### Summary
Add `isOther` to question object from request_user_input tool input and
remove `other` option from the tool prompt to better handle tool input.
I've seen this test fail with:
```
- Mock #1.
Expected range of matching incoming requests: == 2
Number of matched incoming requests: 1
```
This is because we pop the wrong task_complete events and then the test
exits. I think this is because the MCP events are now buffered after
https://github.com/openai/codex/pull/8874.
So:
1. clear the buffer before we do any user message sending
2. additionally listen for task start before task complete
3. use the ID from task start to find the correct task complete event.
## Summary
Add dynamic tool injection to thread startup in API v2, wire dynamic
tool calls through the app server to clients, and plumb responses back
into the model tool pipeline.
### Flow (high level)
- Thread start injects `dynamic_tools` into the model tool list for that
thread (validation is done here).
- When the model emits a tool call for one of those names, core raises a
`DynamicToolCallRequest` event.
- The app server forwards it to the client as `item/tool/call`, waits
for the client’s response, then submits a `DynamicToolResponse` back to
core.
- Core turns that into a `function_call_output` in the next model
request so the model can continue.
### What changed
- Added dynamic tool specs to v2 thread start params and protocol types;
introduced `item/tool/call` (request/response) for dynamic tool
execution.
- Core now registers dynamic tool specs at request time and routes those
calls via a new dynamic tool handler.
- App server validates tool names/schemas, forwards dynamic tool call
requests to clients, and publishes tool outputs back into the session.
- Integration tests
## Summary
Move `model_instructions_template` config to the experimental slug while
we iterate on this feature
## Testing
- [x] Tested locally, unit tests still pass
## Summary
Adds /personality selector in the TUI, which leverages the new core
interface in #9644
Notes:
- We are doing some of our own state management for model_info loading
here, but not sure if that's ideal. open to opinions on simpler
approach, but would like to avoid blocking on a larger refactor
- Right now, the `/personality` selector just hides when the model
doesn't support it. we can update this behavior down the line
## Testing
- [x] Tested locally
- [x] Added snapshot tests
Keep an unmasked base collaboration mode and apply the active mask on
demand. Simplify the TUI mask helpers and update tests/docs to match the
mask contract.
In a [recent PR](https://github.com/openai/codex/pull/9182), I made some
improvements to config error messages so errors didn't leave app server
clients in a dead state. This is a follow-on PR to make these error
messages more readable and actionable for both TUI and GUI users. For
example, see #9668 where the user was understandably confused about the
source of the problem and how to fix it.
The improved error message:
1. Clearly identifies the config file where the error was found (which
is more important now that we support layered configs)
2. Provides a line and column number of the error
3. Displays the line where the error occurred and underlines it
For example, if my `config.toml` includes the following:
```toml
[features]
collaboration_modes = "true"
```
Here's the current CLI error message:
```
Error loading config.toml: invalid type: string "true", expected a boolean in `features`
```
And here's the improved message:
```
Error loading config.toml:
/Users/etraut/.codex/config.toml:43:23: invalid type: string "true", expected a boolean
|
43 | collaboration_modes = "true"
| ^^^^^^
```
The bulk of the new logic is contained within a new module
`config_loader/diagnostics.rs` that is responsible for calculating the
text range for a given toml path (which is more involved than I would
have expected).
In addition, this PR adds the file name and text range to the
`ConfigWarningNotification` app server struct. This allows GUI clients
to present the user with a better error message and an optional link to
open the errant config file. This was a suggestion from @.bolinfest when
he reviewed my previous PR.
### Motivation
Exposes a per-thread / per-turn `personality` override in the v2
app-server API so clients can influence model communication style at
thread/turn start. Ensures the override is passed into the session
configuration resolution so it becomes effective for subsequent turns
and headless runners.
### Testing
- [x] Add an integration-style test
`turn_start_accepts_personality_override_v2` in
`codex-rs/app-server/tests/suite/v2/turn_start.rs` that verifies a
`/personality` override results in a developer update message containing
`<personality_spec>` in the outbound model request.
