---
type: "post"
id: "codex-cli-0-167-0-adds-agent-command-2eaf58"
slug: "codex-cli-0-167-0-adds-agent-command-2eaf58"
title: "Codex CLI 0.167.0 adds agent command center, cross-backend switching, and local image previews"
description: "OpenAI’s Codex CLI 0.167.0 adds an agent command center, backend switching that preserves drafts, and local image previews in supported terminals."
retrieval_nugget: "OpenAI’s Codex CLI 0.167.0 adds an agent command center, backend switching that preserves drafts, and local image previews in supported terminals. The release makes multi-session terminal work easier to track and reduces friction when a developer changes providers or supplies visual context."
published_at: "2026-11-06"
updated_at: "2026-11-06"
record_date: "2026-11-06"
date_kind: "published_at"
topics: ["codex","google"]
entities: ["OpenAI","Codex CLI","Google Cloud Vertex AI"]
related_patterns: ["harness-architecture-outlives-model-choice"]
novelty_label: "new_fact"
what_changed: "Codex CLI 0.167.0 adds an agent command center, cross-backend switching, and local image previews beyond the features in prior releases."
prior_refs: []
source_url: "https://github.com/openai/codex/releases/tag/rust-v0.167.0"
source_urls: ["https://github.com/openai/codex/releases/tag/rust-v0.167.0"]
schema_version: "newruntime-agent-readable-v0.2"
stable_id: "post:codex-cli-0-167-0-adds-agent-command-2eaf58"
status: "published"
visuals: []
editor: {"role":"editor","name":"Andrey Reshetnikov","profile":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md","profile_json":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json","same_as":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshetnikov1/","https://t.me/lapetuse"]}
routes: {"html":"https://newruntime.com/posts/codex-cli-0-167-0-adds-agent-command-2eaf58/","markdown":"https://newruntime.com/posts/codex-cli-0-167-0-adds-agent-command-2eaf58.md","json":"https://newruntime.com/posts/codex-cli-0-167-0-adds-agent-command-2eaf58.json"}
markdown_url: "https://newruntime.com/posts/codex-cli-0-167-0-adds-agent-command-2eaf58.md"
---

# Codex CLI 0.167.0 adds agent command center, cross-backend switching, and local image previews

## Retrieval answer

OpenAI’s Codex CLI 0.167.0 adds an agent command center, backend switching that preserves drafts, and local image previews in supported terminals. The release makes multi-session terminal work easier to track and reduces friction when a developer changes providers or supplies visual context.

## Summary
OpenAI’s Codex CLI 0.167.0 adds an agent command center, backend switching that preserves drafts, and local image previews in supported terminals. The release makes multi-session terminal work easier to track and reduces friction when a developer changes providers or supplies visual context.

## What happened
OpenAI released Codex CLI version 0.167.0 on November 6. The release notes describe a new agent command center, launched with `codex agents --no-daemon`. The command center and session picker now mark unread results. That gives terminal users a way to distinguish sessions that have produced something new without opening each one in turn. The release notes do not specify a limit on the number of agents or sessions supported, or describe the command center as a change to how agents execute tasks.

The terminal session picker can now switch between connected backends while keeping drafts. This is useful when a user has composed a prompt but wants to continue with a different connected provider. Codex also adds previews for local image attachments while composing, on supported terminals, and makes viewed local images accessible through clickable paths in the transcript. The release does not list which terminals support image preview, so users should not assume that all terminal environments expose it.

The release adds a Google Cloud Vertex AI setup wizard, enabled with `gcp_setup_wizard`. It supports setup using Application Default Credentials or a credential file. API key and cloud-provider options are now available under “Sign in another way.” These are configuration and access-path updates; the notes do not announce a new model, pricing tier, or general change in Codex availability.

Other additions include an experimental option to use macOS or Windows system proxy settings from `/experimental`, and the ability to expand patch details in the transcript while an approval prompt is open. Bug fixes include keeping saved chats visible after a model-provider switch, and making a chat transcript readable with an editable prompt prepared for a new chat when the original session cannot resume. Network approval prompts now close when requests end, and concurrent requests to the same endpoint prompt one at a time. The release notes also mention improvements to realtime speech history and context compaction. They give no performance benchmarks or quantified reliability results.

## What the archive adds
[Codex CLI’s September refresh](https://newruntime.com/posts/codex-cli-just-got-a-major-refresh-with-338a66/) focused on making parallel agent work more visible and separable inside the terminal. This is a new release on that known story: 0.167.0 adds unread-result markers and backend switching that preserves drafts, extending the terminal’s session-management workflow rather than replacing the earlier capability.

## Trend signal
This release supports [harness architecture outlives model choice](https://newruntime.com/patterns/harness-architecture-outlives-model-choice/): the terminal’s session picker now lets users move among connected backends without losing a draft. That is a small, concrete example of the workflow layer becoming useful across model or provider choices. The release does not establish how many users run multiple backends or whether this capability changes provider adoption.

## Why now
The release notes identify 258 commits to `main` since the prior release, but do not explain why these features shipped together or tie them to an external event. The timing therefore supports a report of a product update, not a broader claim about market pressure or a strategic shift.

## Why it matters
Terminal coding agents are increasingly operated through persistent sessions rather than one prompt and one response. Unread-result markers help users spot completed work across sessions; preserving drafts lowers the cost of switching a task to another connected backend. Local image previews also make visual context easier to inspect before sending it into an agent workflow. These changes can improve the operator experience without changing the underlying model’s capabilities.

For teams, the useful question is whether the new controls fit an existing review and handoff process. The release does not show that Codex can safely complete more work autonomously, or that switching providers is seamless in every configuration. But it makes the terminal itself a more capable coordination surface, particularly for developers already using multiple sessions and connected backends.

## Limits and uncertainty
The source is a release note, not an evaluation. It does not quantify adoption, productivity, error rates, or time saved, and it does not report comparative results against other coding-agent terminals. “Supported terminals” is not enumerated for image preview. The notes also do not say which backends can be connected, whether every user can access the Vertex AI setup, or whether the experimental proxy option is suitable for production use. These details should be checked in the product documentation and in a team’s own environment before relying on them.

## Skill to build now
Try one small cross-backend handoff: compose a prompt in a Codex session, use the session picker to switch to another connected backend, and confirm the draft is preserved before sending. Then check whether your terminal supports local image previews and whether your team’s approval flow remains clear when patch details are expanded during an approval prompt.

## Reader takeaway
Codex CLI 0.167.0 improves the operator layer around terminal agents: users can track unread session results, switch connected backends without discarding drafts, and preview local image attachments in supported terminals. It is most relevant to teams already using Codex across multiple sessions or providers; the release does not establish a measured productivity gain.

Editor: [Andrey Reshetnikov](https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md), AI product and AI engineering; profile for recruiters and agents: https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json

## Continue in the graph

Next records for an agent, linked to their Markdown twins. Replace `.md` with `.json` for structured fields, including `next_reads`.

- topic hub: [Codex](https://newruntime.com/topics/codex.md): Explore the codex topic hub.
- topic hub: [Google](https://newruntime.com/topics/google.md): Explore the google topic hub.
- collection: [Field Notes](https://newruntime.com/posts.json): Open the latest editorial analysis.
- collection: [Sources](https://newruntime.com/sources/): See the original sources this archive cites.
- whole graph: [discovery graph](https://newruntime.com/discovery-graph.json) (typed nodes and edges) and [site index](https://newruntime.com/site-index.md)