codex-works

v1.0.6

Published

2 months ago

Codex Works is a lightweight web interface for Codex app-server workflows, accessible from any browser

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mcpasi

codex-works codex openai web-ui remote cli

🔥 Codex Works

🚀 Run Codex Works Anywhere: Linux, Windows, or Android 🚀

Repository: github.com/Mcpasi/Codex-Work

Codex Works in your browser. No drama. One command.
Yes, that is your Codex desktop app experience exposed over web UI. Yes, it runs cross-platform.

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🤯 What Is This?

Codex Works (codex-works on npm and the command line) is a lightweight bridge that gives you a browser-accessible UI for Codex app-server workflows.

You run one command. It starts a local web server. You open it from your machine, your LAN, or wherever your setup allows.

TL;DR 🧠: Codex app UI, unlocked for Linux, Windows, and Termux-powered Android setups.

⚡ Quick Start

The main event.

# 🔓 Run instantly (recommended)
npx codex-works

# 🌐 Then open in browser
# http://localhost:5900

Run with --tunnel when you want Codex Works to start:

cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:<port>

Startup prints the tunnel URL and terminal QR code without embedding any secret. It prints only the path to the protected access-token JSON; the token value itself never appears in startup output. Without an explicit tunnel flag, tunnel startup follows local Tailscale detection; use --no-tunnel to disable it.

When a reverse proxy terminates TLS, explicitly trust each proxy's backend peer IP so Codex Works can use its protocol metadata:

npx codex-works --trusted-proxy 127.0.0.1
# Repeat --trusted-proxy <ip> for additional proxy peers.

The option accepts exact IPv4 or IPv6 literals only—not hostnames, ports, CIDRs, or wildcards. Codex Works ignores X-Forwarded-Proto from every other socket peer. The trusted proxy must preserve the public Host and replace any client-supplied X-Forwarded-Proto with its authoritative http or https value. For the built-in local Cloudflare tunnel, start with --tunnel --trusted-proxy 127.0.0.1.

If you are using a provider or AI gateway that is already authenticated and do not want Codex Works to force codex login during startup, use:

npx codex-works --no-login

Codex Works access-token safety

Untrusted browser access is protected by a 256-bit random token stored at $CODEX_HOME/codex-works-access.json (normally ~/.codex/codex-works-access.json). Codex Works creates it once with 0600 permissions, rejects symbolic links and malformed or weak-format values, and never accepts the secret through CLI arguments, URLs, QR codes, logs, browser storage, feedback data, or project ZIPs.

The JSON is intentionally user-controlled. To find it or rotate it safely:

codex-works access-token path
codex-works access-token rotate

You may replace accessToken manually with another cwx_ token containing exactly 32 cryptographically random bytes encoded as 43 base64url characters. Restart every running Codex Works server afterward. A manual change or secure rotation invalidates all earlier browser sessions; the session file contains only SHA-256 verifiers, is bounded to 64 seven-day sessions, and is also kept at 0600.

Remote token sign-in requires direct HTTPS, HTTPS reported by an explicitly trusted proxy, or a loopback backend hop. A remote client cannot make an HTTP request secure by sending X-Forwarded-Proto: https; the header is ignored unless the socket peer matches a repeatable --trusted-proxy <ip> entry. Direct localhost and Tailscale peers retain their separate trusted-network bypass. --no-auth exists only as an explicit opt-out for controlled development or test environments. The retired password CLI options, password login payload, one-click secret URL, password file, and cleartext session store are no longer supported; legacy files are removed automatically.

This access-token authentication design, the trusted reverse-proxy protocol boundary, and the retirement of the previous password system are project-specific security work originated and specified by Pascal(Mc Pasi).

Codex credential safety

Codex file-backed login state is kept only at $CODEX_HOME/auth.json, which defaults to ~/.codex/auth.json. Set CODEX_HOME only to an absolute directory outside every project you open. If upstream Codex is configured to use the operating-system keyring, no auth.json mirror is created.

Codex Works does not store Codex access, refresh, or ID tokens in localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB, project files, account metadata, or project ZIPs. Older $CODEX_HOME/accounts/*/auth.json snapshots are removed, and the retired account-import/copy helpers no longer duplicate credentials. To change accounts, run Login again so Codex replaces the single active credential.

