Codex on your phone: how to continue a task through Codex Cloud

To continue a Codex task on your phone, run it in the cloud. As a 1-time setup, create and publish a Codex Cloud environment on the ChatGPT website or in the desktop app. You can open a task started in the cloud from your phone and continue working on it. A task started in ordinary Codex on your computer cannot be transferred this way: you need to save it to GitHub and start it again in the cloud.

The agent on your computer can see every project folder, all its memory, and all its knowledge. But you cannot reach that from your phone. In the spring, the author was asked whether he works from a smartphone. He replied that he does not do so himself: it is possible, but there are nuances, and not everything is intuitive. Codex now has the cloud for this. Let's go.

Why a task on your computer is not visible on your phone#

Codex has 3 modes. Local and Worktree run on your computer. Worktree uses a separate copy of the project; this mode is covered in a separate article. Cloud runs the task on an OpenAI virtual machine.

A cloud task can see only its own environment and starts from a repository on GitHub. GitHub is a cloud service for code. If your project currently lives only on your disk, tell the agent, “Buddy, this app needs to go to GitHub.” It will ask you to sign in to GitHub and whether the repository should be public or private. Say “private”: then only you will have access to the code.

If you have not installed Codex yet, start with the separate article on installation and access.

How to create and publish an environment#

You can create an environment only on the ChatGPT website or in the desktop app. On your phone, you select one that is already set up.

OpenAI used to have a separate Codex app; now it has combined it with ChatGPT in a single interface. The author considers this approach more appropriate and convenient.

1. Sign in to ChatGPT and switch to Codex.
2. In a new task, select Work in → Cloud, open Select environment, and click Create environment.
3. Select your GitHub repositories. If GitHub is not connected, Codex will ask you to connect it.
4. Click Get started. Codex will examine the repositories, install dependencies and tools, and check that everything works. You do not need to write installation commands manually.
5. If something is missing, such as a key for a service, Codex will ask. You can specify the versions, commands, or services you need right away.
6. Review the setup report, save your changes, and click Publish.
7. When Environment published appears, click Start a new task and describe the task.

The same path is available under Settings → Codex Cloud → Environments → Create environment.

Save and publish are 2 different buttons. Saving remembers the settings. Each new task starts from the published environment. Until the environment is published, you cannot select it for a task on any device.

How to work from your phone: 2 options#

Codex Cloud. You do not need your own server; OpenAI provides the machine. But it runs only Codex, and only with what you put in the environment.

Your own server. In the setup described here, Claude Code, Codex, and Hermes are installed on a server, and Hermes manages them. You can message Hermes from your phone through a Telegram bot. This is especially convenient when you are traveling: dictate a task by voice and receive the report in the same place. How to keep Hermes running on a server around the clock is covered in a separate article, and how to move a project there from Codex is explained here.

How to open the same task on your phone#

On the website: Work in → Cloud, then select the environment. On your phone: open Codex in the ChatGPT app and select the published environment.

To continue work you have already started, open the same task. A new task starts from scratch using the published environment. The existing task continues with its own files, including changes you have not committed yet, and its installed tools.

You can start a task from your laptop and view the result on your phone.

Whatever task you give an agent—Hermes, Claude Code, or Codex—always ask at the end, “Are you sure you solved the task correctly?” Review the changes and check results before saving to GitHub.

How to update an environment without disrupting tasks already in progress#

Projects change: you add a library or need a new service. Open Settings → Codex Cloud → Environments, select Edit from the environment's menu, describe the change, and let Codex prepare and check it. Then save and click Republish.

New tasks receive the update. Tasks already in progress keep their state; republishing does not reset them. The environment pulls fresh code from the repository in the background on its own, without reinstalling dependencies.

How much computing power you get and how long a task is retained#

Each cloud task runs on its own virtual machine. Its computing power depends on the ChatGPT plan; the least expensive plan in OpenAI's table is Plus:

More powerful machines are available for Enterprise; OpenAI's account managers provide the terms and pricing.

By default, you can restore a task's state for 7 days after you last messaged or resumed it. Beyond that, you cannot count on it. That is why, after each completed piece of work, you should ask the agent, “Save it to GitHub.”

What the cloud cannot do yet#

• Operate your computer and browser for you (Computer and browser use). This is on OpenAI's roadmap.
• Work with GitLab or a self-hosted GitHub Enterprise Server. These are also on the roadmap.
• Your personal skills on your computer do not transfer to the cloud; a cloud task can see only skills from the repository. If you need a skill in the cloud, put it there.

There is also the old Codex Cloud (Legacy), which handles code review and integrations with Linear and GitHub. OpenAI plans to close it.

If the environment is missing from the list or setup fails#

The environment is missing when you select a task. Open Settings → Codex Cloud → Environments. The Unpublished label means setup was not completed through publication. Finish it and click Publish.

A tool will not install. In the setup conversation, look at which command failed and ask Codex to investigate and retry, for example, “Install pnpm and run the project's tests.” If setup failed right at the beginning, click Try again. If you need to fix project files or the dependency list, do it in a normal task, then return to environment setup.

Have you already run Codex tasks in the cloud, or are you still keeping everything on your computer?