Codex Now Runs Background Agents on Your Mac
The headline feature is deceptively simple but functionally powerful: Codex can now operate in the background on macOS, opening applications and executing tasks with automated clicks and keystrokes. According to OpenAI’s blog post, multiple agents can work in parallel without interfering with your own active work. This means you can continue using your machine while Codex handles auxiliary tasks like iterating frontend changes, testing applications, or working within tools that lack APIs.
Matching Anthropic’s Recent Moves
The timing is notable. Last month, Anthropic announced that Claude could remotely control your Mac and desktop, giving it a significant competitive edge. OpenAI’s background agent capability directly mirrors this functionality, suggesting the company is playing catch-up on enterprise automation features that matter most to corporate users.
Browser Control and Integration Expansion
Beyond background agents, Codex now includes an in-app browser for issuing commands to web applications. OpenAI says this feature targets front-end and game development workflows, with plans to eventually expand beyond localhost applications. The company has also announced 111 plugin integrations from tools like CodeRabbit and GitLab Issues, enabling Codex to handle administrative tasks such as scanning Slack channels and Google calendars to generate daily to-do lists.
Memory, Image Generation, and New Pricing
A preview feature called “memory” allows Codex to recall previous work sessions and build contextual understanding of how individual users operate. A new image-generation ability lets teams create product mockups, slide visuals, and placeholder graphics without context-switching to separate tools. OpenAI has also introduced flexible pay-as-you-go pricing for ChatGPT enterprise and business customers, aiming to lower barriers to adoption.
What’s Driving the Intensity
OpenAI once dominated AI tooling but has faced intensifying competition from Anthropic on the enterprise front. The company has simultaneously retreated from consumer-facing products, shuttering its Sora 2 social video app while contending with various controversies, including lawsuits over ChatGPT’s alleged mental health impacts. The Codex overhaul signals a deliberate pivot toward enterprise automation and integration depth.
The Competitive Gauntlet Continues
This isn’t the end of the coding tool arms race. Both companies are rapidly shipping agentic capabilities and workflow integrations that directly target the same use cases. OpenAI’s refresh shows it’s willing to iterate aggressively, but whether these updates close the gap with Claude Code’s current market preference remains to be seen in actual enterprise deployments.
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