Background Codex server acting on stale settings? On 0.163.0, /daemon restarts it in place

#What changed

Codex CLI 0.163.0, announced by @CodexReleases on X, adds a confirmed restart action to /daemon for managed background servers. Startup warnings can still reflect the settings the server had when it first came up, even after you fixed those settings in config. Restarting from the TUI refreshes that server without quitting Codex.

The GitHub release notes and pull request #53173 spell out the safety rails: Codex warns that active or queued work in other chats may be interrupted, reconnects automatically after the restart, and lets an in-progress restart finish even if you close the TUI. Restart is only offered when Codex manages the local server, including servers discovered with auto-start disabled and ones started by codex agents. The first startup configuration warning for a managed server also shows a restart hint.

#Who is affected

Anyone running Codex CLI 0.163.0 or later with a managed background server, especially people who change config after the daemon started and still see stale startup warnings, or who run several chats against the same local server. This is separate from turning daemon_auto_start off so the CLI stops lingering after you quit.

#What to do now

• Update to Codex CLI 0.163.0 or later.
• When a managed background server looks stuck on old settings or a startup warning points at a config you already fixed, open /daemon and use the restart action after reading the interruption warning.
• Expect other chats sharing that server to pause or fail while it comes back; wait for the automatic reconnect before retrying.
• If the server is unmanaged (not started or discovered by Codex), restart will not be offered—restart that process outside the TUI.

#What is not confirmed

This is based on the official release notes and the merged pull request; DotsFeed has not run its own /daemon restart test. The notes describe the CLI TUI; whether the Codex app and IDE extension expose the same restart control is not stated in the release.