Dotsfeed
← News

Codex CLI 0.159 goes stable: steer a running agent mid-response with instant_interrupt

Verified· Sep 30, 2026Published Sep 30, 2026

OpenAI shipped Codex CLI 0.159 stable with opt-in instant_interrupt for steering long-running agent sessions mid-response, plus better Mermaid rendering, draft recovery, and sandbox hardening.

What happened

  • OpenAI tagged the stable Codex CLI release rust-v0.159.0 on September 29, 2026 (the newest pre-release tag on the releases page is 0.161.0-alpha.4).
  • Headline feature: opt-in instant_interrupt lets new input steer Codex during model responses or long-running code-mode calls (#48135, #48141).
  • Other features: compact welcome screen and consistent session headers with occasional turn tips; warnings viewer dismisses reviewed warnings when closed (press k to keep one); transcript can be scrolled while deciding whether to implement a plan; native Mermaid rendering supports more flowchart edges, labels, and node groups; app-server clients can paginate thread history from a specific item.
  • Bug fixes: Windows launches no longer spawn stray console windows for MCP servers, code-mode hosts, and piped commands; copying transcript selections preserves Markdown tables, formatting, and whitespace; blank sessions retain drafts when switching tasks; threads can be archived and listed before their first turn; local ChatGPT sign-in opens the browser reliably; approved commands retain explicit filesystem denials, and .aws directories are protected by default under writable roots; fixed macOS TLS access in network-enabled sandboxes.
  • Chores: removed automatic follow-up prompt suggestions (and the tui.promptsuggestions setting) and removed the bundled plugin-creator skill.

Why it matters

  • This is the laptop-side half of DevDay's Codex push: one day after reusable Codex Cloud environments and the refreshed voice CLI, the stable CLI gains the interactive controls those long-running sessions need — interrupt-and-steer rather than kill-and-restart.
  • The sandbox hardening (.aws protected, filesystem denials preserved) lands the same week as the Plugin4Shell plugin vulnerability disclosure, making it a timely upgrade for terminal-heavy teams.

Sources

Verified Sep 30, 2026

Sources