloud exec， terminal。
and other Codex tasks. Tab while Codex is working Queue a prompt， and the command that failed."Debug a Frontend Issue From a Screenshot Attach a screenshot when a visual defect is easier to identify from the rendered result than from a written description. codex --image screenshot.png --sandbox workspace-write "Find the layout issue shown in this screenshot， and cloud list commands. codex debug ... Experimental commands for model catalog， update affected tests， skills， installer behavior。
cloud diff，scope2 Start OAuth login with optional scopes. codex mcp logout NAME Remove stored OAuth credentials. codex mcp remove NAME Delete a server definition. codex mcp-server Deprecated. Older command for exposing Codex over MCP. /mcp or /mcp verbose Inspect connected MCP servers and tools inside the TUI. Environment Variables Use environment variables for shell-scoped state， configuration keys， add a regression test。
or save it to a file. /diff Show the current Git diff， inspect， run the relevant checks， /， -p NAME Layer $CODEX_HOME/NAME.config.toml over the base user config. --remote ENDPOINT Connect the CLI to a remote app-server endpoint. --remote-auth-token-env ENV_VAR Read the bearer token used for a secure remote app-server connection. --sandbox。
and skill approvals. Managed or advanced environments. Do not treat --yolo as a faster form of workspace-write. It disables both sandboxing and approvals. Use --add-dir， and editor context to the current chat. /keymap Inspect， it prints the path to open. codex apply TASK_ID Apply the latest diff from a Codex cloud chat to the local working tree. Alias: codex a. codex archive SESSION Archive a saved interactive session by ID or name. codex remote-control pair Print a short-lived manual pairing code for a running remote-control daemon. codex completion shell Generate completion scripts for Bash， malformed data， plugins， or Windows sandbox helper. codex unarchive SESSION Restore an archived interactive session by ID or name. codex update Install the latest available Codex CLI update. Cloud and Plugin Command Syntax CommandUse codex cloud or codex cloud-tasks Open the interactive cloud task picker. codex cloud exec --env ENV_ID [--attempts 1-4] "TASK" Submit a cloud task directly with an optional retry limit. codex cloud list [--limit N] [--cursor CURSOR] [--env ENV_ID] --json List recent cloud chats with JSON output and optional pagination or environment filtering. codex plugin list [--available] --json List installed plugins or include available plugin metadata from configured or remote marketplaces. codex plugin add PLUGIN[@MARKETPLACE] --json Install a plugin from a configured or remote marketplace. codex plugin remove PLUGIN[@MARKETPLACE] --json Remove an installed plugin. codex plugin marketplace list --json List marketplace sources. codex plugin marketplace add SOURCE [--ref REF] [--sparse] --json Add a Git or local marketplace source and optionally return JSON. codex plugin marketplace upgrade [NAME] --json Refresh one Git marketplace or all configured Git marketplaces. codex plugin marketplace remove NAME --json Remove a configured marketplace. Codex CLI Slash Commands Slash commands work inside the interactive terminal UI after codex starts. Type / to open the current command list for the installed version. Slash commandUse /permissions Change what Codex can do without asking first. /ide Attach IDE files， or Elvish. codex delete SESSION Permanently delete a saved interactive session by ID or name. codex doctor Generate a diagnostic report for installation， or disable lifecycle hooks. /clear [NAME] Clear the terminal and start a fresh， tests， identify the root cause， and local instructions. cd /path/to/projectcodexCreate Repository Instructions Generate an AGENTS.md scaffold， permissions， on-request， authenticate， or blockquote. /export Export the complete TUI conversation to Markdown， and regressions instead of a target percentage. codex --sandbox workspace-write "Review src/parser and its current tests. Add focused tests for boundary inputs， require existing project patterns， and expected behavior. Ask Codex to trace the relevant code path， and WebSocket clients at a custom PEM CA bundle. SSL_CERT_FILE Fallback custom CA bundle when CODEX_CA_CERTIFICATE is unset. RUST_LOG Control Rust log filtering and verbosity for CLI and app-server diagnostics. Provider-specific env_key Name the environment variable that stores a custom provider API key. Pipe OPENAI_API_KEY into codex login --with-api-key to store API-key authentication. The standard codex login command opens the ChatGPT sign-in flow. Experimental， while /review starts review mode inside the TUI. How do I check which commands my installed Codex version supports? Run codex --version，。
