On February 2, 2026, OpenAI introduced the Codex app, a new macOS interface designed to orchestrate multiple AI agents, run work in parallel, and collaborate on long-running tasks. It is positioned as the command center for agentic software development inside the ChatGPT desktop app.

A Command Center for Parallel Agent Work

The biggest shift Codex targets is not what agents can do, but how developers direct and supervise them at scale. The Codex app addresses that with a workspace optimized for parallel, multi-project execution:

• Project-based threads keep each agent isolated, so you can switch between tasks without losing context.
• Diff-first review lets you comment on changes, then open the work in your editor if you want to tweak manually.
• Built-in worktrees let multiple agents operate on the same repo without conflicts, each on its own isolated copy.
• CLI and IDE continuity means your Codex app sessions reuse history and config from the Codex CLI and IDE extension.

The result is a workflow that feels more like managing a small team of agents than chatting with a single assistant.

Skills: Beyond Code Generation

OpenAI frames Codex as an agent that uses code to get work done on your computer, not just to output snippets. The app includes a dedicated interface for skills, which bundle instructions, resources, and scripts so Codex can reliably connect to tools and complete multi-step workflows.

You can explicitly invoke a skill or let Codex choose one automatically. In a showcase example, OpenAI had Codex build a full racing game using skills, working through more than 7 million tokens from a single prompt.

Automations for Background Work

The Codex app also introduces Automations: scheduled tasks that let Codex run in the background. An automation can include its own instructions and optional skills, and results arrive in a review queue so you can pick up where it left off.

OpenAI says it already uses Automations internally for daily issue triage, summarizing CI failures, release briefs, and bug checks.

Personality Settings

Codex now supports two interaction styles: a terse, pragmatic mode and a more conversational, empathetic mode. You can switch between them with the /personality command in the app, the CLI, or the IDE extension.

Secure by Default, Configurable by Design

Security is built into the Codex agent stack. The app uses open-source, system-level sandboxing similar to the Codex CLI. By default, agents can only edit files in the relevant folder or branch and use cached web search, and they must request permission for elevated actions like network access. Teams can also define rules that automatically allow specific commands.

Availability and Pricing

The Codex app is available starting today on macOS. It is included for users on ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Edu plans, with the option to buy additional credits as needed. For a limited time, ChatGPT Free and Go users also get access to Codex, and paid plan users receive doubled Codex rate limits across the app, CLI, IDE, and cloud.

What Comes Next

OpenAI notes that Codex usage has doubled since the launch of GPT-5.2-Codex in mid-December and that more than a million developers have used Codex in the past month. The roadmap includes Windows support, faster inference, refined multi-agent workflows, and Automations that can run on cloud triggers.

If you already use Codex in the terminal or your editor, the Codex app is the first interface that treats multi-agent workflows as the default, not an edge case. It is a clear signal that the future of developer tooling is moving from single-agent assist to full orchestration.

Original announcement: Introducing the Codex app.