------
[Codex
Task](https://chatgpt.com/codex/tasks/task_i_6971d646b1c08322a689a54d2649f3fe)
In order to make Codex work with connectors, we add a built-in gateway
MCP that acts as a transparent proxy between the client and the
connectors. The gateway MCP collects actions that are accessible to the
user and sends them down to the user, when a connector action is chosen
to be called, the client invokes the action through the gateway MCP as
well.
- [x] Add the system built-in gateway MCP to list and run connectors.
- [x] Add the app server methods and protocol
## Summary
Support updating Personality mid-Thread via UserTurn/OverwriteTurn. This
is explicitly unused by the clients so far, to simplify PRs - app-server
and tui implementations will be follow-ups.
## Testing
- [x] added integration tests
### Summary
We now rely purely on `item/commandExecution/requestApproval` item to
render pending approval in VSCE and app. With v2 approach, it does not
include the actual cmd that it is attempting and therefore we can only
use `proposedExecpolicyAmendment` to render which can be incomplete.
### Reproduce
* Add `prefix_rule(pattern=["echo"], decision="prompt")` to your
`~/.codex/rules.default.rules`.
* Ask to `Run echo "approval-test" please` in VSCE or app.
* The pending approval protal does show up but with no content
#### Example screenshot
<img width="3434" height="3648" alt="Screenshot 2026-01-21 at 8 23
25 PM"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/75644837-21f1-40f8-8b02-858d361ff817"
/>
#### Sample output
```
{"method":"item/commandExecution/requestApproval","id":0,"params":{
"threadId":"019be439-5a90-7600-a7ea-2d2dcc50302a",
"turnId":"0",
"itemId":"call_usgnQ4qEX5U9roNdjT7fPzhb",
"reason":"`/bin/zsh -lc 'echo \"testing\"'` requires approval by policy",
"proposedExecpolicyAmendment":null
}}
```
### Fix
Inlude `command` string, `cwd` and `command_actions` in
`CommandExecutionRequestApprovalParams` so that consumers can display
the correct command instead of relying on exec policy output.
## Summary
#9555 is the start of a rename, so I'm starting to standardize here.
Sets up `model_instructions` templating with a strongly-typed object for
injecting a personality block into the model instructions.
## Testing
- [x] Added tests
- [x] Ran locally
This PR adds support for chained (layered) config.toml file merging for
clients that use the app server interface. This feature already exists
for the TUI, but it does not work for GUI clients.
It does the following:
* Changes code paths for new thread, resume thread, and fork thread to
use the effective config based on the cwd.
* Updates the `config/read` API to accept an optional `cwd` parameter.
If specified, the API returns the effective config based on that cwd
path. Also optionally includes all layers including project config
files. If cwd is not specified, the API falls back on its older behavior
where it considers only the global (non-project) config files when
computing the effective config.
The changes in codex_message_processor.rs look deceptively large. They
mostly just involve moving existing blocks of code to a later point in
some functions so it can use the cwd to calculate the config.
This PR builds upon #9509 and should be reviewed and merged after that
PR.
Tested:
* Verified change with (dependent, as-yet-uncommitted) changes to IDE
Extension and confirmed correct behavior
The full fix requires additional changes in the IDE Extension code base,
but they depend on this PR.
## Summary
- Keep `request_user_input` in the tool list but reject it at runtime in
Execute/Custom modes with a clear model-facing error.
- Add a session accessor for current collaboration mode and enforce the
gate in the request_user_input handler.
- Update core/app-server tests to use Plan mode for success and add
Execute/Custom rejection coverage.
## Summary
- Make `TextElement` placeholders private and add a text-backed accessor
to avoid assuming `Some`.
- Since they are optional in the protocol, we want to make sure any
accessors properly handle the None case (getting the placeholder using
the byte range in the text)
- Preserve placeholders during protocol/app-server conversions using the
accessor fallback.
- Update TUI composer/remap logic and tests to use the new
constructor/accessor.
## Summary
This PR consolidates base_instructions onto SessionMeta /
SessionConfiguration, so we ensure `base_instructions` is set once per
session and should be (mostly) immutable, unless:
- overridden by config on resume / fork
- sub-agent tasks, like review or collab
In a future PR, we should convert all references to `base_instructions`
to consistently used the typed struct, so it's less likely that we put
other strings there. See #9423. However, this PR is already quite
complex, so I'm deferring that to a follow-up.