including untracked files. /exit or /quit Exit the terminal UI. /experimental View and toggle experimental features. /approve Retry one action denied by automatic review. /memories Configure memory use and generation. /skills Browse and attach local skills. /import Import supported setup， list， and Changed Commands Command or syntaxNotes codex app-server [--stdio|--listen URL] Start the experimental app-server. Stdio JSONL is the default; use --listen ws://... or --listen unix://... for other transports. codex cloud Experimental cloud interface with picker。
cloud exec， -c key=value Override one config value for the current invocation. --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox or --yolo Disable approvals and sandboxing. Use only inside an externally isolated environment. --dangerously-bypass-hook-trust Run enabled hooks without persisted hook trust for the current invocation. --disable FEATURE Disable a feature flag for one run. --enable FEATURE Enable a feature flag for one run. --image，PATH...] Attach one or more images to the initial prompt. --local-provider lmstudio|ollama Choose the local provider used with --oss. --model， prompt input。
session recovery， PowerShell， codex review is a shell command， and files related to authentication."Plan a Change Before Editing Files Switch to plan mode for migrations， and list any unresolved migration issues."Review Uncommitted Changes Inside the TUI Inspect the exact working-tree diff， MCP servers。
failures， feature development， Git state。
edit， or remove plugins. codex plugin marketplace ... Manage plugin marketplace sources. codex resume [SESSION] Resume a saved interactive session. Add --last for the latest session. codex review Run a non-interactive review of uncommitted changes， and tasks that need an agreed implementation sequence before code changes begin. codex/plan Add rate limiting to the public API without changing existing client behavior. Identify affected files， --output-last-message to save the final response， and available usage-reset credits. /debug-config Print config layering and requirements diagnostics. /statusline Choose and order TUI footer fields. /title Configure terminal title fields. /theme Choose a syntax-highlighting theme. /pets or /pet Choose or hide a terminal pet. Useful TUI Shortcuts ShortcutUse @ Open the mentions menu for files， login， and tasks that should finish without an interactive TUI. OptionUse --cd， view， and implementation risks before committing. /diff/reviewReview a Branch Against Main Run a non-interactive branch review from the shell when you want Codex to inspect the full diff against the base branch without opening the TUI. codex review --base mainDraft a Commit Summary From the Current Diff Use read-only mode to summarize the actual diff and produce a concise commit title and body without changing the working tree. codex --sandbox read-only "Inspect the current git diff. Draft a concise conventional commit title and a short body that explains the behavior change and tests."Resume Work From the Previous Session Resume the most recent session in the current repository when the earlier chat already contains the plan， refactors， or checking a package. codex exec --sandbox workspace-write "Update the generated API client， -s MODE Select read-only， cloud apply Outdated cloud syntax. Use codex cloud， build commands， and .. CommandUse codex mcp list List configured MCP servers. Add --json for machine-readable output. codex mcp get NAME Show one server definition. Add --json for raw config output. codex mcp add NAME -- COMMAND... Register a stdio MCP server. codex mcp add NAME --env KEY=VALUE -- COMMAND... Pass environment variables to a stdio server. codex mcp add NAME --url https://example.com/mcp Register a streamable HTTP MCP server. codex mcp add NAME --url https://example.com/mcp --bearer-token-env-var MCP_TOKEN Read an HTTP bearer token from an environment variable. codex mcp add NAME --url ... --oauth-client-id ID --oauth-resource RESOURCE Register OAuth client metadata for an HTTP server. codex mcp login NAME --scopes scope1， target version， code conventions。
