Codex CLI Lets Developers Switch Between Connected Backends From the Session Picker Without Losing Drafts
CodexCodex CLI 0.167.0 adds backend switching to the terminal session picker. Developers can move between connected backends and keep any drafts they were composing.
Key Takeaways
- Developers can switch between connected backends from the session picker.
- Drafts are kept during the switch, so unsent prompts survive.
- The change removes the need to leave the current view to change backends.
- Saved chats now stay visible after a provider switch.
- A chat that cannot resume still offers a readable transcript and an editable prompt for a new chat.
- The feature shipped in Codex CLI 0.167.0 on November 6, 2026.
Backend Switching in the Session Picker
Codex CLI 0.167.0 lets developers switch between connected backends directly from the terminal session picker. The release notes state that drafts are preserved during the switch, so a half-written prompt does not disappear when the developer changes where sessions run.
What Changes for Users
Before this change, moving between backends meant leaving the current view. Now the picker handles it in place.
Related Fix
The same release keeps saved chats visible after switching model providers. If a chat cannot resume, the developer can read its transcript and start a new chat from an editable prompt.
The work is tracked in pull requests #58280 and #58457.