OpenAI updates Codex with desktop control in challenge to Anthropic
OpenAI expands Codex’s reach
OpenAI is pushing its Codex coding tool into more ambitious territory, adding desktop control features that let it open apps, click around a user’s machine and carry out tasks in the background.
The update, announced Thursday, is part of a broader revamp aimed at making Codex more useful across everyday development workflows. OpenAI said the tool can now run multiple agents on a Mac in parallel without interrupting work in other apps, positioning it as a kind of coding assistant that handles side tasks while a user focuses elsewhere.
The company says that could be useful for iterating on frontend changes, testing apps or working in software that does not expose an API. In practice, the new setup gives Codex the ability to act more like an operator than a passive assistant, using a cursor to click and type as it works through tasks on the desktop.
OpenAI also added an in-app browser, allowing users to issue commands that Codex can execute inside specific web applications. The company says the feature should help with front-end and game development, and it plans to eventually extend the browser so Codex can “fully command the browser beyond web applications on localhost.”
A direct shot at Anthropic
The move lands in the middle of a low-grade battle between OpenAI and Anthropic over AI coding tools. Anthropic’s Claude Code has become a favorite for many businesses, according to recent reporting, and last month the company introduced Mac and desktop control features of its own through Claude and Cowork.
OpenAI’s latest changes suggest it does not want to cede that ground. By giving Codex more autonomy on the desktop and in the browser, the company is trying to make the product more than a coding assistant — and closer to a general-purpose work tool that can slot into a wider range of corporate tasks.
For now, the race appears to be centered on which company can make AI coding tools feel not just powerful, but convenient enough to become part of a daily workflow.
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