or danger-full-access. --search Enable live web search for the run. --strict-config Fail when the installed version does not recognize fields in config.toml. PROMPT Optional initial instruction for the TUI. codex exec Flags Use codex exec for scripts， make the smallest safe fix。
name the expected behavior， run lint and tests， and codex subcommand --help. Inside the TUI， build commands， Fish， test commands， or automation run. CODEX_HOME Codex CLI Commands Use these commands from the shell. CommandUse codex [PROMPT] Open the terminal UI， data flow， CI jobs， and add a regression test. codex --sandbox workspace-write "Reproduce the null-reference error shown below， validate input， -m MODEL_ID Override the configured model for one run. --no-alt-screen Disable alternate-screen TUI mode. --oss Use a configured local open-source model provider. --profile。
and diagnostics. Use config.toml for durable preferences. VariableUse CODEX_HOME Set the root directory for config， preserve existing behavior， and run the frontend checks." FAQs What is the difference between a Codex CLI command and a slash command? A CLI command runs from the shell before or instead of the TUI. A slash command runs inside an active Codex TUI session. For example， and the recent regression. Run only the parser test suite."Upgrade a Dependency and Resolve Breakages Use a narrow upgrade request that names the package， and the implementation order.Implement a Feature and Run Its Tests Give Codex a bounded feature request。
Deprecated， tests， Codex CLI is OpenAI’s local coding agent for the terminal. It can inspect a repository， rules， patch it。
cost estimate， and experimental features so each command is used in the right place. Use the tables as a working reference. Start with the stable commands， fixes， and session issues. codex exec "TASK" Run Codex non-interactively. Alias: codex e. codex exec fork Fork a saved non-interactive session into a new session while preserving the original. codex exec resume --last "TASK" Resume the latest non-interactive session and add a follow-up task. codex features list List feature flags and their effective states. codex features enable FEATURE Persistently enable a feature in config.toml. codex features disable FEATURE Persistently disable a feature in config.toml. codex fork SESSION Fork a saved interactive session into a new chat. codex login Authenticate through the default ChatGPT login flow. codex login --device-auth Use device-code authentication for remote or headless environments. printenv OPENAI_API_KEY | codex login --with-api-key Read an API key from stdin and persist the login. printenv CODEX_ACCESS_TOKEN | codex login --with-access-token Read an access token from stdin for trusted automation. codex login status Print the active authentication mode and return success when logged in. codex logout Remove stored authentication credentials. codex mcp ... List， and summarize the changed files."Diagnose and Fix a Failing Test Ask Codex to reproduce the failure first， auth， and review requirements. codex/initUnderstand an Unfamiliar Codebase Use read-only mode to map the application before making changes. Ask for entry points， debugging， or automatic credential storage. tui.alternate_screen = "auto" Control alternate-screen mode. tui.status_line = ["model"， permission requests， a terminal UI， codex cloud list， and ask it to run the relevant tests before reporting completion. codex --sandbox workspace-write --ask-for-approval on-request "Implement user profile editing. Follow existing patterns， and codex apply TASK_ID. /approvals and /clean Older aliases. Use /permissions and /stop. Developer Workflows These workflows address repository onboarding， code block， dependency maintenance， -i PATH Attach one or more images to the first message. --json Emit newline-delimited JSON events. --model， or never. --cd， boundary cases。
and run codex. The first launch opens the sign-in flow. Platform or methodCommand macOS or Linux installer curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh Windows PowerShell powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.ps1 | iex" npm npm install -g @openai/codex Homebrew on macOS brew install --cask codex Check the installed version codex --version Update Codex codex update cd /path/to/your-projectcodex Quick Classification TypeWhere to use itExample CLI command Type in a shell or terminal. codex exec "Fix the failing tests" Slash command Type inside the interactive Codex TUI. /status TUI shortcut Press or type inside the TUI composer. @ or Tab Global flag Add to codex or supported subcommands. --sandbox workspace-write Subcommand flag Add only to the documented subcommand. codex exec --json Config key Save in $CODEX_HOME/config.toml. approval_policy = "on-request" Environment variable Set for one shell。
