Codex CLI: Fullscreen Terminal UI Now On by Default
CodexCodex CLI 0.157.0 made the fullscreen terminal UI the default view, just three days after it launched as an opt-in /tui mode. The release also adds Shift-click text selection for copying multi-line transcript output and continues refining Unicode-based rendering of bullets, checkboxes, and equations. The change follows the same opt-in-to-default pattern Codex CLI recently used for voice conversations and worktree sessions.
Key Takeaways
- Fullscreen terminal UI is now Codex CLI's default view, just three days after launching as an opt-in
/tuifeature. - The switch follows the same "opt-in to default" graduation pattern OpenAI recently used for voice conversations and worktree sessions.
- Shift-click now extends text selections across the transcript, making it easier to copy multi-line output.
- Codex CLI continues to refine Unicode-based rendering, improving bullets, checkboxes, and aligned equations in the fullscreen view.
- At least one macOS user reported a Command+C regression in iTerm2 after upgrading, tied to how fullscreen mode now handles text selection.
- Users who prefer the classic scrolling log can likely still toggle back with
/tui, though OpenAI's release notes do not explicitly confirm an opt-out path.
Sources & Mentions
1 external resource covering this update
Fullscreen Terminal UI Becomes the Default in Codex CLI
Codex CLI 0.157.0, released September 25, 2026, switched on the fullscreen terminal interface by default, just three days after the mode debuted as an opt-in feature toggled with the /tui command in version 0.156.0. The change means most Codex CLI users will now see the redesigned, full-window layout automatically the next time they open the tool, rather than needing to discover and enable it manually.
From Opt-In to Default
When Codex CLI introduced fullscreen mode on September 22, it was framed as an alternate display option: users had to explicitly run /tui to switch away from the classic scrolling terminal log. That version added transcript search, mouse-driven text selection, and right-click copying to the fullscreen view. Three days later, OpenAI judged the mode stable and useful enough to make it the default experience, following the same "graduate from opt-in to default" pattern the CLI recently used for its voice conversation and worktree-session features.
New in 0.157.0: Shift-Click Selection and Cleaner Rendering
Alongside the default switch, Codex CLI 0.157.0 added Shift-click support for extending text selections across the transcript, making it easier to copy multi-line command output or agent responses without dragging the mouse the entire distance. The release also continued refining how the fullscreen view renders content, improving Unicode bullets, checkboxes, aligned equations, and optimization notation so that structured agent output reads more like a formatted document than a raw text stream.
Early Feedback
Community reaction has been limited so far given how recent the change is, though at least one macOS user flagged a regression on GitHub: Command+C no longer copies selected transcript text in iTerm2 under the new default fullscreen mode, a behavior that worked before the upgrade. OpenAI has not yet indicated whether that keybinding difference is a bug or an intentional consequence of how the fullscreen view now manages text selection internally.