CODEX CLI 0.157.0 introduced an automatic background server startup feature that creates a daemon to facilitate the Codex CLI’s automatic initialisation at system boot for eligible interactive sessions. The change has sparked notable backlash within the developer community, with many arguing that the daemon should be disabled by default and only enabled via an opt-in configuration.
Evidence from a public discussion, prompted by a Linux WSL2 setup where Codex CLI 0.157.0 was installed via npm, describes the daemon spawning quietly when an interactive session begins. The daemon persists even after the main Codex window is closed, and the application copies a large runtime package (~374MB) into ~/.codex, after which an independent updater begins. The updater performs its initial version check five minutes after launch and then polls for updates hourly.
Critics warn that the daemon may desynchronise from the package manager installation and could retain stale environmental variables, such as proxy settings, inherited from the initial session. The prevailing view is that OpenAI should reconfigure this feature to disable the daemon by default, granting developers control to activate the background process manually if desired.