openai
IDE-integrated diff / approval
What feature would you like to see?
Codex CLI already has a good approval flow: it can show red/green diffs in the terminal and ask the user to approve or reject changes. This works well, but currently it only happens in the terminal.
It would be great to also have this experience directly inside an IDE (e.g. VS Code or Cursor). For example:
Show the diff inline in the IDE’s editor
Let the user approve, approve for session, or reject from there
Then send the decision back so Codex can apply or skip the patch
This would feel much smoother, similar to how CloudCode shows changes inside the editor, instead of switching back to the terminal.
Are you interested in implementing this feature?
Yes — I’d be happy to help prototype an extension that connects Codex approvals into VS Code / Cursor.
Additional information
No response
Is the accept or discard edits API exposed in VScode?
https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/chat-agent-mode#_accept-or-discard-edits
It would be great if Codex had a feature to attach the code from the currently viewed file or selected line when sending commands.
This is already supported in Claude Code.
Yes, this would be very helpful. I'd like an integration between IDE and Codex CLI (not the VSCode extension) that includes:
- Sending selected lines in the IDE to the CLI
- Sharing diagnostics like type and lint errors from IDE to CLI
- Diff viewing
Was going to submit an issue asking for this, specifically for IDE integration that is agnostic.
A good example that I am aware of (and currently use) is https://github.com/stevemolitor/monet which sends diff proposals from Claude Code to an Emacs diff buffer through a websocket connection.
The CC VScode extension has a much better diff viewing experience. It allows you to view the full diff in VScode's diff viewer BEFORE the file is written to disk. Codex only shows a tiny little window with a proposed diff and there is not even a way to expand it to full screen. You have to let it write to disk to use git and/or VSCode diff viewer which is not ideal when you are trying to collaborate and approve each change rather than using full on autonomous mode.
@theclunkerjunker Have you tried clicking "View all changes". That will open a full editor pane with all of the diffs. We will also be iterating on this surface over time.
For the folks who want the CLI <> IDE integration, what do you prefer about the CLI vs using the extension directly?
Have you tried clicking "View all changes". That will open a full editor pane with all of the diffs
That's the view that we are looking for, but we'd like to be able to see it before accepting or rejecting the proposed changes. Right now the View all changes button to see the full editor diff is only visible after accepting the changes
It's a much nicer experience to be able to see the diff in the full editor view when deciding if the changes should be accepted or rejected. Especially when there are a lot of proposed changes, it's a lot harder to read them in the small chat window. For me it's the number 1 missing feature from Codex compared to Claude Code
@gpeal @swfunc yes, exactly that. You cannot "view changes" until the files have been written to disk already.
CC has this great workflow I use where it proposes a change, shows me a full diff in the VSCode native diff viewer (not yet written to disk), and allows me to either approve it or "Reject and tell Claude what to do instead". Claude also seems to retain the context of the rejected diff and incorporates it into feedback.
I've yet to be able to replicate this workflow with Codex.
Reject and tell Claude what to do instead
This one I'd also love to have in Codex
@theclunkerjunker Have you tried clicking "View all changes". That will open a full editor pane with all of the diffs. We will also be iterating on this surface over time.
For the folks who want the CLI IDE integration, what do you prefer about the CLI vs using the extension directly?
@gpeal I prefer being able to have Codex in a CLI so that it's in a dedicated screen. This allows me to have maximum real estate for code and my filetree in my main monitor. Viewing the Codex extension means I can't see my file tree. I also find the Codex extension hard to read. If I want to make its text bigger, that zooms everything in, which isn't ideal.
The current "View all changes" is a good start, but I find it hard to use in practice.
As mentioned by @bhack the accept or discard edits API offers the best usability in vscode and derivates https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/chat-agent-mode#_accept-or-discard-edits.
But I think that API is not exposed to extensions so probably we need to open a feature request in Vscode repo. /cc @isidorn what do you think?