The browser-assisted callback is transient, is sent only to the local server, and account/login responses are marked no-store. The separate Codex Works access session uses a hashed server-side verifier and an HttpOnly cookie; neither is a Codex OAuth token. See the official Codex authentication and credential-storage documentation.

Browser-origin safety

The realtime bridge accepts /codex-api/ws only when the WebSocket upgrade includes a valid same-origin Origin header. Its HTTP(S) scheme and host/port must match the requested server origin. HTTPS reported through X-Forwarded-Proto counts only when the socket peer matches an exact --trusted-proxy <ip> entry; otherwise the header is ignored, so a remote client cannot forge a secure same-origin request. Missing, null, malformed, and foreign origins receive 403 before local-network/access-session trust is considered and before bridge notifications are subscribed. Trusted reverse proxies must preserve the public Host and overwrite X-Forwarded-Proto with an accurate value.

24/7 WebSocket lifecycle

The realtime bridge keeps one upstream notification subscription for all currently connected WebSocket clients and serializes each notification once. A single 30-second, unref'ed Ping/Pong timer runs only while clients exist; a peer that misses a full heartbeat cycle is terminated without affecting responsive peers. Incoming messages are capped at 64 KiB because the channel is notification-only, and a client whose outbound backlog exceeds 8 MiB is disconnected before it can grow without bound.

The idempotent bridge disposer removes HTTP listeners, clears the timer and subscription, and terminates every upgraded client. Both the packaged CLI and Vite development server invoke it before waiting for HTTP shutdown, avoiding the Node.js behavior where upgraded sockets can hold server.close() open indefinitely. After a successful browser handshake, later reconnects start again at the initial backoff instead of accumulating delay across a 24/7 session.

Linux 🐧

node -v   # should be 18+
npx codex-works

Windows 🪟 (PowerShell)

node -v   # 18+
npx codex-works

Native Android APK 📱

Codex Works 1.0.6 can be built as a self-contained ARM64 Android application named Codex Works. It embeds the frontend, Node server, Codex app-server executable, Android ripgrep, and a real PTY terminal, then serves the WebView only through 127.0.0.1:5900.

corepack [email protected] run build:android-apk
# output/android-apk/Codex Works.apk

The initial APK supports Android 10+, ARM64-v8a, and 4 KiB-page devices. The on-device build uses Termux's Android clang plus an ARM64 Ubuntu/Debian PRoot with JDK 17 and APK packaging tools. See the complete Android APK build, signing, installation, security, and troubleshooting guide.

This is a new Codex Works application under apps/codex-works-apk/, not a restoration of the retired AnyClaw Android distribution.

Termux (Android) 🤖

pkg update && pkg upgrade -y
pkg install nodejs -y
npx codex-works

Android background requirements:

Keep codex-works running in the current Termux session (do not close it).
In Android settings, disable battery optimization for Termux.
Keep the persistent Termux notification enabled so Android is less likely to kill it.
Optional but recommended in Termux:

termux-wake-lock

Open the shown URL in your Android browser. If the app is killed, return to Termux and run npx codex-works again.

iPhone / iPad via Tailscale Serve

If you want to use Codex Works from iPhone or iPad Safari, serving it over HTTPS is recommended.

A practical private setup is to run Codex Works locally and publish it inside your tailnet with Tailscale Serve:

npx codex-works --no-tunnel --port 5900
tailscale serve --bg 5900

Then open:

https://<your-machine>.<your-tailnet>.ts.net

This setup worked well in practice for:

iPhone Safari access
Add to Home Screen
the built-in dictation / transcription feature in the app
viewing the same projects and conversations from the Windows host

Notes:

Tailscale Serve keeps access private to your tailnet
on iOS, HTTPS / secure context appears to be important for mobile browser access and dictation
some minor mobile Safari CSS issues may still exist, but they do not prevent normal use
depending on proxying details, authentication behavior may differ from direct remote access
if conversations created in the web UI do not immediately appear in the Windows app, restarting the Windows app may refresh them

✨ Features

The payload.

