Codex CLI installs a persistent, self-updating background daemon by default(github.com)
599 points by whimblepop 1 day ago | 292 comments
tl;dr: Since v0.157.0, the Codex CLI silently spawns a persistent background daemon that survives session close, copies ~374MB of the platform package into `~/.codex`, and runs a detached updater that pulls new releases hourly and can kill active turns on restart. The daemon also pins environment variables (like HTTPS_PROXY) from the first session that launched it, breaking per-invocation wrappers and terminal-targeting hooks. The user requests `daemon_auto_start` default to false for CLI use, reserving the daemon behavior for the desktop/Remote Control case or explicit opt-in.
HN Discussion:
  • ↑Provides workaround to disable the daemon via feature flag and file symlinks
  • ↑Shares additional complaints about Codex's bugs, bloat, and poor quality
  • ↑Recommends abandoning Codex for simpler/alternative harnesses
  • ↓Notes this is standard behavior, matching Claude Code and browsers, so not problematic
  • ~Defends auto-updating as a reasonable tradeoff for fast-moving tools