codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Feature request: customizable status line (like Claude Code) [4 comments, 5 participants]

Feature Request

Problem

Claude Code has a built-in customizable status line feature that allows users to display useful real-time information at the bottom of the terminal UI — token usage, model name, rate limits, context window, git branch, etc.

This is configured via a simple shell script hook in settings:

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "/bin/bash ~/.claude/statusline.sh",
    "padding": 0
  }
}

The script receives JSON context on stdin and returns formatted text. This is incredibly useful for power users who want to monitor their session at a glance.

Codex CLI currently has no equivalent mechanism. There's no way to display custom information in the TUI — no status line, no hooks, no plugin system for UI customization.

Proposed Solution

Add a statusLine (or similar) configuration option to ~/.codex/config.toml that allows running an external command and rendering its output in the Codex TUI (e.g., at the bottom of the screen).

Something like:

[status_line]
command = "/bin/bash ~/.codex/statusline.sh"
refresh_interval_secs = 10

The command would receive session context (model, token count, etc.) as JSON on stdin and return a single line of text (with ANSI colors) on stdout.

Use Cases

• Display current model and token/context usage
• Show API rate limit status and reset times
• Display git branch and repo info
• Show project-specific metadata
• Integration with external monitoring tools

Why This Matters

For users who switch between Claude Code and Codex, the lack of a status line in Codex is a noticeable gap. The status line is a low-cost, high-value feature that significantly improves the interactive experience.