Meet the New Codex CLI

# The All-New Codex CLI: A Development Experience Built for the Terminal **TL;DR: OpenAI is introducing the new Codex CLI, featuring a fresh full-screen interface, voice-driven multitasking, an agents view, worktree-based conversation branching, mobile remote control, and in-terminal chart and LaTeX rendering.** ## Why a New CLI The terminal is where many developers feel most at home, yet traditional CLI tools often fall short in this environment. OpenAI says they've been listening closely to user feedback, which consistently comes down to two points: **Codex needs to feel blazing fast**, and **it shouldn't interrupt their workflow**. Developers want to build confidently in the place they know best. The new Codex CLI was built specifically with those needs in mind. The demo featured a fun little project: a CLI for ordering burritos — you place an order with a single command. ## A Brand-New Full-Screen Interface The new Codex CLI introduces a full-screen interface that looks clean and polished. Key design details: - **The input box stays pinned to the bottom**: No matter how far you scroll up to review past output, the input field for your next message remains fixed at the bottom — no more jumping back and forth. - **Smooth scrolling**: You can scroll up to review earlier output without affecting what's currently happening. This change may seem simple, but it directly addresses a long-standing pain point in extended sessions — in the past, the input area would easily get buried under output, forcing users to constantly drag the window to the bottom. Now you can freely revisit history while staying ready to type at any moment. ## Voice Mode: One Sentence, Multiple Tasks at Once The most impressive moment in the demo was dispatching tasks via voice. With a single spoken sentence, the user launched three independent Codex tasks simultaneously across different projects: 1. **Expand the website**: Add a new background with a repeating burrito pattern to the burrito project. 2. **Review the CLI tests**: Make sure the test coverage includes the two key scenarios — price changes and order confirmation. 3. **Generate a Mermaid diagram**: Create a Mermaid flowchart of this CLI's ordering process. Once the tasks started, voice input could be muted, and three real tasks ran in parallel across several projects. This marks Codex's evolution from "a coding assistant within a single project" into **a parallel executor for multiple projects and tasks**. ## The Agents View: Every Task at a Glance Press the **left arrow key** to enter the brand-new agents view — the central hub for managing multiple tasks in the new CLI. In the agents view, you can: - **See which tasks are running**, keeping the full picture in sight - **Group tasks by status**, quickly locating in-progress, completed, or attention-required items - **Filter tasks**, focusing on specific types of activity - **Search tasks**, jumping straight to the work item you're looking for Previously, managing multiple tasks meant digging through the filesystem or opening multiple terminal windows one by one. Now, the status, progress, and results of every task are displayed together in a single view. Even more importantly, from the agents view you can directly **have Codex inspect other tasks** or **send follow-up instructions to them** — tasks can collaborate with each other instead of running in isolation. ## Worktree Conversation Branching: Same Context, Independent Code If you want to explore a different approach, the new CLI supports forking the current conversation into a **new worktree**. The key points here: - **Full context carryover**: The new worktree inherits the complete context of the current conversation — no need to re-explain the problem - **Fully independent code**: The new worktree checks out an independent copy of the codebase, so changes don't affect each other This means you can safely explore multiple implementation approaches in parallel without worrying about cross-contamination. It's a direct answer to the classic terminal workflow problem where "one bad change means starting over." ## Mobile Remote Control: Take Charge Without Being at Your Keyboard The new Codex CLI supports remote control, letting you jump back into a session on your computer from your phone. How it works: 1. **Enable remote control** on your laptop 2. **Select that specific computer** from your phone 3. You see **the same tasks, the same progress** The real value of this feature: you can answer Codex's questions even when you're not sitting at your keyboard. When you return to the terminal, you can clearly see which tasks have finished and which still need attention — all changes and test results are presented in the session. This frees development work from being tied to a physical location — you can keep tasks moving even when you briefly step away or head out. ## Usage Analytics The new CLI includes **usage analytics** to help you understand your own development habits: - See the conversations you've had most often - Learn which plugins and skills you keep relying on These insights let you review your working style, identify high-frequency tools and recurring patterns, and use that as a basis for optimizing your workflow going forward. ## In-Terminal Rendering: Mermaid Diagrams and LaTeX In the demo, the Mermaid diagram of the burrito ordering flow was **rendered right in the terminal** — no need to switch to a browser or another tool. The same capability applies to **LaTeX rendering**. The demo showcased a mathematical proof titled "Why Burritos Reigned Supreme" — a humorous example, but one that demonstrated how the terminal can now display complex mathematical expressions directly, rather than being limited to plain text. This solves a long-standing limitation of the terminal environment: structured content and mathematical formulas have always been hard to express clearly. Now these can be rendered directly in the session, dramatically improving the reading experience. ## Where It Goes Next At the end of the demo, OpenAI made it clear: they know users are using Codex for all kinds of things, and the CLI **will keep improving**. Their goal is for Codex to meet users where they are, letting developers stay focused on what they're building. The message to users is simple: **keep the feedback coming**. Every iteration of the new CLI is grounded in real usage scenarios and user input. From the full-screen interface to voice-driven multitasking, from the agents view to worktree branching, from mobile remote control to in-terminal rendering — all these features point toward the same goal: **making Codex the most natural and efficient presence in the terminal**. As for the output of that burrito command, the presenter said they were extremely hungry and very confident they needed the result. --- **Source:** Meet the New Codex CLI — OpenAI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUBc2G0Tj5E)