Codex CLI 0.161.0 goes stable: GPT-6.1 Sol becomes the default model

#What happened

Codex CLI 0.161.0 reached stable, with GPT-6.1 Sol becoming the default model.

#What changed

Codex CLI 0.161.0 is now stable. Key items from the release notes:

• New default model — GPT-6.1 Sol is now the default model in the bundled catalog and the Amazon Bedrock catalog.
• Amazon Bedrock — Bedrock supports multi-agent V2 and Ultra reasoning on compatible models, and Bedrock Mantle now accepts AWS GovCloud regions.
• MCP sign-in — sign in to MCP servers from an active terminal session with /mcp login <name>.
• Voice selection — microphone, speaker, and input-channel selection for voice conversations, with preferences saved locally.
• Daybreak — opt-in via --enable cli_daybreak or features.cli_daybreak=true; its controls stay hidden by default otherwise.
• Cyber access programs — per-turn selection via codex exec --cyber-access-program or the TypeScript SDK cyberAccessProgram option.
• Bug fixes — approved filesystem escalation preserves denied reads; launch permissions survive terminal reconnects; an embedded server supports elevated Windows terminal sessions; responses retry honors server retry guidance.

#Why it matters

The default-model switch pushes GPT-6.1 Sol — near-Astra intelligence at a fraction of the price — to every Codex CLI user by default, continuing the post-DevDay rollout momentum.

#Sources

• Codex CLI rust-v0.161.0 release notes
• All Codex releases

Verified 2026-10-07