OpenAI upgrades Codex tools

OpenAI expanded its Codex developer tooling this week with a set of updates aimed at making the coding agent easier to use across desktop and mobile workflows. The company’s Codex changelog says Appshots are now available in the macOS app, Goal mode is no longer experimental, and the feature is available in the app, IDE extension and CLI. (developers.openai.com) OpenAI also pushed iPhone and iPad improvements for Codex inside ChatGPT, including turn-completion alerts and new commands, according to 9to5Mac. (theinformation.com) The product changes landed as outside reporting pointed to Codex as a material business contributor for OpenAI. The Information reported on May 21 that OpenAI generated about $5.7 billion in first-quarter revenue and said Codex helped drive that growth. (developers.openai.com) That combination — more product surface area and evidence of paid demand — puts the update in a broader commercial frame. ### What exactly changed inside Codex this week? OpenAI’s developer changelog says Appshots let users press both Command keys on macOS to send the frontmost app window to Codex with a screenshot and available text. The company says that gives Codex context from another app without requiring users to manually copy and paste material into a thread. (developers.openai.com) Goal mode also moved out of experimental status. OpenAI says the mode is now available across the Codex app, IDE extension and CLI, and is designed to let Codex work toward a specified objective over longer periods. GitHub release notes for the open-source Codex project say goals are now enabled by default and backed by dedicated storage that tracks progress across active turns. (theinformation.com) Digit also reported that the update included remote computer use, underscoring that OpenAI is still widening Codex beyond a chat interface into a more hands-on agent workflow. (developers.openai.com) ### Why does Appshots matter to developers? Appshots changes how context gets into the tool. OpenAI says the feature captures both a screenshot and available text from the active window, which means a developer can point Codex at a running app, design surface or other software state instead of describing it from scratch. 9to5Mac reported that the shortcut is invoked by pressing Command-Command on the Mac. (developers.openai.com) That makes the feature notable less as a new model capability than as a workflow shortcut: it reduces the amount of setup needed before asking Codex to inspect or act on what is already on screen. (digit.in) ### What changed on iPhone and iPad? 9to5Mac reported on May 21 that OpenAI improved the Codex experience in ChatGPT for iPhone and iPad with turn-completion alerts, new commands and other usability changes. Those additions followed OpenAI’s move last week to bring Codex into the ChatGPT mobile app, giving developers a way to monitor or manage work away from their computers. (developers.openai.com) The mobile changes matter because Codex jobs can run over time. Alerts and quick commands make the phone more useful as a control surface for checking status, responding to prompts or keeping long-running work moving without returning to a desktop session. (9to5mac.com) That is an inference based on the features OpenAI and 9to5Mac described. ### What does the revenue report say about demand? The Information reported that OpenAI generated about $5.7 billion in first-quarter revenue, nearly $1 billion more than Anthropic in the same period, according to two people with knowledge of the financials. The publication said Codex helped drive the quarter’s growth alongside business sales. (9to5mac.com) That report does not break out Codex revenue on its own, but it is one of the clearest signs so far that coding agents are moving from product demo to meaningful line of business. For engineering teams, the implication is practical: tools like Codex are increasingly being positioned as part of the standard software-production stack rather than as side experiments. (9to5mac.com) This framing is supported by the revenue report and by OpenAI’s continued expansion of Codex across desktop, CLI, IDE and mobile surfaces. ### Where should developers watch next? OpenAI’s Codex changelog is the clearest public record of the rollout, and the GitHub releases page shows implementation details such as Goal mode defaults and remote-control changes. (theinformation.com) Developers watching adoption will also be looking for whether OpenAI adds more automation around Appshots, expands mobile controls further, or provides more direct disclosure on Codex’s business contribution in future reporting. (developers.openai.com)