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CodexHost

Run Pi and other Agent Harnesses inside Codex Desktop

We believe Codex Desktop provides one of the best desktop development experiences.

But Codex is not the only capable Agent Harness. Some developers prefer Claude Code or Pi Agent.

CodexHost lets you choose the Agent that actually executes your tasks inside Codex Desktop, while preserving the native Codex experience.

⭐ If this project helps you, please give it a Star! ⭐

Interface Preview

Pi, Claude Code, DeepSeek Harness, and Grok run as independent sessions in the same Codex Desktop window. Streaming output, thinking, tool status, diffs, approvals, and questions are rendered in real time when supported by each Harness.

Interface

Feature Status

Capability	Codex	Pi	Claude Code	Grok Build	DeepSeek Harness
Streaming replies	Native	✅	✅	✅	✅
Thinking	Native	✅	✅	✅	—
Tool status	Native	✅	✅	✅	✅
Edit diffs	Native	✅	✅	✅	✅
Ask / cancel	Native	✅	✅	🚧	✅
Model / thinking selection	Native	✅	✅	✅	🚧
Tool approvals	Native	✅	✅	✅	✅
Permission modes	Native	—	✅	—	—
Usage	Native	✅	✅	✅	✅
Session resume	Native	✅	✅	✅	✅
Thread management	Native	✅	🚧	🚧	🚧
Fork	Native	✅	✅	✅	—
Context compaction	Native	✅	✅	—	✅
Slash commands	Native	🚧	🚧	—	—
Revise the previous message	Native	✅	🚧	✅	—

✅ supported, 🚧 partial or in progress, — not currently supported.

Quick Start

Option 1: Install with npm

npm install -g @codexhost/cli
codexhost

npm supports macOS, Windows, and x64 Linux.

Option 2: Download an installer

Download the latest installer from GitHub Releases, then choose the file matching your operating system and CPU architecture. Installers currently support macOS and Windows.

After installing on macOS, if Apple says it cannot verify the app when you first open it, run the following command in Terminal:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/codexhost.app

Then open codexhost again.

On Windows, if you use a portable/extracted Codex Desktop, set CODEXHOST_INSTALL_ROOT to the directory containing app\ChatGPT.exe before launching codexhost:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("CODEXHOST_INSTALL_ROOT", "D:\CodexPortable", "User")

Then open a new terminal and start codexhost. This applies to both the npm command and the Windows installer.

How it works

Most multi-agent clients connect different Harnesses through the ACP protocol. This is quick to integrate, but native capabilities such as tools, approvals, permissions, diffs, and questions are first reduced to a common denominator and then approximated again in the UI.

codexhost takes a different approach:

• Desktop layer: Use CDP / Electron Inspector to enhance the official Codex Desktop with Agent selection and session controls. The chat shell is not recreated, and the official installer is not modified.
• Protocol layer: Use a CLI shim to transparently connect to the official app-server and forward Codex requests unchanged.
• Harness layer: Integrate each Harness through its native interface: Pi uses the official RPC, while Claude Code uses the Agent SDK / CLI. Each Harness is then projected into the Desktop's existing streaming output, tools, diffs, approvals, and questions.

The goal is fidelity, not merely making the conversation work. Streaming, tool status, reliable patches, native approvals, and questions should come from the Harness itself whenever possible, rather than being guessed or fabricated by the Host.

Interaction Examples

Agent and Model selection	Usage and cost information
Mermaid diagram rendering
Grok showcase

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to the LINUX DO community for its continued support.
• Thanks to the Paseo project for inspiring and informing the multi-Harness integration approach and architecture.