🚀 One-command launch with npx codex-works
🌍 Cross-platform support for Linux, Windows, and Termux on Android
🖥️ Browser-first Codex Works flow on http://localhost:5900
🌐 LAN-friendly access from other devices on the same network
🧪 Remote/headless-friendly setup for server-based Codex usage
🔌 Works with reverse proxies and tunneling setups
⚡ No global install required for quick experimentation
🧠 GPT-5.6 Sol thinking controls include Max and Ultra reasoning levels
🎙️ Built-in hold-to-dictate voice input with transcription to composer draft
🤖 Optional Telegram bot bridge: send messages to bot, forward into mapped thread, send assistant reply back to Telegram
💾 Project portability: export a project as a ZIP from project or thread menus, including matching Codex chat JSONL history under .codex-project/chats/
📦 Project import: restore exported project ZIPs from the browser via Import Project
🔁 Imported chats are rewritten for the destination CODEX_HOME, project path, and currently selected provider/model so they can be resumed in the new environment
⚙️ Project ZIP performance: exports stream ZIP bytes with response backpressure handling and skip generated/git-ignored folders; imports still buffer the selected ZIP once because the browser upload arrives as a single file

24/7 app-server cache policy

The bridge bounds idle thread-scoped caches to 128 recent threads with a one-hour inactivity TTL and a 60-second sweep. Turn-page reads retain their existing 30-second TTL, stream history is capped at 400 events per thread, and completed fallback items are capped at 1,000 per thread. Active turns and in-flight coalesced thread reads are protected from LRU/TTL eviction; they may exceed the idle limit temporarily and are reconsidered after completion. dispose() clears every thread cache, promise registry, activity marker, and sweep timer.

Operators can inspect aggregate, non-secret counters at GET /codex-api/cache-metrics, including entry counts, hit/miss/coalescing totals, TTL/LRU/dispose evictions, protected threads, and temporary over-capacity state. Thread IDs and cached payloads are not exposed by this endpoint.

Telegram Bot Bridge (Optional)

Set these environment variables before starting Codex Works:

export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="<your-telegram-bot-token>"
export TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USER_IDS="<your-telegram-user-id>,<optional-second-id>"
export TELEGRAM_DEFAULT_CWD="$PWD" # optional, defaults to current working directory
npx codex-works

TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USER_IDS is required for safe access. Only allowlisted Telegram user IDs can use the bridge. If no allowed user IDs are configured, incoming Telegram messages are rejected.

To find your Telegram user ID:

Send a message to your bot.
Run curl "https://api.telegram.org/bot<your-telegram-bot-token>/getUpdates".
Read message.from.id from the returned update payload.

Bot commands:

/start show quick help and thread picker
/threads list recent threads and pick one
/newthread create and map a new Codex thread for this Telegram chat
/thread <threadId> map current Telegram chat to an existing thread
/current show currently connected thread for this chat
/history show recent history for current thread
/status show bridge/mapping status
/whoami show your Telegram user/chat IDs and authorization state
/help show command reference

Outgoing assistant messages are sent with Telegram parse_mode=HTML for formatting, with automatic plain-text fallback if HTML delivery fails.

🧩 Recent Product Features (from main commits)

Not just launch. Actual UX upgrades.

🗂️ Searchable project picker in new-thread flow
➕ "Create Project" button next to "Select folder" with browser prompt
📌 New projects get pinned to top automatically
🧠 Smart default new-project name suggestion via server-side free-directory scan (New Project (N))
🔄 Project order persisted globally to workspace roots state
🧵 Optimistic in-progress threads preserved during refresh/poll cycles
📱 Mobile drawer sidebar in desktop layout (teleported overlay + swipe-friendly structure)
🎛️ Skills Hub mobile-friendly spacing/toolbar layout improvements
🪟 Skill detail modal tuned for mobile sheet-style behavior
🧪 Skills Hub event typing fix for SkillCard select emit compatibility
🎙️ Voice dictation flow in composer (hold to dictate -> transcribe -> append text)

🌍 What Can You Do With This?

