OpenAI Codex release notes: 0.147 is stable and 0.148 alpha exports sessions

OpenAI Codex CLI 0.147.0 moved from the test line to a stable release on August 7. The next day, the alpha channel reached 0.148.0-alpha.5 with new ways to export, fork, and archive sessions. Teams that avoid alpha software can now assess 0.147 as a normal update. The new alpha is more useful as a bounded test of how ongoing agent work gets handed over.

Codex CLI is OpenAI Codex in the terminal, where a coding agent can read a project, propose changes, and run tools under chosen permissions. A stable release is the default in npm's latest channel. An alpha release is a test build that can change before the next stable version.

OpenAI Codex release notes: 0.147.0 becomes stable

Version 0.147.0 was published on August 7 and is now latest for the @openai/codex package. The stable release includes portable Agent Plugins, persistent manually ordered conversation sections, the automatically reviewed --approve-for-me flag, and support for MCP 2026-07-28. MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is a standard for how an AI client discovers and uses external tools and data sources.

Several of these features appeared in alpha builds and have already been covered in The Forge. The change now is that they are part of the stable channel. This matters for teams that wait for a regular release rather than putting alpha software into daily work.

Source: OpenAI Codex CLI 0.147.0 release notes.

The release also removes an old shortcut. codex exec --full-auto is gone; the release notes specify --sandbox workspace-write as its replacement. The stable build's help text lists workspace-write as a sandbox mode and no longer includes --full-auto. A sandbox mode limits which files and resources the agent's commands may use.

The same release redacts secrets and complete bearer tokens from displayed commands and replayed history, asks for explicit trust on unfamiliar local projects, and tightens plugin isolation. When Codex connects to real systems, keep keys in environment variables or a secret manager, scope each plugin's access, and have a person review the delivery.

Source: OpenAI Codex 0.147.0 bug fixes and migration note.

Codex 0.148 alpha makes session history portable

npm's alpha channel now points to 0.148.0-alpha.5, published on August 8. The alpha release itself has a short description, but its tagged source and merged changes show three user-facing session features.

/export in the terminal interface can write the complete conversation as structured Markdown to the clipboard or a file. The export preserves user and assistant messages, plans, visible reasoning, activity, image labels, file changes, and MCP details. It supports relative and home-relative paths, and Codex will not overwrite an existing file.

Source: OpenAI Codex PR #37358 for Markdown export.

The command codex exec fork <SESSION_ID> [PROMPT] creates a new thread from a session ID or session name. It leaves the source session unchanged, and the fork can be created without starting a turn. The resume picker also gains archiving with Ctrl+A, an Active/Archived view, and restoration before an archived session is resumed.

A session fork is a copy of existing work history that continues as a separate thread. It is useful when two approaches need to start from the same context without mixing their later decisions.

Sources: OpenAI Codex PR #37367 for codex exec fork. OpenAI Codex PR #37369 for session archiving. OpenAI Codex PR #37371 for restoration.

This is still alpha software. Test export, fork, and archive behavior in a bounded project, then check that the exported history contains the decisions and test results a colleague needs.

Source: OpenAI Codex 0.148.0-alpha.5.

What the change means for Nordic teams

In an internal automation workflow, the code is rarely the whole handoff. A colleague also needs to know what the agent read, which assumptions it made, which tests ran, and where the work stopped. Markdown export provides a portable record. Forking lets the next person or run try another route without changing the original session.

Stable 0.147.0 is also the right checkpoint for updating older run scripts. Search for --full-auto, replace it with an explicit sandbox mode, and confirm that plugin, MCP, and approval rules still fit the workflow. Keep a run record with the version, selected sandbox, and the person who approved the final result.

Human step

First check which Codex CLI version you are actually running:

codex --version

If you already test 0.148.0-alpha.5, open a relevant session and use the prompt below. After Codex responds, type /export in the terminal interface and choose the clipboard or a file. OpenAI presents this as an alpha feature, so inspect the exported Markdown before treating it as a handoff record.

Sources: OpenAI Codex npm registry. OpenAI Codex PR #37358 for /export.

Short example: use the new Codex feature

Prepare this Codex session for handoff. Summarize the objective and current state, decisions supported by the session, changed files, commands and test results, open questions, and the recommended next action. Change nothing and run no new tools.

Good output should meet these checks:

• Uses the current session and identifies real decisions.
• Names changed files and tests already run, including their results.
• Separates open questions from the recommended next action.
• Leaves the project unchanged before export.

For teams that want to make this repeatable, the same pattern fits Tool Forge: versioned agent configuration, scoped integrations, and a run receipt that can be handed over without losing context.

What to watch next

Version 0.147.0 is stable and can be evaluated as a normal update. Export, fork, and archive remain on the 0.148 alpha line and may change before the next stable release. The next clear signal will be whether the same commands and behavior remain when 0.148 moves to latest.