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codex - ✅(Solved) Fix show “Action Required” in terminal/tab title when Codex is awaiting approval [1 pull requests, 1 participants]

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openai/codex#18162•Fetched 2026-04-17 08:31:55
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PR fix notes

PR #18372: Show action required in terminal title

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Implements #18162

This updates the TUI terminal title to show an explicit action-required state when Codex is blocked on user approval or input. The terminal title now uses the activity title item to cover both active work and blocked-on-user states, while still accepting the legacy spinner config value.

Changes

  • Rename the terminal title item from spinner to activity while preserving legacy config compatibility
  • Show [ ! ] Action Required while approval or input overlays are active, with a blinking [ . ] alternate state
  • Suppress the normal working spinner while Codex is blocked on user action
  • Add targeted coverage for action-required title behavior and legacy title-item parsing

Testing

  • Trigger an approval or input modal and confirm the tab title alternates between [ ! ] Action Required and [ . ] Action Required
  • Disable the activity title item and confirm the action-required title does not appear
  • Resolve the prompt and confirm the title returns to the normal spinning/idel state

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e9ecc530-a6be-4fd7-b9a6-d550a790eb2c

Changed files

  • codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/app_link_view.rs (modified, +4/-0)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/approval_overlay.rs (modified, +4/-0)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/bottom_pane_view.rs (modified, +9/-0)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/mcp_server_elicitation.rs (modified, +4/-0)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/mod.rs (modified, +5/-0)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/request_user_input/mod.rs (modified, +4/-0)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/bottom_pane/title_setup.rs (modified, +23/-8)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget.rs (modified, +15/-7)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/status_surfaces.rs (modified, +131/-34)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/tests/approval_requests.rs (modified, +112/-0)
  • codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/tests/helpers.rs (modified, +1/-0)
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What variant of Codex are you using?

CLI

What feature would you like to see?

What I Want

When Codex is blocked waiting for me (approval/confirmation/input), the terminal/tab title should clearly indicate that state instead of looking like it’s still working.

Why

Right now it’s hard to tell “Codex is actively doing something” vs “Codex is waiting on me” just by looking at tabs. The current behavior shows an animated loading symbol in both cases.

Gemini CLI handles this nicely by switching the title to something like:

  • ✋ Action Required

This looks like a raised hand, which makes perfect sense ("hey, I have a question”).

Proposed behavior

Add a distinct “awaiting approval” title state:

  • When Codex is awaiting approval / confirmation / input:

    • Set the title to ✋ Action Required (optionally include the session/folder name too, e.g. ✋ Action Required — new-feature)
    • Important: do not show the “working” animation in this state.

  • When Codex is actively working:

    • Keep the existing working indicator/animation (it’s great).

Environment

macOS, iTerm2

Additional information

No response

extent analysis

TL;DR

Update the Codex CLI to change the terminal title to "✋ Action Required" when waiting for user input, and remove the working animation in this state.

Guidance

  • Identify the current implementation of the terminal title update in the Codex CLI codebase to determine where to make changes.
  • Consider adding a new state variable to track when Codex is waiting for user input, and use this variable to conditionally update the terminal title.
  • Review the existing working indicator/animation implementation to ensure it is not displayed when Codex is waiting for user input.
  • Test the updated behavior in different scenarios, such as when Codex is actively working and when it is waiting for user approval or confirmation.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue does not contain sufficient information about the Codex CLI codebase.

Notes

The proposed solution assumes that the Codex CLI has a mechanism for updating the terminal title and displaying a working indicator/animation. The implementation details may vary depending on the specific codebase and technologies used.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Update the Codex CLI to change the terminal title and remove the working animation when waiting for user input, as this is a specific and targeted change that addresses the reported issue.

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codex - ✅(Solved) Fix show “Action Required” in terminal/tab title when Codex is awaiting approval [1 pull requests, 1 participants]