Launch OpenAI Codex CLI in a fresh side terminal from the VS Code editor toolbar
Codex CLI Launcher is a small, unofficial VS Code extension for developers who already use Codex CLI and want a predictable one-click launcher inside the editor. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux wherever codex is available to the integrated terminal.
Unofficial project. This extension is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or approved by OpenAI. "OpenAI", "Codex", and related names are trademarks of their respective owners. See
TRADEMARKS.mdfor the full notice.
Install the extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace or from Open VSX, or download the latest VSIX from GitHub releases.
VS Code users can also install the Marketplace build from a terminal:
code --install-extension mikesoft.vscode-codex-cli-launcherCodex CLI itself is a separate product. Install it from the official Codex CLI documentation and confirm that codex works in an integrated terminal.
- Install Codex CLI and make sure
codexruns in your integrated terminal. - Install this extension and open a file in a trusted workspace.
- Click the launcher button in the editor title toolbar.
Each launch creates a new terminal beside the current editor and sends the configured command immediately. Existing terminals are not reused.
- One-click launcher in the editor title toolbar
- A fresh side terminal for every launch
- Active-editor workspace selection, with the first workspace folder as fallback
- Configurable launch command and terminal name
- Missing-command guidance that opens the official Codex CLI documentation
- Quoted Windows executable paths, including PowerShell's call operator
- Bounded shell-output capture used only to recognize a missing default
codexcommand - No installers, package-manager execution, telemetry, or background network calls
- VS Code
^1.103.0 - Codex CLI available in the integrated terminal environment, or a working custom launch command in the extension settings
| Environment | Status |
|---|---|
VS Code ^1.103.0 |
Supported and covered by the minimum-version integration test |
| Windows | Supported and validated in CI |
| Linux | Supported and validated in CI |
| macOS | Supported; not currently included in the CI matrix |
| Other VS Code-compatible editors | May work when they provide the required VS Code APIs, but are not part of the supported test matrix |
| Setting | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
codexCliLauncher.cliCommand |
Command executed when the launcher button is clicked. Machine-scoped; workspace values are ignored. | codex |
codexCliLauncher.terminalName |
Base label used for created terminals. | Codex CLI |
Open the settings with Codex CLI Launcher: Open Settings from the Command Palette.
Default command:
"codexCliLauncher.cliCommand": "codex"Windows PowerShell executable path with spaces:
"codexCliLauncher.cliCommand": "& \"C:\\Program Files\\OpenAI Codex\\codex.cmd\""Windows Command Prompt executable path with spaces:
"codexCliLauncher.cliCommand": "\"C:\\Program Files\\OpenAI Codex\\codex.cmd\""The extension does not collect telemetry, analytics, or personal data. The configured command runs visibly in your local integrated terminal, and Codex CLI remains a separate product with its own authentication, network behavior, and terms.
- Launching is disabled until the workspace is trusted.
- The CLI command is machine-scoped and cannot be supplied by a repository.
- The extension does not download installers, create installation scripts, or run package-manager installation commands.
- Shell-output capture is bounded and used only to recognize a missing default
codexcommand. Output from custom commands is not read. - All extension artwork is packaged in the VSIX; no external images are loaded at runtime.
See SECURITY.md and the architecture documentation for the maintained trust boundaries.
Follow the official Codex CLI documentation, then confirm that codex works in a regular integrated terminal. If your setup relies on shell initialization, restart VS Code after installation so new terminals inherit the updated environment.
Check codexCliLauncher.cliCommand and verify that the same command works in a regular terminal. Confirm that the workspace is trusted.
Quote executable paths that contain spaces. In PowerShell, use the call operator before the quoted path, for example & "C:\Program Files\OpenAI Codex\codex.cmd". In Command Prompt, use the quoted path directly.
The launcher prefers the workspace folder of the active editor. To control where Codex starts in a multi-root window, open a file from the target workspace before clicking the toolbar button.
Requirements: Node.js 22 or newer and npm. The repository uses npm with the committed package-lock.json.
git clone https://github.com/TheStreamCode/codex-cli-launcher.git
cd codex-cli-launcher
npm ci
npm run check
npm run auditnpm run check compiles the extension, runs the unit and metadata tests, executes the VS Code Extension Host smoke test against the minimum supported release, and inspects the packaged file list. npm run package creates a local .vsix file. See the architecture and release checklist for maintainer details.
Open a GitHub issue for bugs and feature requests, or read SUPPORT.md for the information to include. Maintenance can be supported through GitHub Sponsors.
See CONTRIBUTING.md. Pull requests must pass the required CI checks.
MIT License — see LICENSE.
Maintained by Michael Gasperini (Mikesoft). If this project is useful to you, consider sponsoring its maintenance.