Codex CLI 0.129.0: Vim Mode in the TUI Composer & Redesigned Resume/Fork Picker

Vim Mode Comes to the Codex TUI Composer

Codex CLI 0.129.0, released on May 7, 2026, brings one of the most frequently requested ergonomic improvements to the TUI: modal Vim editing in the composer. Activated with the /vim command, the Vim mode gives developers full modal editing with Insert and Normal mode switching, Vim-specific keymap contexts, and a configurable default mode so users who always want Vim behavior do not need to activate it manually each session.

For developers who live in Vim or Neovim and find it jarring to switch to a modal-less input box for AI prompts, this change closes a meaningful gap. The new /keymap debug command is also available to help inspect how the terminal is interpreting key events — useful for diagnosing unusual key mappings in terminal emulators or multiplexers.

Redesigned Resume and Fork Picker

The second headline change in 0.129.0 is a substantial redesign of the session resume/fork workflow. The updated picker makes it significantly easier to branch off from a previous thread or restart a past session:

• Raw scrollback mode — users can scroll through the full history of a past session before deciding whether to resume or fork it
• /ide context injection — injects context from the current IDE state into a resumed or forked thread, bridging the gap between editor state and the picked session
• Workspace-aware /diff — the /diff command is now routed through workspace commands, making it aware of the active workspace when displaying diffs
• Fork --last fix — a bug where forking from the last session incorrectly filtered by the current working directory has been resolved

These changes are particularly valuable for developers who maintain long-running Codex threads across multi-day tasks and need to branch off to explore a different approach without losing the original context.

Status Line Improvements

The TUI status line received a visual and informational upgrade:

• Theme-aware colors — the status line now draws its colors from the active Codex theme, keeping the interface visually coherent when custom themes are in use
• Optional PR summaries — a new status line item can display a summary of the current pull request, giving developers at-a-glance context on the branch's PR state
• Branch-change indicators — the status line can now surface branch-change information, helping users track which branch Codex is operating on during a session

Cross-Platform Bug Fixes

The release includes a range of reliability improvements across platforms:

• Linux: The sandbox startup is now more resilient across older bwrap versions, slow mount probes, symlink-protected paths, and shared /tmp environments — particularly relevant for users running Codex in containerized or shared infrastructure setups
• Windows: Fixes for ConPTY teardown (preserving ConPTY ownership to avoid PTY crashes), named-pipe access in elevated sandbox contexts, PowerShell-wrapped allow rules in exec policy, and safe.directory handling for Git worktrees
• TUI input: Alt+Enter now correctly inserts a newline (the alias was broken in a prior release), modified Delete and Backspace keys behave correctly, and /copy works reliably inside tmux without requiring passthrough mode
• Paste: Large paste placeholders and Ctrl+C-stashed drafts survive /clear and external editor workflows without corrupting draft history