## Testing
- [x] Added a resume test to assert that instructions are preserved. In
particular, `resume_switches_models_preserves_base_instructions` fails
against main.
Existing test coverage thats assert base instructions are preserved
across multiple requests in a session:
- Manual compact keeps baseline instructions:
core/tests/suite/compact.rs:199
- Auto-compact keeps baseline instructions:
core/tests/suite/compact.rs:1142
- Prompt caching reuses the same instructions across two requests:
core/tests/suite/prompt_caching.rs:150 and
core/tests/suite/prompt_caching.rs:157
- Prompt caching with explicit expected string across two requests:
core/tests/suite/prompt_caching.rs:213 and
core/tests/suite/prompt_caching.rs:222
- Resume with model switch keeps original instructions:
core/tests/suite/resume.rs:136
- Compact/resume/fork uses request 0 instructions for later expected
payloads: core/tests/suite/compact_resume_fork.rs:215
# External (non-OpenAI) Pull Request Requirements
Before opening this Pull Request, please read the dedicated
"Contributing" markdown file or your PR may be closed:
https://github.com/openai/codex/blob/main/docs/contributing.md
If your PR conforms to our contribution guidelines, replace this text
with a detailed and high quality description of your changes.
Include a link to a bug report or enhancement request.
### Description
- Remove the now-unused `instructions` field from the session metadata
to simplify SessionMeta and stop propagating transient instruction text
through the rollout recorder API. This was only saving
user_instructions, and was never being read.
- Stop passing user instructions into the rollout writer at session
creation so the rollout header only contains canonical session metadata.
### Testing
- Ran `just fmt` which completed successfully.
- Ran `just fix -p codex-protocol`, `just fix -p codex-core`, `just fix
-p codex-app-server`, `just fix -p codex-tui`, and `just fix -p
codex-tui2` which completed (Clippy fixes applied) as part of
verification.
- Ran `cargo test -p codex-protocol` which passed (28 tests).
- Ran `cargo test -p codex-core` which showed failures in a small set of
tests (not caused by the protocol type change directly):
`default_client::tests::test_create_client_sets_default_headers`,
several `models_manager::manager::tests::refresh_available_models_*`,
and `shell_snapshot::tests::linux_sh_snapshot_includes_sections` (these
tests failed in this CI run).
- Ran `cargo test -p codex-app-server` which reported several failing
integration tests (including
`suite::codex_message_processor_flow::test_codex_jsonrpc_conversation_flow`,
`suite::output_schema::send_user_turn_*`, and
`suite::user_agent::get_user_agent_returns_current_codex_user_agent`).
- `cargo test -p codex-tui` and `cargo test -p codex-tui2` were
attempted but aborted due to disk space exhaustion (`No space left on
device`).
------
[Codex
Task](https://chatgpt.com/codex/tasks/task_i_696bd8ce632483228d298cf07c7eb41c)
Summary:
- Add forked_from to SessionMeta/SessionConfiguredEvent and persist it
for forked sessions.
- Surface forked_from in /status for tui + tui2 and add snapshots.
Add support for returning threads by either `created_at` OR `updated_at`
descending. Previously core always returned threads ordered by
`created_at`.
This PR:
- updates core to be able to list threads by `updated_at` OR
`created_at` descending based on what the caller wants
- also update `thread/list` in app-server to expose this (default to
`created_at` if not specified)
All existing codepaths (app-server, TUI) still default to `created_at`,
so no behavior change is expected with this PR.
**Implementation**
To sort by `updated_at` is a bit nontrivial (whereas `created_at` is
easy due to the way we structure the folders and filenames on disk,
which are all based on `created_at`).
The most naive way to do this without introducing a cache file or sqlite
DB (which we have to implement/maintain) is to scan files in reverse
`created_at` order on disk, and look at the file's mtime (last modified
timestamp according to the filesystem) until we reach `MAX_SCAN_FILES`
(currently set to 10,000). Then, we can return the most recent N
threads.