Yes, please open a feature request https://github.com/microsoft/vscode and feel free to ping me @isidorn on it. Thanks 🙏
The error appears somewhere, when I run new project with codex extension + vs code
I no longer see the option to view all changes and undo
The error appears somewhere, when I run new project with codex extension + vs code
I no longer see the option to view all changes and undo
i have same problem, i couldn't see this anywhere
@theclunkerjunker Have you tried clicking "View all changes". That will open a full editor pane with all of the diffs. We will also be iterating on this surface over time.
For the folks who want the CLI IDE integration, what do you prefer about the CLI vs using the extension directly?
Hi. This does not show up in my Codex extension in VS Code. How do I bring it back?
@gpeal I prefer being able to have Codex in a CLI so that it's in a dedicated screen. This allows me to have maximum real estate for code and my filetree in my main monitor. Viewing the Codex extension means I can't see my file tree. I also find the Codex extension hard to read. If I want to make its text bigger, that zooms everything in, which isn't ideal.
At least your first part of wanting to see the files and see your chat is easily possible by dragging and dropping Codex to another part of the screen. The multi-monitor and desire to have different zoom levels is still valid. I don't see a way to popout an extension to place on a 2nd monitor and I don't see a way to control any different font sizes other than setting it for both code, file view, and Codex (which is perfectly fine for me, but is still a valid issue).
Claude Code and Cline seem to have this support for viewing a proposed patch in a readable-sized UI element BEFORE it is made, without requiring some privileged access to vscode or a pending feature. I think this ticket, unlike the one that was closed referencing this one, mixes up a few different requests and issues. For the request to have the ability to see a proposed change before accepting it, in a UI element that can be expanded beyond a few lines worth of space, it seems possible with today's VS code?
This is actually what is needed. I really can't work reliably with codex without this feature. gpt5 still needs a lot of handholding, so being able to have every diff show and be accepted or denied in the IDE would be very helpful. Also having this tight integration between files or text in the IDE that the cli can view.
I think Gemini CLI gets this right, this is what I want (from the Gemini CLI docs):
-
Workspace Context: The CLI automatically gains awareness of your workspace to provide more relevant and accurate responses. This context includes:
-The 10 most recently accessed files in your workspace.
- Your active cursor position.
- Any text you have selected (up to a 16KB limit; longer selections will be truncated).
- Native Diffing: When Gemini suggests code modifications, you can view the changes directly within your IDE's native diff viewer. This allows you to review, edit, and accept or reject the suggested changes seamlessly.
-
VS Code Commands: You can access Gemini CLI features directly from the VS Code Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P):
-
Gemini CLI: Run: Starts a new Gemini CLI session in the integrated terminal.
-
Gemini CLI: Accept Diff: Accepts the changes in the active diff editor.
-
Gemini CLI: Close Diff Editor: Rejects the changes and closes the active diff editor.
-
Gemini CLI: View Third-Party Notices: Displays the third-party notices for the extension.
https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/ide-integration/index.md
Hello @gpeal
Have you tried clicking "View all changes". That will open a full editor pane with all of the diffs. We will also be iterating on this surface over time.
Viewing the diff after the fact and having the option to undo the changes is not the same as being presented with a diff prior to the edit and having the option to reject the changes and suggest modifications. A rejected diff kept in context followed by a prompt that alters the edits is a very common workflow in other coding agents and for good reason: A proposed diff may be 99% ok but require a single line of code to change to reach an acceptable state.
IDE integration, what do you prefer about the CLI vs using the extension directly?
Can launch multiple CLI instances in different terminals work on various parts of the codebase in parallel each with a unique context.
Here's an example of how Claude Code handles it, that we would love to see in Codex TUI.
Being able to accept/deny specific changes, by lines/groups of lines, is very helpful when you want to have a bit more control of what is being edited/patched.
@gpeal I was about to open a new issue for this, but found this thread and wanted to share here instead. I explored a small experimental macOS-only prototype of this idea and recorded a short demo of the workflow using VS Code’s native diff viewer during patch approval.
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d170413f-a03a-4f39-a12e-2dfe93a7fb3c
It would be great to see something along these lines supported in a stable, official way soon!