| 🔥 Use Case | 💥 What You Get | |---|---| | 💻 Linux workstation | Run Codex Works in a browser without depending on the desktop shell | | 🪟 Windows machine | Launch web UI and access from Chrome/Edge quickly | | 📲 Native Android APK | Run the embedded ARM64 Node, Codex app-server, ripgrep, WebView, and PTY as Codex Works | | 📱 Termux on Android | Start service in Termux and control from mobile browser | | 🧪 Remote dev box | Keep Codex process on server, view UI from client device | | 🌐 LAN sharing | Open UI from another device on same network | | 🧰 Headless workflows | Keep terminal + browser split for productivity | | 🔌 Custom routing | Put behind reverse proxy/tunnel if needed | | ⚡ Fast experiments | npx run without full global setup |

🖼️ Screenshots

Skills Hub

Chat

Mobile UI

Skills Hub Mobile Chat Mobile

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  Browser (Desktop/Mobile)   │
└──────────────┬──────────────┘
               │ HTTP/WebSocket
┌──────────────▼──────────────┐
│        Codex Works          │
│  (Express + Vue UI bridge)  │
└──────────────┬──────────────┘
               │ RPC/Bridge calls
┌──────────────▼──────────────┐
│      Codex App Server       │
└─────────────────────────────┘

The large runtime entry points now keep stable facades while auth, thread-archive recovery, provider-model discovery, pure desktop thread state, and route synchronization live in focused modules. See Large-module architecture for the responsibility map and compatibility guarantees. This behavior-preserving decomposition was originated and specified by Pascal(Mc Pasi) and remains part of Codex Works 1.0.6.

🎯 Requirements

✅ Node.js 18+
✅ Codex app-server environment available
✅ Browser access to host/port
✅ Microphone permission (only for voice dictation)
✅ APK build only: ARM64 Termux clang, JDK 17, apksigner, zipalign, and Android 10+ with 4 KiB pages

Release metadata

The current release identity is [email protected]. publish.sh publishes the version already declared in package.json; it does not silently increment it. Update the version intentionally before a later release. The obsolete AnyClaw APK workflow, separate codex-works-android publisher, and APK marketing page remain retired. A separate, newly implemented Codex Works 1.0.6 APK now lives under apps/codex-works-apk/; regular mobile-browser and Termux support also remains available through codex-works. This release direction, retirement boundary, and new native APK direction were originated and specified by Pascal(Mc Pasi). The project repository is Mcpasi/Codex-Work.

🐛 Troubleshooting

| ❌ Problem | ✅ Fix | |---|---| | Port already in use | Run on a free port or stop old process | | npx fails | Update npm/node, then retry | | Termux install fails | pkg update && pkg upgrade then reinstall nodejs | | APK will not install silently from Termux | Open Codex Works.apk with Android's package installer or use an ADB/Shizuku-authorized shell | | APK startup fails | Run adb logcat -s CodexWorksNode; confirm ARM64, Android 10+, current WebView, and a 4 KiB page size | | Can’t open from other device | Check firewall, bind address, and LAN routing |

🤝 Contributing

Issues and PRs are welcome.
Bring bug reports, platform notes, and setup improvements.

Project-specific work and attribution

The GPT-5.6 Sol Max/Ultra thinking-level extension, Codex credential-storage hardening, 256-bit Codex Works access-token authentication with strict login-payload and aborted-request handling, legacy-password retirement, same-origin WebSocket bridge hardening, trusted reverse-proxy protocol hardening, 24/7 WebSocket lifecycle hardening, bounded 24/7 app-server caches, the behavior-preserving large-module decomposition for auth, archive recovery, provider models, thread state, and routes, Codex Works product/release identity, the Codex Works 1.0.6 release alignment and legacy AnyClaw Android-distribution retirement, the new Codex Works 1.0.6 native Android APK build/runtime/terminal boundary, and strengthened no-Git agent/validation workflow are project-specific contributions originated and specified by Pascal(Mc Pasi). Their implementation scope and verification coverage are recorded in PROJECT_CONTRIBUTIONS.md.

This attribution supplements the upstream history. The MIT terms, existing upstream copyright notices, package authors, and upstream credits remain unchanged; LICENSE carries a separate notice for project-specific contributions by Pascal(Mc Pasi).

⭐ Star This Repo

If you believe Codex Works should be accessible from any machine, any OS, any screen, star this project and share it. ⭐