Based on some quick and dirty benchmarking on my machine with ~1000
rollout files, calling `thread/list` with limit 50, the `updated_at`
path is slower as expected due to all the I/O:
- updated-at: average 103.10 ms
- created-at: average 41.10 ms
Those absolute numbers aren't a big deal IMO, but we can certainly
optimize this in a followup if needed by introducing more state stored
on disk.
**Caveat**
There's also a limitation in that any files older than `MAX_SCAN_FILES`
will be excluded, which means if a user continues a REALLY old thread,
it's possible to not be included. In practice that should not be too big
of an issue.
If a user makes...
- 1000 rollouts/day → threads older than 10 days won't show up
- 100 rollouts/day → ~100 days
If this becomes a problem for some reason, even more motivation to
implement an updated_at cache.
The second part of breaking up PR
https://github.com/openai/codex/pull/9116
Summary:
- Add `TextElement` / `ByteRange` to protocol user inputs and user
message events with defaults.
- Thread `text_elements` through app-server v1/v2 request handling and
history rebuild.
- Preserve UI metadata only in user input/events (not `ContentItem`)
while keeping local image attachments in user events for rehydration.
Details:
- Protocol: `UserInput::Text` carries `text_elements`;
`UserMessageEvent` carries `text_elements` + `local_images`.
Serialization includes empty vectors for backward compatibility.
- app-server-protocol: v1 defines `V1TextElement` / `V1ByteRange` in
camelCase with conversions; v2 uses its own camelCase wrapper.
- app-server: v1/v2 input mapping includes `text_elements`; thread
history rebuilds include them.
- Core: user event emission preserves UI metadata while model history
stays clean; history replay round-trips the metadata.
We’re introducing a new SKILL.toml to hold skill metadata so Codex can
deliver a richer Skills experience.
Initial focus is the interface block:
```
[interface]
display_name = "Optional user-facing name"
short_description = "Optional user-facing description"
icon_small = "./assets/small-400px.png"
icon_large = "./assets/large-logo.svg"
brand_color = "#3B82F6"
default_prompt = "Optional surrounding prompt to use the skill with"
```
All fields are exposed via the app server API.
display_name and short_description are consumed by the TUI.
Next step would be to clean Model Upgrade in model presets
---------
Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: aibrahim-oai <219906144+aibrahim-oai@users.noreply.github.com>
A simple `s/mcp_server_requirements/mcp_servers/g` for an unreleased
feature. @bolinfest correctly pointed out, it's already in
`requirements.toml` so the `_requirements` is redundant.
Instead of having a hard-coded default review model, use the current
model for running `/review` unless one is specified in the config.
Also inherit current reasoning effort
This PR is in the scope of multi-agent work.
An agent (=thread) can now spawn other agents. Those other agents are
not attached to any clients. We need a way to make sure that the clients
are aware of the new threads to look at (for approval for example). This
PR adds a channel to the `ThreadManager` that pushes the ID of those
newly created agents such that the client (here the app-server) can also
subscribe to those ones.
When an invalid config.toml key or value is detected, the CLI currently
just quits. This leaves the VSCE in a dead state.
This PR changes the behavior to not quit and bubble up the config error
to users to make it actionable. It also surfaces errors related to
"rules" parsing.
This allows us to surface these errors to users in the VSCE, like this:
<img width="342" height="129" alt="Screenshot 2026-01-13 at 4 29 22 PM"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a79ffbe7-7604-400c-a304-c5165b6eebc4"
/>
<img width="346" height="244" alt="Screenshot 2026-01-13 at 4 45 06 PM"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/de874f7c-16a2-4a95-8c6d-15f10482e67b"
/>
Have only the following Methods:
- `list_models`: getting current available models
- `try_list_models`: sync version no refresh for tui use
- `get_default_model`: get the default model (should be tightened to
core and received on session configuration)
- `get_model_info`: get `ModelInfo` for a specific model (should be
tightened to core but used in tests)
- `refresh_if_new_etag`: trigger refresh on different etags
Also move the cache to its own struct
Add a new `codex app-server --analytics-default-enabled` CLI flag that
controls whether analytics are enabled by default.
