Codex CLI 0.156–0.162, Explained: Voice by Default, GPT-6.1 Sol as Default Model, Worktrees and Command Center

Codex CLI 0.156–0.162 is the run of seven stable releases openai/codex shipped between 2026-09-22 and 10-09 (0.156.0, 0.157.0, 0.158.0, 0.159.0, 0.160.0, 0.161.0, 0.162.0, plus the 0.162.1 fix release). Our previous version-by-version coverage ended at Codex CLI 0.155, Explained: Experimental /voice, Touch ID for MCP Requests, and the 0.155.1 Revert — when /voice still sat behind /experimental and the default model was still the GPT-5.6 family. Three weeks later, both are defaults.

Update, 2026-10-16: the 0.163.0 stable release shipped on 10-15 (UTC), with npm and PyPI listing it the same day (checked 2026-10-16). Two states described below were flipped by that release: Daybreak is enabled by default for eligible accounts as of 0.163.0 (the "explicit opt-in" in section 5 and the FAQ reflects the 0.156–0.162 era), and instant steering while Codex responds (instant_interrupt) plus Code Mode interruption are now on by default too. For the feature-by-feature read, see Codex CLI 0.163.0, Explained: Daybreak On by Default, Instant Interrupts, /config Search.

1. Models: GPT-6.1 Sol becomes the default

The line's single biggest change landed in 0.161 (10-07): GPT-6.1 Sol is now the default model in the bundled and Amazon Bedrock catalogs (release notes verbatim, #49318/#49339). Fresh installs no longer start on the GPT-5.6 family — scripts and CI configs that relied on the default should pin their model field explicitly.

The groundwork came in 0.157 (09-25): GPT-6 Sol and Luna entered Codex together with Amazon Bedrock support and migration prompts for older models (#47332/#47347). For the company line on the family, see The GPT-6 family grows: gpt-6-sol, gpt-6-luna, gpt-6.1-sol land in the official SDKs.

Bedrock expanded in the same window: 0.161 added multi-agent V2 and Ultra reasoning on compatible models, and Bedrock Mantle now accepts AWS GovCloud regions (#49345/#49813).

2. Interaction: voice goes mainstream, fullscreen everywhere

0.156 (09-22) reset the interaction baseline in one release:

Links leveled up too: as of 0.162, URLs are clickable in approval headers, questions, MCP prompts, warnings, banners and verification prompts — including links that wrap across lines (#51439 and company).

3. Agents: worktrees and Command Center become a system

Worktrees went from experiment to default-enabled (0.156, #45276/#44870) and then became a tool group: 0.162 adds tools for creating and listing managed Git worktrees from trusted local projects when the worktrees feature is enabled (#50148) — agent-side worktree operations no longer depend on raw shell commands.

Command Center matured in step: 0.156 filters tasks by status and creates worktree sessions from the center (#46839); 0.160 adds the keyboard-accessible Show more pagination (#49106); 0.162's p key pins tasks into a shared Pinned group when supported by the server (#51500).

On the automation side, 0.162 also ships JavaScript helpers that stream promise results as they settle, plus opt-in ranked tool search in Code Mode (#51126/#51209), and live web access plus remote compaction configuration for custom Responses-compatible providers (#50459) — third-party provider setups gain an officially supported layer of switches.

4. MCP and connection security

• OAuth client secrets (0.158): codex mcp add --oauth-client-secret covers MCP servers that require pre-registered client secrets (#47891).
• Bearer-token direct connections (0.158): direct exec-server WebSocket connections can be secured with bearer tokens, including connections configured through app-server (#47601/#47648).
• /mcp login (0.161): sign in to a configured MCP server from an active terminal session (#49290).
• Approval defaults tightened (0.158): terminal input approval is enabled by default for commands running with elevated permissions, and runtime-only grants no longer trigger unnecessary reviews (#47799/#48073).

5. Other things worth knowing

• instant_interrupt (0.159, opt-in): new input can steer Codex during a model response or long-running code-mode call (#48135).
• /usage dashboard (0.156): account usage, token totals, plugin and skill activity (#45764/#45769).
• Transparent image backgrounds (0.158): generation and editing can explicitly request transparency; edits accept file-backed conversation images (#47484/#47956).
• Guardian review extensions (0.160, opt-in): retrieve earlier user instructions and include agent-handoff context (#49036/#49057).
• Daybreak explicit opt-in (0.161): requires --enable cli_daybreak or features.cli_daybreak=true; controls and /daybreak stay hidden and automatic Cyber routing is omitted by default; codex exec --cyber-access-program selects a Cyber access program per run (#49856 et al./#49939).
• Windows fixes (0.162): ordinary drive-letter access restored on Windows 10, sandbox temp permissions matched to the child process environment, and a signed PowerShell installer ships with Windows releases (#51511/#51512/#51158).
• 0.162.1 (10-09): fixed a TUI crash on multi-line asynchronous questions (preserving line breaks and full hyperlink destinations) and startup failures from background-server feature mismatches (#51866/#52648).

6. Upgrade notes and distribution status

For new installs: grab 0.162.1 directly — the default experience is GPT-6.1 Sol plus fullscreen transcripts plus working voice. For upgrades from 0.155 or earlier: walk through the default-model change in section 1 and the interaction defaults in section 2; for configuration, see Codex CLI config.toml: The Complete Guide to Models, Approvals, MCP and Layered Config.

Distribution (checked 2026-10-13): npm @openai/codex and PyPI openai-codex both sit at 0.162.1; the 0.163 prerelease line reached alpha.5 by 10-10 (marked Pre-release on GitHub) — we'll cover it when a stable release lands.

7. Next steps

• The next line, feature by feature (Daybreak and instant interrupts going default): Codex CLI 0.163.0, Explained: Daybreak On by Default, Instant Interrupts, /config Search.
• For the full API-side picture of the GPT-6 family, read The GPT-6 family grows: gpt-6-sol, gpt-6-luna, gpt-6.1-sol land in the official SDKs.
• For the hosted-agent-environments SDK news, see Hosted agent environments surface in the OpenAI SDKs: prewarmed creation, idle suspension, expiration.
• Previous version-by-version coverage: Codex CLI 0.155, Explained: Experimental /voice, Touch ID for MCP Requests, and the 0.155.1 Revert.