OpenAI Codex release notes: 0.162.1 fixes questions and startup

OpenAI Codex CLI 0.162.1 fixes a crash in multiline questions and a startup failure when the terminal client connects to a background server. Codex CLI is OpenAI's terminal-based coding agent. The release shipped on October 9, 2026, and is the stable npm version when checked on October 13.

Source: OpenAI Codex CLI 0.162.1 release notes.

OpenAI Codex release notes: multiline questions

The terminal interface could crash when an asynchronous question contained multiple lines. Version 0.162.1 handles each logical line separately. It preserves blank lines and complete hyperlink destinations, including when text wraps to fit the terminal width. The fix handles both LF and CRLF, two ways of storing line endings.

Source: OpenAI: Preserve line breaks and links in multiline async questions.

Background server settings should not block startup

A running background server keeps its feature settings until it restarts. Previously, differences from the client's defaults or configuration files could cause startup problems.

Compatibility checks now apply only to feature settings explicitly passed on the command line. Differences from client defaults or configuration files should therefore not trigger a compatibility warning or restart request on their own. Explicit command-line choices are still checked, subject to overriding managed settings.

Both fixes ship in 0.162.1 and need no special agent prompt.

Source: OpenAI: Limit daemon feature compatibility checks to explicit CLI overrides.