Analytics are disabled by default for app-server. Users have to
explicitly opt in
via the `analytics` section in the config.toml file.
However, for first-party use cases like the VSCode IDE extension, we
default analytics
to be enabled by default by setting this flag. Users can still opt out
by setting this
in their config.toml:
```toml
[analytics]
enabled = false
```
See https://developers.openai.com/codex/config-advanced/#metrics for
more details.
Enterprises want to restrict the MCP servers their users can use.
Admins can now specify an allowlist of MCPs in `requirements.toml`. The
MCP servers are matched on both Name and Transport (local path or HTTP
URL) -- both must match to allow the MCP server. This prevents
circumventing the allowlist by renaming MCP servers in user config. (It
is still possible to replace the local path e.g. rewrite say
`/usr/local/github-mcp` with a nefarious MCP. We could allow hash
pinning in the future, but that would break updates. I also think this
represents a broader, out-of-scope problem.)
We introduce a new field to Constrained: "normalizer". In general, it is
a fn(T) -> T and applies when `Constrained<T>.set()` is called. In this
particular case, it disables MCP servers which do not match the
allowlist. An alternative solution would remove this and instead throw a
ConstraintError. That would stop Codex launching if any MCP server was
configured which didn't match. I think this is bad.
We currently reuse the enabled flag on MCP servers to disable them, but
don't propagate any information about why they are disabled. I'd like to
add that in a follow up PR, possibly by switching out enabled with an
enum.
In action:
```
# MCP server config has two MCPs. We are going to allowlist one of them.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ cat ~/.codex/config.toml | grep mcp_servers -A1
[mcp_servers.hello_world]
command = "hello-world-mcp"
--
[mcp_servers.docs]
command = "docs-mcp"
# Restrict the MCPs to the hello_world MCP.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ defaults read com.openai.codex requirements_toml_base64 | base64 -d
[mcp_server_allowlist.hello_world]
command = "hello-world-mcp"
# List the MCPs, observe hello_world is enabled and docs is disabled.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ just codex mcp list
cargo run --bin codex -- "$@"
Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.25s
Running `target/debug/codex mcp list`
Name Command Args Env Cwd Status Auth
docs docs-mcp - - - disabled Unsupported
hello_world hello-world-mcp - - - enabled Unsupported
# Remove the restrictions.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ defaults delete com.openai.codex requirements_toml_base64
# Observe both MCPs are enabled.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ just codex mcp list
cargo run --bin codex -- "$@"
Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.25s
Running `target/debug/codex mcp list`
Name Command Args Env Cwd Status Auth
docs docs-mcp - - - enabled Unsupported
hello_world hello-world-mcp - - - enabled Unsupported
# A new requirements that updates the command to one that does not match.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ cat ~/requirements.toml
[mcp_server_allowlist.hello_world]
command = "hello-world-mcp-v2"
# Use those requirements.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ defaults write com.openai.codex requirements_toml_base64 "$(base64 -i /Users/gt/requirements.toml)"
# Observe both MCPs are disabled.
➜ codex git:(gt/restrict-mcps) ✗ just codex mcp list
cargo run --bin codex -- "$@"
Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.75s
Running `target/debug/codex mcp list`
Name Command Args Env Cwd Status Auth
docs docs-mcp - - - disabled Unsupported
hello_world hello-world-mcp - - - disabled Unsupported
```
- Add a single builder for developer permissions messaging that accepts
SandboxPolicy and approval policy. This builder now drives the developer
“permissions” message that’s injected at session start and any time
sandbox/approval settings change.
- Trim EnvironmentContext to only include cwd, writable roots, and
shell; removed sandbox/approval/network duplication and adjusted XML
serialization and tests accordingly.
Follow-up: adding a config value to replace the developer permissions
message for custom sandboxes.
### Summary
* Added `mcpServer/refresh` command to inform app servers and active
threads to refresh mcpServer on next turn event.
* Added `pending_mcp_server_refresh_config` to codex core so that if the
value is populated, we reinitialize the mcp server manager on the thread
level.
* The config is updated on `mcpServer/refresh` command which we iterate
through threads and provide with the latest config value after last
write.