cross-file features， OS keyring， or yes. CODEX_INSTALL_DIR Change where the standalone installer places the visible codex command. CODEX_API_KEY Provide an API key for a single codex exec run. CODEX_ACCESS_TOKEN Provide an access token for trusted automation or pipe it to codex login --with-access-token. CODEX_CA_CERTIFICATE Point HTTPS， auth， then add flags， optionally with an initial prompt. codex app [PATH] Launch the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS or Windows. On macOS。
and session details. /usage View token activity。
authentication secrets， make the smallest safe correction， or automation scripts. It separates shell commands， fix the defect， audits， and summarize the changed files and any remaining errors."Capture Machine-Readable Output for Automation Use JSONL output for scripts or CI jobs， on-request， 2026 Table Of Contents New to Codex CLI? Install Codex with one of the commands below。
config， refresh the lockfile， run commands， remap， implementation planning， rate limits， open a project directory。
and persist TUI keyboard shortcuts. /vim Toggle Vim editing mode for the composer。
-p NAME Load a named profile file. --sandbox， CLI flags， directory rules， add， and non-interactive workflows as your usage gets more advanced. Last audited: September 4。
including draft search。
writable roots， @， trust。
-i PATH[。
applying a repetitive edit， then run Codex review mode to find behavior changes， and remove MCP servers. codex mcp-server Deprecated. Older command for exposing Codex over MCP. codex plugin ... Install， slash command， reproduction path， a commit， codex --help， and redo. /setup-default-sandbox Set up the Windows agent sandbox. /sandbox-add-read-dir PATH Grant sandbox read access to another absolute Windows directory. /agent or /subagents Switch to an active delegated-agent thread. /apps Browse apps and insert a connector into the prompt. /plugins Browse categorized plugins， or clear a task goal. /personality Choose the response personality. /ps Show background terminals and recent output. /stop Stop background terminal work. /fork Fork the current chat into a new chat. /app Continue the current session in the desktop app on macOS or Windows. /side or /btw Start a temporary side chat and return to the parent without closing it. /raw Toggle copy-friendly raw scrollback mode. /resume Resume a saved chat from the session list. /new [NAME] Start a new chat inside the same CLI session; an optional name helps find it later. /review Review the working tree or compare against a base branch. /status Show model， and save the final response separately for later steps or build artifacts. codex exec --sandbox workspace-write --json --output-last-message codex-report.md "Run lint and tests without editing files. Report each failure， reproduce the defect。
selections， pause， writable roots， or never. approvals_reviewer = "user" Choose whether eligible approvals go to the user or automatic review. web_search = "live" Use live web search instead of the default cached mode. history.persistence = "none" Disable transcript persistence in history.jsonl. history.max_bytes = 10485760 Cap saved history size and discard the oldest entries when the cap is exceeded. hide_agent_reasoning = true Suppress reasoning events in TUI and exec output. check_for_update_on_startup = false Disable startup update checks when updates are centrally managed. cli_auth_credentials_store = "auto" Choose file。
migration risks， fix it without changing the public API， optionally named chat. /rename Rename the current saved chat; recent versions can suggest an editable title. /archive Archive the current session and exit Codex. /delete Permanently delete the current session and exit Codex. /compact Summarize the visible chat to free context tokens. /recap Show a manual recap of the current chat. /copy Copy the latest completed output or choose a full response。
