Codex CLI 0.169: New Side Chats, Providers and Fixes

Last updated: November 14, 2026

Codex CLI 0.169, released November 13, 2026 right after 0.168, adds multiple side-chat tabs that survive restarts, task search in the agent command center, custom model providers you can edit in the terminal, collapsible turn details and a stricter trust rule for codex exec in untrusted folders.

This guide covers both releases, since they shipped hours apart. It is based on OpenAI’s 0.169.0 release notes, the 0.168.0 release notes and the ChatGPT and Codex changelog, which dates both releases November 13, 2026. For the previous update, see our Codex CLI 0.167 guide to the agent command center.

Contents

What’s new at a glance
How to update
Side chats and the terminal workspace
Custom model providers and gateways
The codex exec trust change
Other useful changes
Limits and things to watch
Frequently asked questions

What’s new at a glance

Feature	Version	How to use it
Side conversation beside the main chat	0.168	Enable `features.tui_workspace`; drag the divider or press `leader z` to zoom
Multiple side-chat tabs, saved across restarts	0.169	Opt-in terminal workspace; switch tabs with keyboard or mouse
Model provider browser and default for new chats	0.168	Sessions, then Model providers
Add or edit custom providers in the terminal	0.169	Provider editor; device-code sign-in for supported gateways
Search older tasks	0.169	Agent command center, by name, prompt preview or working directory
Collapse turn details	0.169	Setting in the full-screen transcript
Animated GIF image generation	0.168	Enable `features.image_generation_animation`
Audio recordings as input	0.168	Attach recordings with an audio-capable model
OSC 777 terminal notifications	0.168	`tui.notification_method = "osc777"`
Local diagnostic ZIP	0.169	`Ctrl+S` in the report editor

How to update

The Codex CLI documentation lists four install and update paths. Pick the one you used originally so you do not end up with two copies on your PATH.

npm: run npm install -g @openai/codex@0.169.0 to pin this release, or npm install -g @openai/codex for the latest.
macOS or Linux installer: rerun curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh.
Windows: in a new PowerShell window, run powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.ps1 | iex".
Homebrew: run brew upgrade --cask codex.
Start a session: open a project directory, run codex, and sign in with ChatGPT or another available method if prompted.

Side chats and the terminal workspace

Side chats let you ask a quick question or explore an idea without derailing the main task. Version 0.168 made this visual: with features.tui_workspace enabled in config.toml, a side conversation appears in a pane beside the main chat. You can drag the divider to resize the panes or press leader z to zoom the focused pane.

Version 0.169 builds on that. The opt-in workspace now supports multiple side-chat tabs, you can switch between them with the keyboard or the mouse, and saved local side chats reopen after you restart Codex. That addresses a common complaint: searches such as “codex side chat disappeared” and “codex side chat save” appear in Google autocomplete.

A practical pattern is to keep the main chat on the implementation and open one tab for reviewing a diff, another for reading documentation and a third for drafting a commit message. Because side chats are separate conversations, those questions stay out of the main thread. If you are watching context limits, our Codex context window explainer covers the basics.

Custom model providers and gateways

Provider setup moved out of hand-edited config files and into the terminal over these two releases:

0.168: browse model providers under Sessions, then Model providers, and choose the default for new chats. Open and resumed chats keep the provider they were saved with when you change that default.
0.169: add or edit custom model providers from the terminal. With custom gateway onboarding enabled, you can create a provider during sign-in, and supported gateways can use a device code when you are on SSH or have no local browser.

The 0.169 notes also say Codex now warns when a CLI model is missing from your ChatGPT model list. That helps when a session starts on a model your account cannot use.

The codex exec trust change

This is the change most likely to affect scripts and CI. In 0.169, codex exec keeps project configuration and MCP servers disabled in untrusted directories, even when you pass --sandbox workspace-write.

Run your usual pipeline command and check whether project MCP servers or settings were skipped.
If the directory is one you control, add --trust to codex exec or codex review to save project trust explicitly.
Do not add --trust to jobs that run on pull requests from forks or other untrusted code. The new default keeps an untrusted repository’s own configuration and MCP servers from loading.

The same release fixes a planning handoff: choosing Yes, clear context and implement now passes the full approved plan to the fresh session and keeps the current session open if the handoff fails.

Other useful changes

Task search: the agent command center can search older tasks by name, prompt preview or working directory.
Collapse turn details: turn this on in the full-screen transcript to fold completed activity under each prompt while answers stay visible and tool output stays searchable.
Cloud from the terminal: with the opt-in Cloud connection on macOS and Linux, you can send images, pick a model and reasoning effort, and archive or restore Cloud conversations.
Animated GIFs: features.image_generation_animation lets image generation create or edit GIFs with optional frame count and timing.
Audio input: attach recordings when using an audio-capable model; Codex skips recordings that were confirmed rejected on later turns.
Notifications and tmux: tui.notification_method = "osc777" enables OSC 777 notifications, and full-screen Codex shows image previews in tmux on Ghostty and Kitty with allow-passthrough all.
Subagent setting: Codex warns when features.multi_agent is set explicitly and points to agents.enabled, which the configuration reference describes as the switch for multi-agent tools (default true).
Diagnostics: Ctrl+S in the report editor saves a diagnostic ZIP locally, even when uploads are disabled.

Limits and things to watch

Opt-in features. The terminal workspace, Cloud connection and animated GIFs are off until you enable them.
Docs may lag. As of November 14, the configuration reference lists auto, osc9 and bel for tui.notification_method; the osc777 value comes from the 0.168 release notes.
Scripts may need –trust. Expect pipelines in untrusted folders to run without project MCP servers until you opt in.
No pricing change. Neither release mentions plan or pricing changes. See our Codex cost answer for plan details.

If you compare terminal agents, see our guides to Claude Code Code Mode and OpenCode background subagents, and our answer on whether Codex has memory.

Frequently asked questions

When were Codex CLI 0.168 and 0.169 released?

Both releases are dated November 13, 2026 in OpenAI’s Codex changelog. On GitHub, rust-v0.168.0 was published at 03:54 UTC and rust-v0.169.0 at 08:37 UTC on November 13, which is late on November 12 and early on November 13 Eastern Time.

How do I update to Codex CLI 0.169?

Run npm install -g @openai/codex@0.169.0, or rerun the standalone installer for macOS and Linux with curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh. Homebrew users can run brew upgrade –cask codex. Then run codex in a project directory.

Do Codex side chats survive a restart now?

Yes, for the opt-in terminal workspace. The 0.169 release notes say you can reopen saved local side chats after restarting Codex, and you can keep several side-chat tabs open and switch between them with the keyboard or mouse.

Why did codex exec stop loading my project config?

In 0.169, codex exec keeps project configuration and MCP servers disabled in untrusted directories, even with –sandbox workspace-write. Add –trust to codex exec or codex review to save project trust explicitly for that directory.

Can I use a custom model provider in Codex CLI?

Yes. Version 0.168 added Sessions, then Model providers, to browse providers and choose a default for new chats. Version 0.169 lets you add or edit custom providers from the terminal, and supported gateways can sign in with a device code over SSH.

Codex CLI 0.169: Power-User Guide to Side Chats, Providers and Trust