Security and performance: OpenAI Codex CLI switches from TypeScript to Rust
More security and better performance thanks to Rust: OpenAI separates from TypeScript and Node for the terminal extension for coding.
(Image: Camilo Concha/Shutterstock.com)
The OpenAI Codex CLI team has announced on GitHub that it is switching the project from Node and TypeScript to Rust: “Codex CLI is Going Native”.
In the discussion post, maintainer Martin Fouad lists several reasons why the team prefers Rust for the terminal agent, first and foremost freedom from dependencies: “Currently Node v22+ is required, which is frustrating or a blocker for some users”. The associated performance gain is another item on Fouad's list. He highlights the elimination of garbage collection at runtime.
Another reason is the native security bindings for sandboxing, which the CLI agent uses to test and execute code. The blog also points out that code can be added in other languages, including TypeScript or Python. There is also an MCP server for the terminal extension.
(Image:Â Screenshot GitHub)
Codex CLI currently requires React, TypeScript, and Node.js. If you would like to try out the new Rust environment, you can install it with
npm i -g @openai/codex@native
instead of
npm install -g @openai/codex
for the old version. Fouad also announces that the team will continue to maintain TypeScript until the Rust version is equivalent to the old version in terms of application and functionality.
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Automatic agent for terminal friends
The tool serves as a coding agent for the console, works under macOS, Linux and Windows with a Linux subsystem and can access all OpenAI models that are accessible via the Response API. The default setting is o4-mini. It processes the code locally and does not transfer it to the cloud. The GitHub page provides examples of prompts:
codex “explain this codebase to me”
or fully automated:
codex --approval-mode full-auto “create the fanciest todo-list app”
There is also a silent mode to use the commands in the pipeline. According to the GitHub page, all of these variants are still experimental and may be unstable.
Recently, more and more projects have been switching at least system-related parts to Rust, most recently the TypeScript compiler or Vite.
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On November 10, 2025, betterCode() Rust will take place for the fifth time. This year, the online conference will focus on developing industrial applications with Rust. The presentations will cover topics such as asynchronous programming, managing dependencies and high-performance Rust. A field report from the automotive industry will round off the betterCode() Rust.
The program will be published in mid-July. Until then, tickets are available at a special blind ticket price.
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