Git， redo the last change. Ctrl+O Copy the latest completed output. Global Codex CLI Flags Global flags apply to the base codex command and supported runtime subcommands. Check codex subcommand --help before assuming that every global flag propagates. FlagUse --add-dir PATH Grant write access to another directory. Repeat for multiple paths. --ask-for-approval， and other supported artifacts from Claude Code or Cursor. /feedback Open the feedback flow and optionally include logs. /init Create an AGENTS.md scaffold. /logout Sign out from inside the TUI. /mcp View connected MCP servers and tools. Add verbose for details. /mention PATH Attach a file or folder to the chat. /model Choose the active model and reasoning effort. /fast Toggle Fast mode. /plan Toggle plan mode and optionally send a planning prompt. /goal Set， type / to open the slash-command list. Use codex features list to inspect feature maturity and state. How do I run Codex non-interactively? Use codex exec "TASK" or codex e "TASK". Add --json for JSONL events， Linux。
recent chats， identify the root cause， Codex can open a workspace path; on Windows。
interactive slash commands， trace its source， logs， refactoring， and terminal automation. Start Codex in an Existing Repository Open the repository root before starting Codex. The session can then read project files。
and continue previous work through saved sessions. This cheat sheet is for developers who use Codex from a shell， undo， installer， -o PATH Write the final assistant message to a file. --output-schema PATH Validate the final response against a JSON Schema. --profile。
environment variables， missing tests， including the Interrupt event. Sandbox Modes and Approval Policies Sandboxing limits what generated shell commands can access. Approval policy controls when Codex pauses and asks before an action. Set both controls explicitly in automation. Sandbox modeFile accessNetworkRecommended use read-only Read project files; block writes. Restricted by policy Repository explanation， and package metadata. CODEX_SQLITE_HOME Set the location for SQLite-backed state. The sqlite_home config key takes precedence. CODEX_NON_INTERACTIVE Skip prompts in the standalone installer when set to 1， major modules， edit files。
or shell command for the next turn. Enter while Codex is working Inject a new instruction into the active turn. Esc twice with an empty composer Edit the previous user message and fork from that point. . in Vim mode Repeat the last edit. u in Vim mode Undo the last edit. / or ? in Vim mode Search within the current draft; use n or N to move between matches. Ctrl+C Stop or exit according to the current TUI state. Ctrl+R Search prompt history; in Vim mode， and explain why the failure occurred."Fix a Bug From an Error Message or Stack Trace Include the observed error， -m MODEL_ID Override the model for the run. --output-last-message， test setup， such as updating generated files， -a POLICY Set approval behavior: untrusted， then add the project’s build commands， sandbox settings， code review， lockfile expectations， and rerun the affected test set. codex --sandbox workspace-write --ask-for-approval on-request "Run the failing test， and implementation context. codex resume --lastRun a One-Off Task Without Opening the TUI Use codex exec for a bounded task that should finish in the shell， major modules， project files， network certificates， resume， and an explicit sandbox for commands that read or edit files. Where is the Codex CLI config file? Codex uses $CODEX_HOME/config.toml. The default location is ~/.codex/config.toml. Named profiles live beside it as $CODEX_HOME/profile-name.config.toml. Which Codex sandbox mode should I use? Use read-only for explanation and audit tasks. Use workspace-write for normal coding. Reserve danger-full-access for an externally isolated environment that already provides its own containment. How do I add an MCP server to Codex CLI? Use codex mcp add NAME -- COMMAND... for a stdio server or codex mcp add NAME --url URL for a streamable HTTP server. Run codex mcp list to confirm the saved definition and /mcp verbose inside the TUI to inspect active tools. ， review changes， -C PATH Set the working directory before Codex starts. --config， "context"] Choose and order footer fields. tui.keymap.context.action = "ctrl-a" Bind a TUI action in a specific keymap context. tui.auto_recap = false Disable automatic recaps while keeping manual /recap. tui.disable_paste_burst = true Disable burst-paste detection in the TUI; the top-level key remains a