# Codex Cloud Codex Cloud is the cloud-hosted, async surface of [[OpenAI Codex]]; the place to send long-running or non-urgent agent work that does not need to occupy your laptop. Where [[Codex CLI]] is for tight feedback loops on the local filesystem, Cloud is for fire-and-forget jobs that come back as pull requests. It is OpenAI's answer to [[Claude Managed Agents]] and to JetBrains Air's "cloud execution mode"; the same underlying pattern of `repo + issue → agent → PR`. ## What it actually is A managed environment service plus an agent runtime. You connect a [[GitHub]] account, point Codex at a repo, optionally describe an environment, and dispatch tasks. The agent runs server-side on OpenAI infrastructure with internet access and tooling, then opens a pull request when done. No local Docker, no laptop time spent on the run. ## Capabilities - **Repository-based task delegation**; describe what to do at the issue or task level; Codex Cloud handles checkout, branching, commit, PR. - **GitHub integration**; native auth flow; PR descriptions, review threads, and re-runs all happen inside GitHub. - **Cloud environments**; configure runtime, install steps, and dependencies once per repo; Codex reuses them. - **Internet access controls**; per-repo allow/deny; mitigates the risk of an agent exfiltrating to arbitrary endpoints. - **Secrets management**; environment variables and tokens scoped per environment. - **IDE / CLI integration**; the [[Codex CLI]] and the IDE extension can both promote a job to Cloud (`Cloud delegation`); progress visible from the originating surface. - **Async execution**; jobs queue, run, and notify. The originating session does not block. ## When to choose Cloud over CLI / App - Long-running tasks; tests over a large suite, refactors that span hundreds of files, codebase migrations. - Hands-off work; you want to fire something, close the laptop, get a PR. - Multi-repo or batch jobs; sweeping the same change across many repos. - Privacy-bounded work; the work needs internet and tools that are awkward to grant locally. CLI / App stay better for tight feedback loops, exploration, and any work that benefits from a human-in-the-loop on every turn. ## Access Bundled with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, and Enterprise. Enterprise tenants may need workspace admins to enable it before users see it. ## Trade-offs to keep in mind - **Visibility cost**; agents you cannot watch in real time are agents that surprise you in PR review. Treat Cloud output as untrusted until reviewed; the same `unreviewed AI code anti-pattern` applies. - **Repo coupling**; the strongest UX is GitHub-shaped. GitLab and self-hosted git remain second-class as of 2026. - **Compute cost is hidden**; not metered separately on consumer plans, which makes it tempting to dispatch sloppy work; tighten task descriptions or you pay in PR review time instead of dollars. ## References - Codex Cloud entry point: https://chatgpt.com/codex - Documentation: https://developers.openai.com/codex/ - OpenAI Codex umbrella: https://openai.com/codex/ ## Related - [[OpenAI Codex]] - [[Codex CLI]] - [[Codex App]] - [[Codex IDE Extension]] - [[AI Agent Harnesses (MoC)]] - [[Claude Managed Agents]] - [[JetBrains Air]] - [[AI Agent Harness]] - [[GitHub]] - [[Unreviewed AI code anti-pattern]]