Why you'd want it
Codex CLI works against your local repository with the tools already installed on your machine, and you choose the model, reasoning effort, permissions and sandbox for each run. You can use it interactively or call codex exec from scripts and CI, run a review against uncommitted changes, a commit or a base branch, add MCP servers with codex mcp, and hand work off to Codex cloud. You sign in with a ChatGPT plan or use an API key.
Best for
- ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu or Enterprise users
- Scripted runs in CI with codex exec
- Reviewing changes before a commit
Use it when
You want a terminal coding agent on OpenAI models with control over sandboxing and approvals, and you have a ChatGPT plan or OpenAI API key.
Skip it if
You have neither a ChatGPT plan nor an OpenAI API key, or you would rather work in an editor, where OpenAI points you to its IDE extension or the Codex app.