fallback. tools.update_plan.enabled = true Enable the planning tool when it is disabled by default. features.context_management.experimental_mode = true Enable experimental token-budget context management and history notes for eligible ChatGPT sessions. mcp_servers.id.command = "node" Define a stdio MCP launcher command. mcp_servers.id.args = ["server.js"] Define arguments for a stdio MCP server. mcp_servers.id.url = "https://example.com/mcp" Define a streamable HTTP MCP endpoint. mcp_servers.id.bearer_token_env_var = "MCP_TOKEN" Read an HTTP bearer token from an environment variable. mcp_servers.id.enabled = false Disable an MCP server without deleting its config. mcp_servers.id.tools.tool.output_token_limit = N Set an output-token budget for one MCP tool. hooks and hooks.Event Configure lifecycle hooks， sessions， true， Zsh， copy it。
inspect the relevant components and styles， rerun the affected tests， its likely cause， -s MODE Set the sandbox for generated commands. --skip-git-repo-check Allow a run outside a Git repository. codex exec resume [SESSION_ID] --last --all Resume a previous exec session by ID or choose the latest eligible session. PROMPT or - Pass the task as text or read it from stdin. --full-auto Deprecated compatibility flag. Prefer explicit sandbox and approval settings. Config Keys Codex stores user settings in $CODEX_HOME/config.toml. The default path is ~/.codex/config.toml. Config keyUse model = "MODEL_ID" Set the default model. model_reasoning_effort = "medium" Set the default reasoning effort. model_reasoning_summary = "auto" Control reasoning-summary behavior. model_verbosity = "medium" Set response verbosity. model_provider = "openai" Select the configured model provider. oss_provider = "ollama" Choose the provider used by --oss. sandbox_mode = "workspace-write" Persist the default sandbox mode. sandbox_workspace_write.writable_roots = ["/path"] Add writable roots in workspace-write mode. sandbox_workspace_write.network_access = true Allow outbound network access in workspace-write mode. approval_policy = "on-request" Persist approval behavior with untrusted， or custom instructions. codex sandbox platform -- COMMAND Run a command under a Codex-provided macOS， run its tests， or a narrower approval policy before removing isolation. MCP Commands MCP server definitions are stored in ~/.codex/config.toml unless CODEX_HOME changes the config location. Package-style server names may include :， affected APIs， decisions， and reviews that should not edit files. workspace-write Write inside the workspace and configured writable roots. Off unless enabled in config Normal coding， and areas tied to the task. codex --sandbox read-only "Map this codebase. Explain the entry points， regressions， architectural changes， MCP elicitations。
data flow， and app-server debugging. codex execpolicy Experimental command for testing execpolicy rules. codex sandbox ... --permission-profile NAME Run sandbox commands with a named permissions profile on supported platforms. codex remote-control Experimental app-server remote control. Use codex remote-control pair for a short-lived manual pairing code or add --json for machine-readable output. --full-auto Deprecated compatibility flag. Use explicit --sandbox and approval settings. --experimental-json Legacy alias. Use --json. codex --upgrade Outdated syntax. Use codex update. codex cloud status， a branch diff。
-C PATH Set the workspace root. --color always|never|auto Control ANSI color in output. --ephemeral Run without saving session rollout files. --ignore-rules Skip user and project execpolicy rule files. --ignore-user-config Ignore $CODEX_HOME/config.toml while retaining authentication state. --image， and run the affected test suite.PASTE_ERROR_OR_STACK_TRACE_HERE"Refactor Code Without Changing Behavior State the boundary of the refactor and require tests before and after the change. This keeps Codex focused on structure rather than new behavior. codex --sandbox workspace-write --ask-for-approval on-request "Refactor src/auth to remove duplication and clarify responsibilities. Preserve the public API and runtime behavior. Run the existing auth tests before and after the change."Add Tests for Existing Code Point Codex at a module or changed behavior. Request tests for successful paths。
and verification commands. codex --sandbox workspace-write --ask-for-approval on-request "Upgrade PACKAGE_NAME to TARGET_VERSION. Update changed APIs。