OpenAI’s big Codex update is a direct shot at Claude Code

Source: The Verge

Overview

OpenAI is beefing up its agentic coding and development system, Codex, with a suite of updates that let it use your computer, generate images, and remember past experiences. The package arrives as OpenAI’s rivalry with Anthropic intensifies, following the stellar successes of Claude Code and OpenAI’s aggressive resource shift to catch up.

Desktop App Capabilities

Codex will now be able to operate desktop apps on your computer, according to OpenAI’s blog post announcing the update. It can run in the background, meaning it won’t interfere with your own work in other apps, and multiple agents can work in parallel. OpenAI notes that this is helpful for:

• Testing and iterating on frontend changes
• Testing apps
• Working in apps that don’t expose an API

The feature will start rolling out to Codex desktop‑app users signed in with ChatGPT today and will initially be limited to macOS. OpenAI did not provide a timeline for expansion to other operating systems. EU users will also have to wait, though the update is slated to roll out there “soon.”

New Features

• Image generation and iteration with gpt-image-1.5.
• Plug‑ins for tools such as GitLab, Atlassian Rovo, and Microsoft Suite.
• Native web browsing via an in‑app browser, allowing users to comment directly on pages to give precise instructions to the agent.
• Task automation improvements, including the ability to reuse existing conversation threads, schedule future work for itself, and wake up automatically to continue long‑term tasks.

Memory Feature

Codex is also receiving a memory capability that lets it retain useful context from past interactions—personal preferences, corrections, and information that required time to gather. The opt‑in feature will be released as a preview and is intended to help complete future tasks faster and at a quality level that previously required detailed custom instructions. The personalization features will roll out to Enterprise, Edu, and EU users “soon.”