Staying Current with Codex

Codex evolves rapidly with frequent updates across the CLI, desktop app, IDE extension, and cloud platform. Understanding how to manage versions and stay current is crucial for maximizing your productivity.

Codex’s Update Philosophy

Rapid Iteration

Multiple releases per week during active development, with separate cadences for CLI, app, and IDE extension

Multiple Surfaces

Codex ships as a CLI (@openai/codex), a desktop app, an IDE extension, and a cloud platform — each updated independently

Backward Compatibility

Careful attention to config and API compatibility across versions

Open Source CLI

The CLI is open-source at github.com/openai/codex, with transparent changelogs per release

Updating the CLI

# Primary standalone install/update path (macOS and Linux)
curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh

# Update from a current standalone installation
codex update

# Check current version
codex --version

# Optional npm wrapper; pin the current version covered by this guide
npm install -g @openai/codex@0.144.1

On Windows PowerShell use irm https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.ps1 | iex. Homebrew users can run brew upgrade codex; npm users can run npm install -g @openai/codex@latest.

Updating the Desktop App

Codex now lives in the ChatGPT desktop app, which updates independently. You can also launch the installed app from the CLI:

# Open ChatGPT desktop
codex app <path>

Version Numbering

CLI: Semantic versioning (e.g., 0.98.0). Check releases at github.com/openai/codex/releases
App: Date-based versioning (e.g., v26.415 = April 15, 2026)
IDE Extension: Follows VS Code marketplace versioning

What’s Next?

Review Changelog

Explore the detailed version history to see how Codex has evolved

Official Docs

Visit developers.openai.com/codex for the latest documentation